Mimasaka Beer Works of Okayama shared progress on its seasonal brew. This time, the theme is a black beer made with fresh hops from Shinjo Village in Maniwa District, close to home. The hop used is Cascade, and the brewery says in the post that it is aiming for a beer that is “rich yet dry,” with a “noble hop aroma” and a “drinkable black beer that goes down easy.”

Fresh-hop brewing tends to produce wide variations each time, but the brewery also said it has a good feel for this batch. As a fresh-hop ale using 2025 hops, this brew is likely “probably the last” of the season, and the release is expected toward the end of next month.

Mimasaka Beer Works, based in Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture, is a brewery that emphasizes creating conditions that bring out the work of yeast. It advocates a careful approach that builds up everything from understanding the ingredients to fermentation management, and continues making beer that makes use of local materials. In this post as well, amid a craft beer scene where trends change quickly, it showed its stance of wanting to stay grounded in local ingredients and express “Maniwa's current standard.”

When designing a black beer paired with Cascade, the key is balancing roast-derived depth with hop-derived aroma. As a beer that reflects the local hop harvest cycle and the feel of spring, it will be worth waiting for further release details.