I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Millennial Central for Kirin. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
My partner and I moved to D.C. from the Midwest in August, making this our first cherry blossom season in the city. If you’re not tuned in to the more local goings on of our nation’s capital, cherry blossom season is a big deal. It marks the beginning of spring and street festivals, with this year being especially significant due to a long, awful winter. The trees, a gift from Japan, have become a major tourist attraction. It’s easy to see why; the delicate blossoms are bright and gorgeous after the dreary gray of winter!
We were already excited to bask in the loveliness of the trees this weekend, but were all the more pumped when asked to sample Kirin Ichiban’s signature and light beers. We were also provided with a recipe to accompany our beer, crafted by celebrity chef Candice Kumai as part of her partnership with Kirin Ichiban. You can check out Kirin’s Facebook page for more awesome recipes throughout the year!
Having spent hours out in the sun, we were ready to kick back with our small mountain of sushi and some beer. Kirin Ichiban is one of the oldest breweries in Japan, and their beer is refreshing and crisp due to their using only the first strain of malt liquid. Kirin Light, while lower in calories, was also delicious! You can really taste the years of work that have gone into making Kirin Ichiban a Japanese tradition. It was the perfect accompaniment to our sushi, not overpowering but still distinctly flavorful.I love Japanese food. The refreshing, healthy, and tasty recipes are perfect for humid summer days! The recipes created by Kumai all looked great, but we were most excited about the recipe we chose. Ours was sushi, which was perfect at the end of a long day walking around the gorgeous Tidal Basin. On our way home we stopped at a local Japanese market, where we picked up some fresh produce, crab stick, and tempura shrimp. We had never made sushi before, but fortunately Kirin sent the necessary tools and easy to follow directions. Although my first roll was a little loose, I picked up on it quickly and was really proud of how the rest turned out! And regardless of my lack of roll expertise, the final product hit the spot!
Between seeing the gorgeous cherry blossoms for the first time and trying a brand new Japanese recipe, we kicked off our first spring in DC the best way possible! Not only was it a blast putting together the sushi rolls, but enjoying Kirin Ichiban while doing so was a great, refreshing addition to a warm Saturday night.
