Author: nami

Craft beer maker Far Yeast Brewing Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, Representative Director: Shiro Yamada) introduces beers full of originality from Japan to the world, which will release a special limited brew “Far Yeast Hop Frontier -New World IPA-” on Friday, December 17th. It is a beer with a powerful tropical flavor that uses hops from Oceania, which has been attracting attention in recent years. The original series of this limited brew product was “Far Yeast Hop Frontier -Juicy IPA-” (hereafter “Hop Frontier”), joined in our line-up as a new standard product since July 2021. 

■ Hop Frontier: Maximize the hop aroma by a scientific approach

Hop Frontier, which was one of the first beers in Japan to incorporate the latest hop theory and advanced brewing methods, was created using a scientific approach to maximize the aroma components of hops, and the first batch was released in March 2021. Four months later, it became Far Yeast Brewing’s new regular beer, and we began brewing it year-round. This Juicy IPA is full of fruity and tropical aromas.

　Recent research into hop aroma compounds has led to a focus on “Survivables”, compounds that can remain as aromas in the finished beer product even after the whole brewing process. They are compounds with low sensory thresholds and are relatively difficult to volatilize. “Survivables” are compounds with low sensory thresholds and relatively low volatility, such as monoterpene alcohols, hop-derived esters, and thiols, which remain strong in the final beer product even after the brewing process, and are said to achieve high aromatic impact. Hop Frontier is a brewing method that effectively extracts these aromatic components and has taken on the challenge of maximizing a variety of aromatic ingredients that have been considered difficult to achieve in the past.

■”New World IPA”, a style that has been gaining attention

In February 2021, a new beer style called ” New Zealand Style India Pale Ale” was added to the beer style guidelines set by the U.S. Brewers Association. Recently, IPAs brewed with Australian and New Zealand hops are called “New World IPA “*1 and have recently attracted attention. Hop Frontier is brewed with the new hop product called CRYO POP™*2 as base hops, developed by Yakima Chief Hops®, using four varieties of hops, after several years of researching “Survivables.” The Far Yeast Hop Frontier -New World IPA- uses the same CRYO POP™ as Hop Frontier. Additionally, it uses New Zealand hops such as “Pacific Sunrise” and “Nelson Sauvin” and Australian hops “Vic Secret.”  While retaining the strong monoterpene aroma that Hop Frontier produces, the tropical flavors of pineapple, orange, and other Oceania hops are extracted to the maximum extent possible for a gorgeous finish.

※1 What is New World IPA?
New World IPA is a style that uses hops from Australia and New Zealand. With the recent popularity of hop-forward beers, this style is gaining attention as a derivative of IPA. It was defined as “New Zealand-style India Pale Ale” in 2021 by the Beer Style Guidelines of the Brewers Association in the United States. It is characterized by an intense tropical fruity and grassy aroma flavor and bitterness that brings out the character of Oceania hops.

※2 What is CRYO POP™?
CRYO POP™ is the new trade name for TRI-2304CR, a hop product developed by Yakima Chief Hops® after several years of research into “Survivables.” Far Yeast Brewing is the first brewery in Japan to use this hop product in its products. TRI-2304CR maximizes this hop product’s solubility (ease of dissolving into liquids), allowing the beer to retain its fruity, ripe, and juicy aroma.

【Product Summary】

Product name： Far Yeast Hop Frontier -New World IPA-
　　　  

Release date: Friday, December 17, 2021

Price: Open price

Ingredients: malt (foreign-manufactured), hops, sugars

ABV: 6.5%

IBU: 30

Product type: Beer

Style: Juicy IPA

Brewery: Far Yeast Brewing Headwaters Brewery (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture)

Specifications: 350ml can, 15L barrel

Craft beer brewery Far Yeast Brewing Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, Representative Director: Shiro Yamada) has been introducing beers full of originality from Japan to the world, will release two types of beers as the seventh “NIGHT WATCH PROJECT.” The new releases are “Night Watch Project Merry Christmas Belgian Hazy IPA” and “Night Watch Project Strawberry Chocolate Cake Belgian Hazy IPA,” perfect for the Christmas season. It will be on sale to the general public on Thursday, December 9.

