野神の到来 (Coming of the Harvest God)

Experimenting with different ingredient combinations is at the heart of craft brewing, and we have been doing so with a very unique yeast for some of our recent seasonal and limited releases. What makes this yeast unique is its preference for high fermentation temperatures going way beyond what would be considered the normal 19-22∘C range for most ale strains, leaving behind a signature hint of apricot and honey.

We decided to let this drive the inspiration for this beer, and in addition to the usual Pilsner malt base that we use for most of our recipes, we added a small amount of Vienna malt to accentuate the sweet character from fermentation. For hops, the yeast hints of mango and apricot made us pack this beer with some heavy hitting fruity hops. A touch of Chinook was used for an underlying complexity, while Galaxy lends flavours and aromas of intensely sweet citrus. Azacca, a new hop for us, continues this sweet aroma and flavour with nuances that can only be described one way: pineapple! It is almost uncanny how a hop can smell so much like a tropical fruit. We look forward to sharing this latest creation with you!

Naming: This beer marked our first experiments using Azacca hops. The hop, derived from the God of farming in Haiti, seems aptly named considering we are moving into autumn’s harvest season. As a result, we decided to give it the Japanese name “Nogami no Tourai”, “Tourai” meaning “arrival” and “Nogami” being the Kinki region name of the Japanese God of farming. Cheers to a fruitful harvest!

Style: American IPA

Malt Bill:

Pilsner, Vienna

Hops:

Bittering: Merkur

Flavour/Aroma: Chinook, Galaxy, Azacca

Yeast: American Ale

ABV: 7.0%

IBU: 38

Gas Volumes: 2.4