Far Yeast Farm to Brew 2024: A special beer brewed with fresh hops picked that morning at Kobayashi Hop Farm in Hokuto City

"Far Yeast Farm to Brew 2024," a beer made with fresh hops from Kobayashi Hop Farm in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, will be available for limited sale from Tuesday, September 10, 2024 .

■ Communicating the appeal of hop cultivation in Hokuto City through beer
Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, is where full-scale hop cultivation first began in Japan. In the past, there were many growers here, but as major beer manufacturers began to use mainly imported hops, the number of growers has drastically decreased. Most farmers have now withdrawn. However, Kobayashi Hop Farmer Yoshitomo Kobayashi moved to Hokuto City and began cultivating hops in 2014 in an effort to continue the tradition of hop cultivation in Yamanashi.
"Far Yeast Farm to Brew" is a beer born from the desire to support the efforts of Kobayashi, who is also active in Yamanashi, and to share the appeal of hops grown in Hokuto City. It was first brewed in 2021 as part of the "Yamanashi Support Project" series, which teams up with producers and companies in the prefecture. Since then, it has been so well-received that it has been delivered at this time every year, marking its third year.
The product name "Farm to Brew" was inspired by the phrase "Farm to Table," which means "from the farm to the dining table." By consuming locally produced products, it is a sustainable initiative that reduces the environmental impact associated with transportation and warehouse management.

■A special beer only available at this time of year, made with fresh hops picked that morning and brewed on the same day.
In the US states of Washington and Oregon, where hop fields are located in close proximity to breweries, many breweries brew fresh hop beers that can only be enjoyed during the hop harvest season. Following this culture, fresh hop beers made with domestically grown hops are gaining attention in Japan as well. However, because there are few areas in Japan where hops are grown, frozen hops that are dried and frozen immediately after harvest are usually used for fresh hop brewing.

"Far Yeast Farm to Brew" is a fresh hop beer made from raw hops harvested that morning at Kobayashi Hop Farm, which are then added to the brewing kettle on the same day. The key to fresh hop beer is preserving the delicate aromatic components of hops, which begin to oxidize the moment they are harvested and are said to deteriorate quickly. We have attempted to minimize the time between harvest and adding them to the brewing kettle, thereby maximizing the aroma and flavor of the raw hops. This product is possible only because the hop fields and brewery are located in the same Yamanashi prefecture.

Every year, on hop harvest day, our staff visits our farm in Hokuto City early in the morning to begin harvesting. The harvested hops are immediately transported to our brewery in Kosuge Village, where they are processed by hand, one by one, to break down the hops' bellflowers in order to effectively extract the aromatic components before being used in brewing beer. This year's hop harvest took place on July 24th, and we brought back approximately 40 kg of hops, which were then added to the brewing kettle that afternoon. This year, Yoshimichi Kobayashi visited Genryu Brewery after the harvest and worked with our staff on hop processing and brewing.

A simple Kolsch style that makes the most of the natural aroma of fresh hops from the fields
In order to deliver the natural, gentle aroma of fresh hops delivered straight from the fields, Far Yeast Brewing has adopted a classic, clear Kolsch style that is not normally brewed at the company. With the exception of a small amount of Columbus used for bittering, all hops used are Comet, Sterling, and Sorachi Ace, all harvested at Kobayashi Hop Farm in Hokuto City. This year, Comet, characterized by its refreshing citrus aroma, is used as the main hop, resulting in a clean, drinkable, and fruity flavor. This is a luxurious beer that can only be enjoyed at this time of year.

" Far Yeast Farm to Brew 2023 " will be available for purchase in limited quantities on the Far Yeast Brewing official web store from 12:00 on Tuesday, September 10th, at beer bars, restaurants, and liquor stores nationwide from Wednesday, September 11th, and on the web store from Friday, September 13th.

[Product overview]

Far Yeast Farm to Brew 2024
(Far East Farm to Brew )

Sales start date: Tuesday, September 10th
Suggested retail price: Open price
Ingredients: Malt (made in Germany and Belgium), hops, wheat
Alcohol content: 5.0%
IBU: 23
Style: Fresh Hop Kölsch
Item: Beer
Brewery: Far Yeast Brewing (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture)
Specifications: 350ml can
*Click here to purchase from the online store: https://faryeast.stores.jp/　　　

[About Kobayashi Hop Farm]
Kobayashi Hop Farm is located in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture, at the southern foot of Mt. Yatsugatake, a pioneering area for hop cultivation. They began trial cultivation in Hokuto City in 2014, and began full-scale hop cultivation and beer sales in 2016. They are committed to the preservation and development of hop cultivation. While most domestic hops are grown by contract farmers with major beer manufacturers, Kobayashi Hop Farm does not have exclusive contracts and sells its products freely, spreading the appeal of hops to a wider audience.
http://hokutohops.com/ 

<Contact for inquiries regarding this matter>
For media representatives, click here
Far Yeast Brewing Co., Ltd. Public Relations Officer: Sasaki
Mail: pr@faryeast.com Phone: 03-6849-2812

For customers, liquor stores, and restaurants, click here
Mail: sales@faryeast.com Phone: 050-3135-3926