 The “NIGHT WATCH PROJECT” is launched at the end of 2019 by a group of professionals in various fields who love craft beer, including brewers, fashion, graphic and architectural designers.

 The seventh Night Watch Project is “Night Watch Project Merry Christmas Belgian Hazy IPA” and “Night Watch Project Strawberry Chocolate Cake Belgian Hazy IPA.” Like its previous version, it is based on Milkshake IPA*, which has a tender mouthfeel and a sweet taste of lactose.

We have increased the amount of lactose in the beer to make it sweeter than previous versions, making it stand out more than spice, chocolate.

For the hops, we used idaho7, which has fruity aromas, and CRYO POP™, a blend of hops developed to be ideal for Hazy IPA, on the hot side.

We emphasized tropical, citrus, and stone fruit aromas for a juicy taste.

We used Belgian yeast for the first time in this series, which gives the beer a sweet, melon-like ester aroma.

※ About Milkshake IPA:

Milkshake IPA is an IPA-based beer with lactose (milk sugar) added; it has the bitterness and sweetness of an IPA and a creamy mouthfeel with aromas of tropical fruits and vanilla.

■”Merry Christmas Belgian Hazy IPA” with sweet and spicy cinnamon aroma

 “NIGHT WATCH PROJECT Merry Christmas Belgian Hazy IPA” is a beer with spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, inspired by the traditional Belgian Christmas beer. 

Christmas beer has a high alcohol content to warm up the body during the cold winter months, and various spices are added to keep it preserved for a long time. When you crack open the beer, you can immediately feel the spicy-sweet aroma of cinnamon. On the palate, the cardamom, lemon-like aroma, and spicy cloves are perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the base beer, making it refreshing. As you drink it slowly and the temperature rises, you can feel the spice aroma even more. This beer will warm you up on a cold winter night. After dinner, you can enjoy this beer as a dessert or slowly with a spicy meal.

■”Strawberry Chocolate Cake Belgian Hazy IPA” inspired by a bûche de Noël.

 The “NIGHT WATCH PROJECT Strawberry Chocolate Cake Belgian Hazy IPA” is inspired by the classic Christmas cake “bûche de Noël” with plenty of strawberry puree and chocolate flavoring. The sweet aroma of chocolate cream and strawberries’ sweet and sour taste on the palate can be found in each. You can even feel like you are drinking a bûche de Noël.

If you add a little dark rum, you can enjoy it as a dessert with a bit of adult twist. It is a perfect dessert for Christmas dinner or a party drink.

NIGHT WATCH PROJECT Merry Christmas Belgian Hazy IPA” and “NIGHT WATCH PROJECTStrawberry Chocolate Cake Belgian Hazy IPA” will go on sale nationwide on Thursday, December 9. Our online store will start accepting pre-orders from 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 30 (shipping will begin on Tuesday, December 7).

【Product Summary】

NIGHT WATCH PROJECT Merry Christmas Belgian Hazy IPA＜Limited brew＞

Release date: Thursday, December 9th

Price: Open price

Ingredients: malt (foreign-manufactured), hops, oats, lactose, sugars, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: 34

Style: Milkshake Belgian IPA

Item: Beer

NIGHT WATCH PROJECT Strawberry Chocolate Cake Belgian Hazy IPA＜Limited brew＞

Release date: Thursday, December 9th

Price: Open price

Ingredients: malt (foreign-manufactured), strawberry puree, lactose, oats, hops, sugars/flavors

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: 34

Style: Milkshake Belgian IPA

Item: Happoshu (malt usage rate: 50% or more)

Brewery: Far Yeast Brewing Headwaters Brewery (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture)

Specifications: 350ml can, 15L kegs

Craft beer brewery Far Yeast Brewing Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, Representative Director: Shiro Yamada) that has been introducing beers full of originality from Japan to the world, will release “Far Yeast Grapevine 2” on Sunday, November 7, using wine grapes harvested at The Château Mercian Katsunuma Winery (Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture) as the eighth installment of the “Yamanashi Support Project” to revitalize Yamanashi Prefecture with beer. 

