探究心シリーズ ブルワーインタビュー - 颯爽と-
For our last beer in our Exploration Series, we finish with a beer from our lead brewer, Ayumu. A chef by trade, but passionate about beer, Ayumu joined the team in 2020, and soon became a mood maker within the team. A big personality with plenty of drive, there is no one in the team louder than him, no one who takes control in quite the way he does, and nor is there anyone who drinks quite as much beer as he does! Needless to say, since Chris left at the end of last year, he has been central to the team, and has very much helped to keep the wheels on.
KBC: Please introduce yourself.
Ayumu: I'm Ayumu. Since I was a kid, I've always liked making things with my hands, and before getting into this industry, I have been working in restaurants as a chef. When I was 20, I first tried Belgian beers (at that time, Hoegarden and Leffe Blonde) and at that time I started to have an interest in pairing food with Belgian beers. I later learned that it was possible to brew beer on a small scale, and given that I enjoyed making things, I thought "then I'll make beer too!" From there, I went from 10 years in restaurants over to making beer, and by chance I found myself at Kyoto Brewing.
KBC: As a lead brewer, you have had a lot of opportunity this year to collaborate with breweries. Sharing knowledge and talking together is one of the special elements of craft beer, but what's your perspective on brewing and beer itself?
Ayumu: As a craft beer brewer, the joy of brewing for me comes from the high degree of freedom, and not being limited by expectations of what a beer should be. Nowadays, craft beer is more popular, and there is a hunger for beers with a lot of punch compared with what came before, but I also want to value balance, and the relationship with food that I feel good beer can offer.
KBC: Please tell us what made you decide to make this hoppy gose.
Ayumu: I'm one of those brewers who wants to explore new flavor combinations and go on adventures, and one opportunity to do so is by using adjuncts. Utilizing my experience in restaurants, I have a desire to create beers that are well-balanced, but also that have a good relationship with food, even when using non-traditional ingredients. The journey I went on for this exploration led me to a hoppy gose with specific additional components.
KBC: The "gose" is an old German style, that once went largely out of popularity, but has made somewhat of a return. It wasn't traditionally hoppy, however. What were your thoughts when coming up with the concept?
Ayumu: This recipe is somewhat wheat-heavy, giving it a pale color with a slightly hazy appearance. By adding a refreshingly sour yeast, and a small amount of rock salt, the base has a moderate richness, and mellow character. The carefully selected hops were chosed to create a stone fruit aroma, reminiscent of white peach. In addition, the lemongrass added to the kettle just before the end of boiling, and the lime leaf addition on the cold side were used to make the beer even more refreshing, and add a sharpness that balances the sweet hop aroma. So, essentially, the final product is tarte and refreshing, with a pleasant peach aroma, with a rounding character from the salt making it just the right summer drink to quench your thirst.
KBC: This "Exploration" series is based around the idea of KBC and the individual brewer attempting something new. What was the point of exploration for you with this beer?
Ayumu: It was quite a challenge to incorporate ingredients that we'd never really used before in brewing. This meant that we had to make spot decisions based upon the limited time we had to experiment, and making quick adjustments as we went along.For example, the lime leaves I used this time had been frozen and refrigerated for a while, so although they retained their freshness, there was a slight change in the aroma. In response to this unexpected situation, we tried changing the chopping method and adjusting the steeping time to get the flavor closer to what we were aiming for. Things don't always go as planned, and situations change, but this is one of the great challenges of brewing. If you just stick with your target recipe, come what may, you'll rarely end up with what you are aiming for. This can be a point of frustration, I actually find the need to stop, review, and adjust, as being one of the fun parts of brewing beer.
KBC: The food pairing on our website is written by you, taking in your experience with flavour combinations. What do you take into account when considering food and drink combinations?
Ayumu: Well, instead of choosing alcohol based on the food, which I did at my previous restaurant, I now think about the food based on the finished beer. I try to think about what I want people to eat during this season, and what kind of food will make me feel excited after I take a sip of beer. If you have dishes that incorporate seasonal ingredients, you can make the most of your meal time while drinking beer. I enjoy imagining situations like that.
KBC: Share with us what we should enjoy with Sassoto.
Ayumu: Since we will release it only in keg form to restaurants, I think it will primarily be a beer that people will drink indoors. It's refreshing and has a slightly higher gas volume, so I think it's perfect as an aperitif to stimulate your appetite, or to enjoy with an appetizer. I imagine that it would be a good start to a meal if paired with a seafood dish, or a sauce that uses yogurt, herbs, and olive oil like Greek cuisine.
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This beer had originally been planned as the first in the Exploration Series, but due to various circumstances, it was switched to being the finale of the series. Everyone at KBC has known for a long time that Ayumu was planning his Hoppy Gose, so it has somehow ended up feeling fitting that this turned out as the beer that rounded the series off.
Ayumu is so busy downstairs in the brewery that we rarely see him upstairs, but the days prior to the brew saw him in the brewery's kitchenette chopping up lemongrass, the smell of which filled up the second floor. The sight of a chef at work called for a photo or two!
So there we have it. With the heat in Kyoto is at its hottest, we are finally able to deliver our most refreshing beer to everyone. Here's to the completion of Sassoto, and the completion of the Exploration Series!