Yonder North.

Our latest “Yonder” mini series, is a celebration of the opportunity that modern logistics and travel affords us. Beer is ancient, and many of the beer cultures were born out of what local ingredients they might have access to. This has spawned a wonderful variety of styles that modern craft beer has borrowed from and adapted. But modern craft beer also takes advantage of the ability to develop new varieties of hops, which are constantly being developed. Logistics have meant that, even in Japan, we can use the best malts that Europe and North America can produce, and also allows us access to a great variety of other ingredients as well.The first of our two releases, Yonder South, looked towards warmer climes, and used hibiscus - something not so easy to grow in Kyoto - from the Southern islands in combination with tropical hops.Our second, Yonder North, is conversely made with young shoots from “touhi”, a variety of spruce native to Hokkaido. Given the nature of new pine shoots, and their sensitivity after being picked, we needed them to be harvested and then brewed in a very short space of time, and so in this case we relied less on logistics but more on plane travel, and we sent our lead brewer, Ayumu, up to a remote part of Hokkaido called Uryu to pick and then carry home the shoots.

Here is an interview with Ayumu sharing about the experience and the concept behind what we were trying to do.

Here is an interview with Ayumu sharing about the experience and the concept behind what we were trying to do.-What inspired the brew team to create an IPA using the young spruce shoots?Ayumu: When we collaborated with Be Easy Brewing in Aomori to create ‘Hiba no Kippazu,’ one of the many ideas that came up was an IPA using pine buds. Unfortunately, the season didn't align with when we could brew together, so we had to give up on that plan. However, through a chance connection, I mentioned this idea to a gentleman named Kitagawa-san, who is focused on forest research in Hokkaido. He then told me about a forest in Uryu District, Hokkaido, where Touhi, a species of pine, grows wild. I immediately expressed my interest, and he arranged for me to visit the research forest in June when the new shoots would be emerging.-What was the Uryu Research Forest like?Ayumu: About two and a half hours north of Asahikawa Airport is a town called Nayoro, where I stayed. The Uryu Research Forest is located about 30 minutes west of there by car. When this plan was first decided, I had expected to be able to collect the new shoots of the Touhi in May, but due to snowfall in May this year, the new shoots emerged later than expected, so our brew and my visit ended up getting pushed back to mid-June. On the plus side, it was very comfortable! The day I visited, the weather was nice, with temperatures around 27-28 degrees Celsius. While quite hot in areas with direct sunlight, the dense forest provided plenty of shade, making it feel very pleasant.-Is beer made with spruce buds commonly produced in Hokkaido or elsewhere?Ayumu: I have seen it a few times before, but it doesn't seem to be made that often. The original idea came from ‘gruit’, a type of beer made before the introduction of hops as an ingredient, and also continuing in regions of Northern Europe and North America where hops don’t grow so well. Instead of hops, herbs and other plants are used to add bitterness and flavour to the beer. Our head brewer James had mentioned he had drunk such gruit beer in Alaska using spruce tips.

-Could you tell us a little more about how you collected the young shoots of the Touhi pine in the research forest?Ayumu: First, under the guidance of Professor Makoto Kobayashi of Hokkaido University, we carried out logging work on the trees as part of the maintenance of the training forest. After that, we collected young shoots from the logged spruces. If the new shoots are too large, they will have a character unsuitable for this beer, and if they are too small, it becomes difficult to collect them. Therefore, we carefully picked new shoots that were just the right size, around 3 to 5 centimetres, and by the end of the day, we were able to collect 13.5 kilograms of spruce, all by hand!The freshly cut trunks emitted the refreshing, crisp scent characteristic of coniferous trees, making me feel as though I had ventured deeper into the forest and was enjoying a forest bath. The new shoots had a herbal aroma, as well as fruity notes reminiscent of berries and citrus. I tried tasting them and thought they would be great as a garnish for white fish carpaccio!

-This time, you went all the way to Hokkaido to harvest the ingredients for beer yourself. Do you have any memories from your stay?Ayumu: Yes, the research lab members and their families held a social gathering for us, where we were treated to delicious sausages made at a nearby farm.I also got to try tried “Jingisukan” (lamb stew) for the first time. I had eaten grilled Jingisukan before, but this one was seasoned with a sweet and spicy miso, and it was very delicious!-As a former chef with a deep knowledge of cuisine, you seem to have many food-related memories. Could you tell us what dish you think would pair well with Yonder North?Ayumu: This is a classic double IPA with a berry-like aroma, and resinous notes derived from the new shoots of the Touhi, resulting in a full-bodied character. To pair with this, I recommend porchetta, a dish made with plenty of herbs and crispy-skinned pork. The combination of oil and herbs works perfectly with the berry and resinous notes, making it a wonderful pairing.

-Finally, please share any thoughts or impressions you had through the process of collecting the Touhi.The region we visited was rich in nature, with many attractive plants and foods produced. By harvesting and eating locally, we were able to experience fresher ingredients than we would usually encounter in Kyoto. I truly felt the ‘abundance’ of what can only be found locally.Kitagawa-san and Professor Kobayashi were extremely kind to us even before our visit. During our stay, they taught me that to preserve the freshness of the spruce, it is best to bring it back on the branches, and they also shared a lot about their research. This allowed me to gain knowledge and insights that I would not have been able to obtain simply by brewing beer in Kyoto.If you have picked up this beer, found this blog, and feel even a little curious, we highly recommend checking out Professor Kobayashi's laboratory website. They are conducting a wide range of research in the forests of Hokkaido.Hokkaido University, Uryu Research Forest, Forest Director, Professor Makoto Kobayashi, ‘MAKOTO'S PLANT & SOIL LAB.’