Okinawa is abit of a standout from mainland Japan, with a very distinctive culture of their own, belonging to an archipelago of islands called the Ryukyu Islands (which in the past was a kingdom of its own, known as the Ryukyu Kingdom) that is somewhat equidistant between Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

The island's most famous locally made alcoholic beverage is actually Awamori, which is made using Thai Indica rice, which as you might have guessed, was influenced by the island's historic trade relations with Thailand. Awamori is also unique for using black koji mold for its fermentation process.

Okinawa is a unique island that is probably the least culturally similar to mainland Japan. (Image Source: Time Out)

Its location has meant that the island has been exposed to a spectrum of external cultural forces that have together shaped the island's own traditions and practices. (Image Source: Pelletier's Karate Academy)

Perhaps more recently, the island has played host to the US (a contentious topic, I shan't address) since the 1940's, eventually officially rejoining Japan in the early 1970's. As you might imagine, the people and practices of the island bears quite a fair bit of influence from a mix of various external cultural forces.

One of the outcomes of which is beer. In the 1950's as the island sought to rebuild itself, one of the produce that was created was Orion beer, known as Okinawa's Craft "The Draft".

Orion has an emphasis on being an unpasteurised draft beer which has fresher flavors and packs in more foam, one of the most accessible Japanese draft beers on the export market. (Image Source: Public Wine, Beer and Spirits)

Orion's The Draft, or Orion Draft, is made using a combination of barley malt, rice and corn, which is then brewed with spring water from a local Okinawan mountain nearby the brewery, using German Hallertau and Czech Saaz hops.

Officially, it is categorised as a Japanese rice draft lager, meaning it's unpasteurised so as to keep in a fresher flavor and remains one of the most easily accessible Japanese draft beers if you're looking outside of Japan. Given how small Okinawa is, Orion's 60% market share is not particularly large, and in the broader country-level, Orion only controls 1% of the Japanese beer market as the fifth-largest Japanese beer brewer, as such the export market is of particular importance to Orion. 

Orion "The Draft" Lager, Okinawa's Craft Beer, 5% ABV - Review

Tasting Notes

Color: Burnished Gold

Aroma: Incredibly aromatic, emanating from the moment it is poured. Floral notes of lilies, with deep, rich notes of dark natural honey and a waxiness of honeycomb. There's a bright, breezy, grassy herbaceousness and also crisp pines and lemon zest. More uniquely, there's an almost coastal brininess and minerality - think sea spray and coastal rocks. Gentle cereal notes of wheat lastly.

Taste: Light sweetness, this isn't particularly hefty nor watery. Natural honey, floral notes of chamomile and chrysanthemum, with the more usual cereal notes of rice crispies. There's no bitterness whatsoever. Yet belying the classic lager notes, there's an interesting bit of sweet corn, lightly savory burnt toast, and a concrete minerality. It has a distinctive touch of umaminess as well that you'd find from lightly grilled sweet corn on a cob.

Finish: Long - lightly bittersweet, with more umami notes, and then rice crispies again.

My Thoughts

True to its emphasised draft branding, this really is a very fresh, bright, gentle yet surprisingly complex lager. It's incredibly aromatic, which was the first thing that stood out as it was poured out, with a coastal and grassy profile that really does invigorate island vibes. The use of a combination of malt, rice and corn is likely what is responsible for the complexity and true enough, they do each take their turn at making a showing throughout, which stands as fairly unique for me.

On the palate, it is almost tea-like with little hoppiness or bitterness, and really is quite creamy. It isn't particularly sweet (and definitely isn't bitter), which should bode well for most casual drinkers, instead it has an alluring natural sort of sweetness. This isn't intensely flavored but is a very easy drinker. If I was on a beach, this would definitely be my go to.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot