Tasting

What does Japanese beer taste like? Pale, cold, and clean. The nose offers little, just a light hint of grain and fresh bread. On the palate, carbonation arrives first, then a brief, fine sweetness, then a dry finish without lingering bitterness. Anyone used to a hearty Bavarian Helles will find it lighter.

Three brands serve well as examples. Asahi Super Dry, listed by the maker at 5.2 percent, represents the dry style. Kirin Ichiban Shibori shows the softer, maltier side of lager. Yebisu, the beer from the district of the same name, sits somewhere in between. Add a craft beer from the Spring Valley line to see what hops and yeast can really do.

The glass is usually a handled mug, the "jokki," in which draft beer arrives at the table. Tulip- or pilsner-shaped glasses turn up in bars and with bottled beer. The idea is to keep the warmth of the hand away from the beer as much as possible, so it's often stored at nearly freezing and served in a chilled glass.

When pouring from the tap, the foam plays a firm role. It should be dense and creamy, shielding the beer from air. Good bartenders pour in stages, first fast to build the head, then slowly, until the foam fills a good portion of the glass.

Intense cold masks aroma. Let the beer warm up slightly, and more malt and grain come through. This holds true even for the big brands: after ten minutes on the table, Yebisu tastes noticeably different than it did fresh off the tap.