■Upcycling wine grapes that would otherwise be returned to the vineyard after cluster thinning

　The eighth installment of the “Yamanashi Support Project,” which aims to revitalize Yamanashi with beer, is “Far Yeast Grapevine 2” brewed with Katsunuma wine grapes. This beer is the 2021 version of the third installment of the Yamanashi Support Project, “Grapevine,” which was brewed last fall using grapes from Nirasaki City and was well received. This year, in collaboration with The Château Mercian Katsunuma Winery, we have created a fruit Saison full of fruitiness.

　In the cultivation of grapes for wine, there is a process called “cluster thinning,” in which the grapes are thinned out in the middle of the growing process to bring nutrients to every single grape, and delicious grapes with a sense of concentration can be grown. This time, we used Cabernet Sauvignon and Muscat Bailey A grapes that were destined to be discarded.

　 In addition, we received a small amount of Concord and Niagara grapes, which are not used for winemaking at Chateau Mercian, and we used a total of four types of grapes to brew in a Saison style that makes the most of their characteristics. This is a privileged approach to fruit upcycling that a brewery can only have in the fruit kingdom of Yamanashi.

■Introduced “cold soaking,” a method used in wine to bring out the aromatic components of grapes

　This time, we used a method that makes the most of the characteristics of each of the four different types of grapes. Cabernet Sauvignon, with its firm acidity and red wine-like tannins, and Muscat Bailey A, with its moderate acidity, were vinified using the “cold soak” method. By soaking the crushed grape skins at low temperatures before fermentation begins, more pigments, aromas, and other components are extracted from the grapes. The juice is then added to the brewing kettle, giving the taste of grapes and complex acidity to the wort. Concord and Niagara, with their gentle acidity and rich sweetness, were juiced in a juicer and added at the end of fermentation to give the rich aroma of the grapes. Nelson Sauvin, which has a white grape-like aroma, was added in two parts for the hops. The hops were added in two batches to harmonize with the scent of the grapes used. 

■A fruit saison like a wine

　This Fruit Saison gives off aromas of naturals from wine grapes intertwined with aromas of white grapes from Nelson Sauvin hops. In addition to the complex fruitiness and acidity of grapes, it also has a wine-like astringency on the finish due to the grape stalks origin tannins. This is a product that is genuinely on the borderline between Saison beer and wine. 

“Far Yeast Grapevine 2” will go on sale nationwide on Sunday, November 7th, and pre-order sales will start at our online store from 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 26th.

 We will continue to work with producers and businesses in Yamanashi Prefecture to bring you a variety of “Made in Yamanashi” beers.

【Product Summary】

Product name: Far Yeast Grapevine 2 

Sales start date: Sunday, November 7th

Price: Open price

Ingredients: Grapes (from Koshu City, Yamanashi Prefecture), malt, wheat, oats, hops, sugar

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Fruited Saison

Category: Happoshu (malt ratio 25% to 50%)

IBU: 15

Brewery: Far Yeast Brewing Genryu Brewery (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture)

Specification: 350ml can, 15L keg

*The origin of the product name: Grapevine also has the meaning of “person-to-person” or “person-to-mouth” because the grapevines grow here and there like a net. We named it to represent a grape beer born from the connections between people. Following last year’s beer, this year’s Grapevine 2 was borne from the relationships between people like grapevines.

【About The Château Mercian Katsunuma Winery】

“Making Japan the world’s famous wine-growing region.” 

To ensure that Japanese wines will one day be loved and enjoyed by people in Japan and around the world, Chateau Mercian will inherit Japan’s nature, culture, and sensibility and evolve them to the delight of people.

Chateau Mercian Katsunuma Winery was founded in 1877 as the first privately owned winery in Japan and had its origins in the Dainippon Yamanashi Budoshu Company.

The Chateau Mercian has three wineries in Yamanashi and Nagano Prefectures, and Katsunuma Winery is the leading winery of Chateau Mercian with its history, producing more than 80% of the total production of these three wineries. The Katsunuma Winery is the core winery of Chateau Mercian and has a long history of producing more than 80% of the total production of these three wineries. To realize our dream of “making Japan a world-famous wine region,” we will continue to move forward into the future with the winery at the center and in harmony with the local community.

https://www.chateaumercian.com/winery/katsunuma/