Yosano Hops & Craft Beer

town and culture 4.1.2021

The craft beer industry has been booming for the past several years. And now more than ever is the time for people who like beer, and those who think they don’t to learn a little about why that boom is here to stay.

In a nutshell, the appeal behind craft beer is the diversity of beer. To start, there are about 100 different styles of beer. And there are also beers called freestyle beers that don’t not fit into any one category. When I think of beer in Japan, major brands like Kirin or Asahi come to mind, but in reality most of these fall under the pilsner category. What this means is that beer in Japan has been largely reduced to just one of the hundred different styles of beer out there.

The craft beer movement is believed to have originated on the west coast of the United States in the 1960s, but didn’t start it Japan until the subsequent revision of the Liquor Tax Law in 1994. While Japan has been drinking sake for over 2000 years, craft beer is still in its infancy. Not until very recently could you drink a variety of different beers.

But that's what’s so amazing. The world of spirits is evolving rapidly, and at the center is craft beer.

Brewing beer using only FRESH hops

While a variety of craft beers continue to be produced in Japan, a new movement has been quietly building steam over the past few years. The town of Yosano in Kyoto Prefecture’s Kyoto by the Sea region has made a revolutionary move to grow their own hops and brew beer using fresh hops only.

The cultivation of domestic hops has been done in Japan, but most of them are grown contractually, meaning they can’t be purchased by just anyone.

This is where the growers in Yosano come in. They are effectively freelance hops growers, so brewers can now use fresh hops to brew their own beer. And that is the other difference; while most of the hops used in beer production are in the form of dried pellets, the possibility of using fresh Yosano hops adds immeasurable quality to the beer.

The dream of a true “Japanese Beer.”

This is the story of three people and the appeal of Yosano Hops.

Left: Hiroyuki Fujiwara, a representative of the Japan Beer Journalists Association, who moved to the town of Yosano and started hop cultivation. Center: Mr. Masami Yamamoto, a representative farmer in Yosano and a representative of Apple Farm Co., Ltd., which handles hop cultivation. Right: Yuta Hamada, the representative from Kakehashi Brewing, who developed a beer that makes effective use of "oyster shells," which have become an environmental problem in the area.

Mr. Fujiwara came here to brew beer and developed Yosano Hops to create something that originated in Japan.

Fujiwara: I've been involved in the beer industry as a beer journalist for over 25 years, and I've met with overseas judges, brewers, and beer critics at the World Beer Cup, among other places. I used to ask myself, “What is Japanese beer?” ... and I couldn't answer. While searching for clues, I felt that the lack of ingredients was the bottleneck stopping brewers here. "

After that, Mr. Fujiwara said that he tried to plant hop seedlings in a garden in Yosano just for fun, where his wife's parents' house is. And then, to his surprise, the hops began to grow!

Hops cultivation in Kansai, defying logic

… Why was Mr. Fujiwara surprised that his hops began to grow? The classic hops growing environment in Japan is in the northern part of the Tohoku region (northeastern Japan). This has always been believed to be the most suitable cultivation area. In other words, growing hops in Yosano, in the Kansai region, went against all conventional wisdom.

Fujiwara: "I was asked if I could actually do this because nobody was doing it in Kansai. When I looked at the cultivation areas around the world, the latitude was 35 to 55 degrees, and Yosano fell within this range, and it was climatically similar as well. I didn’t think there would be a problem. After seeing that the hops were actually growing, one of my friends in Yosano suggested that I bring samples to the town’s Agriculture and Forestry Division. "

After that, the whole town started to grow hops. I met farmers who were eager to help with the cultivation, and the Yosano Hops project came to fruition quite quickly. I was able to expand the project with the help of the people here. I don’t think this could have happened if I had gone it alone,” said Mr. Fujiwara.

Without any reference, they started growing by feel

How did Mr. Yamamoto, the first farmer, feel, embarking on such an unprecedented project in the area?

Yamamoto: At first, I didn't know anything about cultivating hops. I don't know much about craft beer, but I'm growing some new crops every year, so hops is one of them. When we first started, I had an apple orchard that I hadn’t improved upon for about 30 years, and I was thinking about revitalizing it. So I took the plunge and cut back the apple trees to make a field of hops. "

The hops growing project even improved the apple orchard. If it weren't for this spirit of adventure, there might not have been any hops here at all.

Yamamoto: I didn't have any references to use, so I flying blind for a while. Fortunately, Mr. Fujiwara introduced me to Kirin Brewery's Dr. Murakami (a world-famous hops specialist) and I visited many times. His instruction was invaluable. "

In fact, Dr. Murakami said that "Yosanos hops are the earliest to flower in the Northern Hemisphere." And the raw hops harvested each year become craft beer by the end of summer. This is another appeal of Yosano Hops, the beer comes sooner!

