Official Beer of Street Drankin': Heartland

Now that the weather has warmed and the cherry blossoms have passed, you know what it is time for? Yes... Street Drankin'! And the official street drankin' beer is Kirin's Heartland. Off draft this beer tastes horrible but out of its tradmark 500 ml bottle while you are chillin on the sidewalk, it's a standard.

Let's talk about the bottle. A dark green glass emblazed with the nurturing beer tree, and using only a minimal label on the neck. And what a neck! Long and slender, rising from the squatter base. Perfect for gripping while you are pouring some brew down the gullet.

OK, imagine you are street drankin' at your favorite street drankin' bar, Spirits, in Nagoya. Refill time and your friends are reaching for that 425 yen Kinshachi or that 350 yen Sam Adams. There is no problem with this, for example, that is our friend Nick above relaxing with a cuban and a Kinshachi Imp Choc Stout on his birthday. But now, you've already had some top quality and now you need the filler, the pale base malt to the specialty grains. You reach for that 315 yen 500 ml bottle of Kirin Heartland! If you are street drankin' in country Tahara, that same bottle is only going to run 285 yen. A smart choice that tastes better than those other big company light lagers. Kirin Heartland comes in a beautiful bottle with a taste that is not offensive.

With all that said, never buy this beer to take back to your house. You can stick the empty bottles in your backpack to use for homebrew later, but please drink the beer where it was meant to be drank -on the street.