Brewed by Ninkasi Brewery in Oregan, US. Another microbrewery based in the states. An interesting name for american brew, Ninkasi is the ancient Sumerian tutelary goddess of beer. She is the goddess made to satisfy the desire and sate the heart. A hymn to Ninkasi, is actually a recipe for making a beer. True enough, this double IPA, makes u doubly love the IPA, more hops, more malt, more of everything, to satisfy the desire and sate the heart of hop head.

What I observe, taste and come to note.

Appearance; mild to dark amber color, frothy white head for the last pour from the bottle. Color looks inviting.

Nose; Mild citrusy hops, floral like, good aromas to begin..

Taste; Citrusy hops, mild floral sweetness, hops bitter kicks-in next, double IPA, double bitter, but it is the nice bitter that kick your palate

Tastebud; Slightly carbonated, quite smooth to palate, slight dryness and hops bitter dry off thereafter

Good double IPA, leave me wanting more, doubly more and more.. this is kickass dipa

The bottle comes in 8.8% abv, and for a pint bottle, good to share.. get your hands on this while stock last.. from Ales&Lagers.

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Hitachino Nest Amber Ale, first time in Malaysia. Now available in Ales & Lagers and Taps Beer Bar!

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The suspense was over. The day of one of Malaysia’s most anticipated party series had arrived and arrive it did bigger and bolder than before. Carlsberg threw another sweetener into the epic party this year by giving away 10 exclusive invites to the global Carlsberg Where’s the Party? that will be happening in Europe this August with none other than Axwell, formerly of Swedish House Mafia.

Clueless about the venue till they arrived, WTP 2013 took off in a cavernous hall at one of the country’s largest exhibition parks, which was transformed into a ‘jet-set’ venue complete with a rare Antonov airplane forming part of the backdrop. This year’s party was more than double the scale of last year, with the biggest turnout ever of 3,000 party goers from Malaysia and Singapore, and the breadth and depth of entertainment, stage and thematic set-up second to none. Carlsberg’s iconic WTP is for the bold who step up to earn an exclusive, money-can’t-buy invitation to a party where anything could happen.

At the party zone, Carlsberg fans were in for a mega night of visual and audio extravaganza, complete with pulsating beats, sizzling acts and ice cold Carlsberg beer, all orchestrated in a uniquely Carlsberg WTP style.

To kick off the party, new Carlsberg Malaysia managing director Henrik Andersen and Carlsberg Singapore managing director John Botia made a fitting appearance at the press conference when they alighted from the Antonov, accompanied by a bevy of brand ambassadors, dressed as air stewardesses.

Andersen said, “Air travel is our theme this year as we’re flying lucky Malaysians to Europe for our global party, we needed a massive place that would fit the plane and the huge crowd. This WTP is also about taking partygoers to new heights and it looks like we have set a new benchmark in the local party scene by creating another epic sensorial event.”

“For the first time in the history of WTP, Malaysians will be treated to the global WTP experience, where 22 nations will come together. Consumers bold enough to step up to the challenge will be justly rewarded with entry to this epic European party experience.”

With Malaysia’s very own stand-up comedian Douglas Lim opening the night and Swedish Dub House duo Cazzette headlining, WTP 2013 was a heady non-stop mix of international artistes and local heroes. Celebrity hosts Joey G and Patricia K made sure partygoers did not have a dull moment.

The night flowed with performers Nine Lives, Joel Turner, 3AM in the Valley and Big Skrptz from Australia, Korean Pop sensation Sweety, DJ Inquisitive, Miss Nine who hails from Germany, DJs Clazz and Ming Ming taking their turn on stage to give the crowd an inimitable blend of edgy dance music that kept them going till the wee hours.

This year also saw the first Carlsberg party mobile site introduced, making WTP 2013 the most socially savvy party around! Party goers just couldn’t help but flock to the ‘Be Bold’ mobile site to connect and meet new people, snap photos and take part in challenges that could win them passes to the global WTP. The ‘Be Bold’ Challenges were very well-liked and hundreds of uploads were displayed at the giant screen.

Others who prefer to chill and relax were kept entertained with party games that included the Loud Ludo, Marshall Matters, No-Sight Flight, Turbalance, Safety Slides and i-Darts.

