Our collaboration with Minoh is a refreshingly tart kolsch using the wonderful domestic peach used in Minoh's popular Momo Weizen.
[Character]A clean, crisp, Kolsch-style ale, with subtle malt notes of honey and biscuit, brewed with a large amount of Japan grown peaches, giving the beer a semi-sweet fruity aroma and flavor. The beer has a refreshingly tart finish contributed by the addition of Philly sour Ale yeast.[Food Pairing]butter marinated spanish mackerel with a garnish of gill, cabbage rolls stuffed with ground chicken, Chinese cabbage and Japanese persimmon salad dressed with tofu[Naming]The kanji for koen is for "fox" and "monkey", and kyodai means brothers. While we naturally see Minoh as very much a "big sibling" to us, with them being true pioneers of Japan's craft beer scene, our love for them is very much like a family member within the industry. Those familiar with Minoh will know that the monkey, a symbol of the area, is also a symbol for the brewery and a number of their beers use it as well. While we haven't been as vocal on our side, we do have a fox symbol that we have used, taken from the symbolism behind Fushimi Inari, a shrine that is technically our local representative one.[Brewer's Voice]First off, I want to say, I feel very fortunate in being able to do this collaboration with Minoh, a brewery that Kyoto Brewing last collaborated with in 2019, and one of the true pioneers of the Japanese craft beer scene. When head brewer and CEO Kaori-san mentioned we may be able to use some of the peaches they use in their peach Weizen, we instantly knew what I wanted to brew with them. We got talking, and decided we wanted to combine two of my favorite things, peaches and Kolsch-style beer. We wanted to lean on the acidic side of the peaches, so we soured this beer using Philly sour yeast which produces a pleasant form lactic acid which adds a nice tart character to the beer reminding me of a favorite candy of mine, peach sour gummy rings. For the base Kolsch we kept that a bit simpler using a blend of pilsner and Munich malt, and adding a touch of honey malt and wheat for body to balance out the sour character. Classic German tettnager and Mittelfruh hops were used to give the beer a bit of structure and backbone to support the sour peach characteristics. I love the Kolsch style for the combination of supreme drinkability with a nuanced level of body and flavor, the subtlety of which is also why they are a real challenge to brew well. The soft, clean profile of the Kolsch combines with the peach character and mild sourness, resulting in a flavorful yet very drinkable beer. StyleTart Peach KolschSeriesNakamaABV5.0%IBU17Gas Volume2.65MaltPilsner, Wheat Malt, Honey malt, Munich, Sour MaltHopFlex, Tenttnager, MittelfruhYeastCalifornia Ale, Philly SourOthersPeach JuiceCategoryHapposhuJAN4589718742205
