Bad excuse for buying (and drinking) Stella. :)

It rings a bell. If my local Japanese supermarket doesn't have it then I've definitely seen it elsewhere, probably one of the bars that stocks quite a few beers from Japan.

Is this one of their top brews?

I was thinking that, too.

I have a Stella chalice as well, but I think I'm going to use it as a gag gift for my BIL. :D

Victory Hop Wallop, Maui Mana Wheat, and Paulaner Hefeweizen Cans.

Every one of those I have ever had has been vile. Some weird lemon/sour taste that is NOT supposed to be there.

Just saw this, perhaps of interest to some. Free 1-year sub to DRAFT mag:

http://www.freebizmag.com/emaildraft01welcome.htm

Actually, if the brewers making Hitachino are using Sorachi Ace hops, a Japanese-developed hop variety with "lemon/sour" flavor notes, in their recipe it's possible that taste IS supposed to be there.

More to the earlier question, the Kiuchi Brewery (makers of Hitachino brand beer) stopped beer and sake production for quite a while last year to bottle water for people displaced by the earthquake, tsunami and radiation leak. While they've resumed brewing I don't think they've totally refilled their distribution channels -- particularly internationally -- so I'd expect Hitachino beers to remain hard to find in the U.S. for a few months more.

Well, OK, but it was still nasty and not worth what it cost.

I'm an IPA girl, and/but these are my current favorites:

Victory Prima Pils - a perfect, crisp beer. So clean, but full of flavor. Tastes light, but has great body.
Sweetwater 420 - beer doesn't even need to be better than this. A top-fiver for me.
Lagunitas New Dogtown Pale Ale - fresh, bright, deep flavors, a pleasure
Ithaca Pale Ale - love this stuff. Gets less attention than Ithaca Flower Power (but it edges it out for me).
Sweetwater IPA - the yellow package. A brighter flavor (almost with a citrus note) than 420...I go back and forth, according to the weather, about which of the two I prefer.
Lagunitas IPA - a simply wonderful IPA
Ithaca Flower Power - an American pale ale, somehow a more complex flavor than many other beers -without tasting over-engineered like some. Lush, floral. Attracting a good bit of attention, recently. Great stuff.
Mama's Little Yella Pils- a nice everyday draft pilsner.

I know I'm missing some from my current top-list, but it's a start. Try the Ithaca beers if you have the opportunity.

See if you can find Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale. Excellent IPA (brewed because they couldn't make Brown Shugga). Glad they couldn't!

They have it at my local store. Haven't tried it because I don't like holiday/seasonal beers. On your advice, I'll try it. Thanks!

Hitochino nest white beer. Amazing! but expensive.

Glad to know I'm not the only girl out there who enjoys hoppy beer! :D

Just tried porkslap IPA, love the ginger addition.

I think i have the most boring beer fridge right now, there is a can of Carlsberg in there, and some cheap norwegian beers. Plus a large bottle of norwegian micro brew that i'm saving for a special occasion