WTP 2013 is again an epic one with multi faceted sensations. Whilst partying and dancing hard, party-goers were advised to drink in moderation and get their breath alcohol content tested. Over a hundred taxis were on standby to send consumers home.

The only question remaining now is ‘Where’s the party’ in 2014, Carlsberg?

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Two weeks ago I was invited to attend the launch of Kirin beer in Malaysia. Which is distributed by TWE (Tong Woh Enterprise). Kirin is a familiar brands by locals here, as I still have a 2 litter metal growler I bought many years ago at Langkawi. Malaysia actually like Japanese brand beer like Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory.

Before the event start, Masakazu Ashida give a simple brief on product and the different between Kirin beer and their competitors. Unlike other beers, only the first press of the wort is used in Kirin. That is Kirin beer signature.

Compare to most beer event, Kirin did something more unique, which is my favourite as well – Food Beer Pairing. TWE work together with Daikanyama to create dishes that will paired nicely with the beer and enhance the food experience.

Plate #1 Soi Sashimi & Century Egg Chawan Mushi
The tuna sashimi is awesome, subtle and nice texture. The subtle taste with simple garnish goes pretty well. Although I would love it more in sushi style. As for the century egg was lovely. Goes nicely with beer as it didn’t over power the taste. Of course, later we are served with sushi, so no rice in this dished are justified.

The food presentation looks so good that everyone pause a while before we stick our chopstick in… haha

Plate #2 Grago Agedashi
The Tofu is refreshing like the beer and the soy sauce bring up the sweetness of the tofu. The beer give the subtle malt character that don’t crash in flavour.

Plate #3 Salmon Truffle Oil Tataki & Sake Bomb Maki
The Maki is my favourite in this pairing. As the sushi rice and crunchy deep fried soft shelf crab really bring out both flavour and texture with the enhancement of the beer. I find Japanese beer goes quite nice with rice and rice noodle.

Plate #4 The Spanish Sushi Platter
This is far most interesting flavour and very fusion style which I like a lot. Grilled Capsicum and anchovy is something very appetising but can’t really paired that well with the beer. In fact the prawn goes the best in this 3 fusion sushi.

End with a dessert of ice cream. Not really paired well as it bring out nasty bitter flavour to the beer. But who can deny a dessert after such a nice food showcase. Overall, Daikanyama did a very good job on pairing the food with Kirin beer. They capture the subtle and refreshing flavour of Kirin to paired nicely with the food.

Each of us have a media gift of Kirin Chocolate. The chocolate cover most of the beer liquid in flavour. But is always nice to have chocolate that have alcohol in it. This media preview dinner of Kirin really set a good example that many bars can do is create food that goes well with the food. Good job to both TWE and Daikanyama that create such a nice dinner preview of the beer and food. Cheers!

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Mere hours to go and the anticipation for Where’s the Party? 2013 is rising to feverish levels. And just when we thought we could wait no longer, Carlsberg at long last revealed the ‘meeting point’ for WTP 2013. Granted it is only the location of a car park, but after months of speculation and wild guesses, this kernel of information is like a soothing balm for tortured imaginations, including the one belonging to yours truly.

We have been bold and willingly taken on the challenge of the Carlsberg WTP. And now our journey to the ultimate party experience will begin this Saturday at the car park of Malaysia Agro Exposition Park in Serdang. And then we’re headed for somewhere in the Klang Valley!

All other information still remains unknown, asides from the dress code. For those of you still in the dark about what to wear, we suggest you rock the night away in casual wear. Keep it comfortable is our advice if you’ve been to any of the past WTPs. After a long night of partying, taxis will be available on standby for hire to get partygoes safely home. These juicy little morsels of info are all we’re getting to satiate our curiosity for now.

So, what could be in store for us? An unexpected theme? Check. An awesome setting? Check. Like-minded pleasure seekers to mingle with? Check. Another epic experience in the iconic WTP series? Check. Ice cold Carlsberg? Check.

What more can we say? Facebook and Instagram contests have come and gone, teaser parties have been held, and the roving WTP crew has made its rounds. Now we patiently wait for a few more hours.

By the way, if you haven’t gotten your hands on an invite to WTP 2013 by now, the only thing you can do is hunt down a friend who has one. You won’t gain entry if you are not among the chosen ones!

See you Saturday!

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