Far Yeast Lakeside Lavender / Utilizing the lavender flower spikes that bloom at the Kawaguchiko Herb Festival!
Far Yeast Brewing is collaborating with local businesses and producers in Yamanashi Prefecture to create a project called "Brewed with YAMANASHI," which aims to foster symbiosis with the local community through beer. The beer, "Far Yeast Lakeside Lavender," is an upcycled beer made with lavender flower spikes, a tourist attraction in Fujikawaguchiko Town at the foot of Mount Fuji. The beer will be released in limited quantities on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
■An upcycled beer initiative that makes effective use of local tourism resources Fujikawaguchiko Town in Yamanashi Prefecture sits at the foot of Mount Fuji, Japan's most famous mountain. Every year, the Kawaguchiko Herb Festival is held at Yagizaki Park and Oishi Park on the shores of Lake Kawaguchi from late June to mid-July, when the lavender in the park is in full bloom. During this period, the lavender delights the eyes of many spectators, but after the festival ends, all of the flower spikes must be harvested to cultivate and preserve the plants for the next year. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of local companies receiving the harvested flower spikes from Fujikawaguchiko Town and upcycling them by using them in products.
This project began when we learned about this initiative during a joint workshop at AMUSE VILLAGE, the headquarters of Amuse Inc., which we visited as part of our company-wide "off-site" activity in March of this year, and wondered if we could upcycle it into beer. A member of the Life Lab. business development project at Amuse, which develops life culture businesses that utilize Yamanashi's regional assets, introduced us to the Tourism Division of Fujikawaguchiko Town Hall, and we were able to take over the lavender from Yagisaki Park, which is managed by the town.
After the festival ended in mid-July, our staff and members of Amuse's Life Lab. business development project went lavender picking at Yagizaki Park, dried the flowers at Genryu Brewery, extracted the aromatic components, and used them in beer to create the new "Brewed with YAMANASHI" product.
■This light and smooth white beer, with a lavender aroma, is based on a Hefeweizen. Its creamy, rich mouthfeel comes from using more than half wheat malt, and its spicy, fruity flavor comes from the Weizen yeast. Also known as a "white beer," it has little bitterness and is an extremely easy-to-drink style. We chose this style because we felt it complemented the floral notes of lavender and the refreshing, herbal flavors.
The harvested lavender is separated from the spikes to reduce the astringency of the stems and leaves, and only the flowers are used, steeped directly in the beer to extract every last bit of its fragrance. The amount added is carefully determined to be a moderate level so as not to overwhelm the strong lavender aroma, but we have also devised a way to achieve a good balance throughout the beer so that you can enjoy the aroma of the lavender fields as it is.
Enjoy the light taste with the fruity and spicy flavor of the yeast, the smooth texture of the wheat, and the soft, gentle aroma of lavender.
Far Yeast Lakeside Lavender will be available in limited quantities on the Far Yeast Brewing official web store from 12:00 on Tuesday, August 20th. Shipments to beer bars, restaurants, and liquor stores nationwide will begin on Wednesday, August 21st, and for purchases made on the official web store, shipments will begin on Friday, August 23rd.
Additionally, the beer will be available on tap at the Far Yeast Brewing booth at the SAIKO HARVEST FESTA 2024 - Lake Saiko Harvest Festival - to be held at Amuse Village Square on Saturday, November 2nd and Sunday, November 3rd.
For details about the event, please visit the official website of "SAIKO HARVEST FESTA 2024 ~Lake Saiko Harvest Festival~" ( https://event-yamanashi.com/saiko-harvest-festa2024/ ).
"Brewed with YAMANASHI" will continue to collaborate with producers and businesses in the prefecture to deliver beer made with a variety of ingredients, thereby promoting the local Yamanashi region.
[Product overview]
Far Yeast Lakeside Lavender
(Far East Lakeside Lavender)
Sales start date: Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Suggested retail price: Open price Ingredients: Malt (made in Germany), hops, sugar, lavender Alcohol content: 5.0%
IBU: 6
Style: South German-Style Hefeweizen
Product: Beer Brewery: Far Yeast Brewing Genryu Brewery (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture)
Specifications: 350ml can *Purchase online here: https://faryeast.stores.jp/