Ushitora Brewery's "Ichigo Kingdom" is tapped at vivo! BEER + DININGBAR, with Kiyosato Lager also available
At the craft beer specialty bar vivo! BEER + DININGBAR on the east side of Ikebukuro Station, Ushitora Brewery's "Ichigo Kingdom" was tapped. Yatsugatake Beer Tapdown's "Kiyosato Lager" was also added, creating a lineup of 20 draft beers to choose from.
Hop BroAt vivo! BEER＋DININGBAR on the east side of Ikebukuro, Ushitora Brewery's Ichigo Kingdom has been tapped. And Yatsugatake Beer Tapdown's Kiyosato Lager is on too, so they're really going for it today.
MugiWhoa! The name Ichigo Kingdom already sounds sweet! If it's beer with strawberries, doesn't it end up tasting like juice?
Hop BroThat's the interesting part. It's a fruit ale made with Tochiotome and Tochiaika strawberries from Tochigi Prefecture. Rather than being cloyingly sweet, the aroma really pops, so you enjoy the impression of strawberries first.
MugiHuh! But where does the fruit go in a fruit ale? That suddenly sounds like a science experiment!
Hop BroBroadly speaking, fruit is combined with the wort or fermentation process to layer in aroma and flavor. So even when the strawberry aroma comes forward, the key is that it still comes together properly as beer.
MugiI get it! Then Kiyosato Lager sounds like the opposite. Does crispness and easy drinkability mean it finishes clean and sharp the moment you drink it?
Hop BroGood question. Kiyosato Lager is a lager made with Rihoku rice from Takane-cho in Hokuto City, and it's a very solid food-friendly beer. Because it's so refreshing, the transition after a fruit ale feels really smooth.
MugiWait, and there are 20 draft beers in the shop too?! That sounds like the kind of place where you could spend all night just deciding what to drink!
Hop BroExactly. They've got pale ale, IPA, hazy styles, saison, cider, and stout, plus collaborations like vivo! x CYCAD BREWING and Inkhorn Brewing, so you can take a journey through flavors.
MugiWow, and the food sounds great too! Chicken breast ham, German potato salad, all kinds of things that sound like they'd go perfectly with beer!
Hop BroRight? Since they have everything from light snacks to hearty dishes, you can enjoy the aroma with Ichigo Kingdom, clear your palate with Kiyosato Lager, and finish with a stout. That flow sounds great.
MugiI already want to go drinking! Let's do a night of beer comparisons in Ikebukuro. I'll start with Ichigo Kingdom!
At the craft beer specialty shop vivo! BEER + DININGBAR, located on the east side of Ikebukuro, Ushitora Brewery's fruit ale "Ichigo Kingdom" has been tapped. At the same time, Yatsugatake Beer Tapdown's "Kiyosato Lager" has also been put on draft, making the day's tap list a mix of fruity character and a crisp, clean finish.
"Kiyosato Lager" is a lager brewed with "Rihoku rice," a rice grown in Takane-cho, Hokuto City. As its description suggests, it is a beer to enjoy for its crispness and easy drinkability, and it is easy to imagine pairing it with food. "Ichigo Kingdom," by contrast, is a fruit ale made with Tochotome and Tochiaika strawberries from Tochigi Prefecture. It is said to showcase the fresh aroma of strawberries, making it an intriguing beer for those who want to enjoy the aroma first.
There are 20 draft beers inside the shop. The selection ranges widely from pale ale, IPA, hazy styles, saison, cider, and stout to vivo! x CYCAD BREWING and Inkhorn Brewing collaborations, West Coast Brewing, DevilCraft, TOKYO ALE WORKS, Minoh Beer, Heartland, and draft Guinness. It is a lineup that makes it easy to shift the direction of your drinking as you go, not just for a so-called "first beer."
The food menu includes chicken breast ham, German potato salad, zucchini and potato Spanish omelet, and spaghetti aglio e olio with clams and lemon. Because the offerings range from light snacks to hearty dishes, it is easy to build a drinking sequence that starts with the aroma of a fruit ale and moves on to a lager or stout. It is a place well suited to after-work drinking or to a night in Ikebukuro spent comparing draft beers.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the venue’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroAt vivo! BEER＋DININGBAR on the east side of Ikebukuro, Ushitora Brewery's Ichigo Kingdom has been tapped. And Yatsugatake Beer Tapdown's Kiyosato Lager is on too, so they're really going for it today.
MugiWhoa! The name Ichigo Kingdom already sounds sweet! If it's beer with strawberries, doesn't it end up tasting like juice?
Hop BroThat's the interesting part. It's a fruit ale made with Tochiotome and Tochiaika strawberries from Tochigi Prefecture. Rather than being cloyingly sweet, the aroma really pops, so you enjoy the impression of strawberries first.
MugiHuh! But where does the fruit go in a fruit ale? That suddenly sounds like a science experiment!
Hop BroBroadly speaking, fruit is combined with the wort or fermentation process to layer in aroma and flavor. So even when the strawberry aroma comes forward, the key is that it still comes together properly as beer.
MugiI get it! Then Kiyosato Lager sounds like the opposite. Does crispness and easy drinkability mean it finishes clean and sharp the moment you drink it?
Hop BroGood question. Kiyosato Lager is a lager made with Rihoku rice from Takane-cho in Hokuto City, and it's a very solid food-friendly beer. Because it's so refreshing, the transition after a fruit ale feels really smooth.
MugiWait, and there are 20 draft beers in the shop too?! That sounds like the kind of place where you could spend all night just deciding what to drink!
Hop BroExactly. They've got pale ale, IPA, hazy styles, saison, cider, and stout, plus collaborations like vivo! x CYCAD BREWING and Inkhorn Brewing, so you can take a journey through flavors.
MugiWow, and the food sounds great too! Chicken breast ham, German potato salad, all kinds of things that sound like they'd go perfectly with beer!
Hop BroRight? Since they have everything from light snacks to hearty dishes, you can enjoy the aroma with Ichigo Kingdom, clear your palate with Kiyosato Lager, and finish with a stout. That flow sounds great.
MugiI already want to go drinking! Let's do a night of beer comparisons in Ikebukuro. I'll start with Ichigo Kingdom!
