The third installment of the "Yamanashi Support Project" to promote Yamanashi Prefecture through beer: "GRAPEVINE," made with grapes from Nirasaki City, Yamanashi Prefecture. Pre-orders begin on Thursday, November 5th.
Far Yeast Brewing Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture; CEO: Shiro Yamada), a craft beer maker that distributes original Japanese beers to the world , will begin accepting pre-orders for "GRAPEVINE," made with grapes from Nirasaki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, on its online store from 12:00 on Thursday, November 5th, as the third installment of the "Yamanashi Support Project," which aims to promote Yamanashi Prefecture through beer.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause a series of cancellations of events and activities, and difficult times continue, our company launched the Yamanashi Support Project with the desire to revitalize industry in Yamanashi Prefecture through beer brewing. In collaboration with local producers, we launched our first product, "PEACH HAZE," in July, using peaches from Yamanashi Prefecture, and our second, "Ume-kin' Me Crazy!", in September, using plums from Kosuge Village, where our company's factory is located. Both were well received.
The third in the series, "GRAPEVINE," is a beer made with Pione, Kyoho, and Gorby grapes from Sunrise Farm in Nirasaki City, Yamanashi Prefecture. The brewery had been thinking about making a beer using grapes grown in the prefecture, and an acquaintance of the head brewer introduced them to Hirotaka Yokomori of Sunrise Farm, which made this brewing project a reality.
■ Utilizing grapes that cannot be shipped due to late rot
This year, due to the long rainy season in July and the intense heat in August, a disease called late rot spread mainly to black grape varieties such as Kyoho and Pione, causing a significant drop in grape shipments in Yamanashi Prefecture. At Sunrise Farm, where we visited this time, some of the Kyoho and Pione grapes also became infected with the disease, making them unable to be shipped and forcing them to be discarded. However, the unaffected grapes still have plenty of sweetness and acidity, making them delicious to eat. Therefore, this time, we carefully cut off the diseased grapes one by one and received the parts of the grapes that could not be shipped that could be used to brew beer as raw materials.
As a token of appreciation for the grapes, brewery staff visited the farm in Nirasaki City and helped with removing the bags from the grapes, disposing of diseased berries, etc. They were able to hear various stories, including the difficulties of growing crops that are dependent on nature, and it was a meaningful opportunity to interact with producers in the prefecture.
■ Adopting wine techniques
This time, we used the winemaking technique of "cold soaking." Before fermentation begins, the tanks are placed in a refrigerated container and left to soak at low temperatures for about a week, extracting more pigments, aromas, and other components from the grapes.
■ "Italian Grape Ale" where you can enjoy the fruity flavor of grapes
The style this time is "Italian Grape Ale," a style that began to be made in Italian craft breweries using wine grapes, and which involves adding pulp, skins, and juice during the fermentation process.
"GRAPEVINE" incorporates a wine-like cold soak before brewing, and fruit juice is also added during the fermentation process. The hops used are Enigma, which offers aromas of tropical fruit, berries, and stone fruit, and are combined with the complex aroma of grapes. The golden to copper color of the pale malt blends with the color of the grapes to create a fruity beer with a color reminiscent of orange wine.
"GRAPEVINE" will be available nationwide from Wednesday, November 18th, with orders opening on our online store from 12:00 on Thursday, November 5th. Additionally, Far Yeast Tokyo Brewery & Grill, our directly managed store in Gotanda, Tokyo, will be opening its taps early on Thursday, November 12th, allowing customers to enjoy draft beer early.
We will continue to use ingredients from Yamanashi Prefecture and offer a variety of Made in Yamanashi beers.
Yamanashi Support Project Page: https://faryeast.com/yamanashi-project3/
[Product overview]
Product name: GRAPEVINE
Sales start date: Wednesday, November 18th
Price: Open price
Ingredients: Grapes (produced in Nirasaki, Yamanashi Prefecture), malt, hops
Alcohol content: 5.5 %
Style: Italian Grape Ale
Product: Low-malt beer
Brewery: Far Yeast Brewing (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture)
Specifications: 350ml can, 15L keg
*Origin of the product name: "GRAPEVINE" means "grape vine," but because the grape vines stretch out in all directions and form a net-like shape, it also means "word of mouth" or "word of mouth." This name was thought to be the perfect expression of this Italian grape ale, born from the connections of many people .
<Contact for inquiries regarding this matter> ■ For media representatives, please click here
Far Yeast Brewing Co., Ltd. Public Relations Officer: Sasaki and Oshiro
Mail: pr@faryeast.com Phone: 03-6849-2812
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Mail: sales@faryeast.com Phone: 050-3135-3926