I recently picked up a bunch of bottles of what seemed like interesting brews from Hitachino, because I was interested in exploring some Japanese beers. However, more than anything, I've found both to be severely overcarbonated. To the point of both making a mess, and being unpleasant to drink.
Is this sort of over-the-top carbonation characteristic of Hitachino's beer (or Japanese beer in general)? Or is it more likely that the bottles (which I purchased all at once from a single retailer) were somehow compromised or spoiled in the process of being imported to the US? Or just spoiled by sitting on the shelf too long? None of the bottles are marked with any sort of freshness or sell-by date, so is this possibly some sort of spoilage I've just never encountered before?