Turning the region’s problems into beer

Mr. Hamada of Kakehashi Brewing was the person who wanted to make beer by looking at Yosano’s hops from a more unique angle.

Hamada: "I didn't think of making beer when I started a business. I wanted to start a company that revitalizes the region, and while studying various things. I thought it was important to create an industry. That's why I thought hops had potential here. "

Mr. Hamada won the business contest "INACOME", then started a company to make his first beer, receiving support from more than 500 people by pre-sale crowdfunding.

Can oyster shells be used in beer brewing?

Behind the commercialization of Mr. Hamada’s beer are the oysters at Amanohashidate, which have become a problem in the region. The Aso Sea in the town of Yosano is the inland sea to Amanohashidate, one of Japan’s Three Scenic Views. The shore is overrun with so many oysters that university volunteers are actively working on extermination.

Hamada: While I was wondering if I could do something with oyster shells, I realized that it could be used as a filter medium for beer and as a water treatment. First, you can adjust the hardness of water. And it can also be used as a modifier to make yeast easier to ferment. " And it took off from there.

Using cans to help the environment

Mr. Fujiwara decided to use cans for his beer, while Mr. Hamada’s uses glass bottles. In fact, Mr. Fujiwara was particular about being environmentally friendly.

Fujiwara: Craft beer bottles are rarely recycled, but aluminum cans have a high recycling rate. Also, I don’t use a paper label, which requires less resources. Cans also weigh less than glass bottles, so transportation costs are reduced. I also considered where I like drinking beer. And I think many will agree that having a beer outside is where it’s at. Since there is also the chance for glass bottles to break (potentially harming people and animals), I thought it would be safer to use cans it requires less resources and is lighter, so transportation costs can be reduced.

Fujiwara's beer cans also have artwork that depicts the local animals of Yosano. Not only is the beer delicious, but it’s based around an awareness of sustanability.

Concentrating the scent of fruity hops

The difference in taste is thanks to Yosano’s fresh hops

First of all, Mr. Fujiwara’s "Hop-Up Beer Harebare Golden Beer" has been described as a "hop bomb." This beer has a high concentration of fragrant, fresh hops. This is accomplished by vacuum-freezing fresh hops on the day they are picked.

Fujiwara: Dried hops and fresh hops have a completely different fragrance. And since my beer is loaded with fresh hops, I decided to call the beer “Hop-up.” I think one day Yosano-style beer could be its own variety of beer; I think its a new creation and it also originated in Japan.

The other beer we are currently offering is the "Tsukikage Black," a dark brown beer. At first glance, it looks thick, but it’s actually quite smooth and easy to drink. It also uses our fresh hops, but has a roasted feel. It’s completely different from our “Harebare Golden.”

Using the very same hops from Yosano, Kakehashi Brewing’s beer, “ASOBI,” has a completely different color, taste, and aroma. ASOBI not only brings out the aroma and bitterness of Yosano hops, but it uses "caramel malt," which is charred wheat, to elicit sweetness sweetness from the wheat.

Hamada: "While the hops are fragrant, when you use a lot of them, the bitterness increases. The caramel malt we use brings out the sweetness to balance out the amount of hops. This beer goes great with foods with strong flavor profiles.

Yosano Brewery and Kakehashi Brewing don’t currently have their own breweries, but they created the recipes and have their beer produced by a brewery with a good reputation in the craft beer industry. The future goal is to set up a brewery in Yosano, and with people of their passion and energy, it’s sure to happen.

There are other craft beers in the area using Yosano hops. KOHACHI Beer Works produces a “Tango Saison” and “Seya Amber,” named after the region.

Various Brewers, varying tastes

Fujiwara: I think domestic hops will continue to grow in popularity. Yosano has a lot of hops varieties as well. There are a lot of production areas that cultivate one or two varieties, but we are working on 11 types. "

Farmer Yamamoto says that it’s difficult to produce a wide variety of hops, but he has been quite successful. The potential of Yosano Hops craft beer is dependent on having adaptable farmers who can work closely with the brewers.

Even if you use the same ingredients, a different beer can result from just a little ingenuity on the part of the brewer. One of the appeals of craft beer is the diversity and depth. Plus, people play a strong role in the process.

Fujiwara: "If you go to Yosano, you can drink a variety of beer. It’s quite an experience to drink beer from the hops that are grown here."

Yosano Hops and the Yosano craft beer scene is continueing to grow and evolve. Brewers are looking to branch out even more with next year’s beers.

Next time we will look at some other craft beer in the region

There is also a brewery in the Kyoto by the Sea area that has been making craft beer here for over 20 years. And others as well have unique brews and stories as innovative as Yosano Hops beer.

Below, you can check out some of the breweries in the area:

Check out more