Far Yeast Brewing launches a limited lager made with Kosuge Village hinoki thinnings
Far Yeast Brewing has introduced `Far Yeast Hinokiragaa`, a limited beer made with hinoki from thinning work in Yamanashi’s Kosuge Village. The release connects local forest management with a crisp lager that aims to evoke woods and greenery.
Hop BroToday’s topic is Far Yeast Hinoki Lager from Far Yeast Brewing. It’s a limited lager made with thinned cypress from Kosuge Village, and that already sounds like a walk in the woods.
MugiThinned cypress wood? Wait, what! Are we putting actual trees in the glass now? That sounds less like beer and more like forest bathing!
Hop BroThat’s the fun part. They use the hinoki as wood chips for aroma, and this batch was increased to 33 kg, so the forest character is way stronger than before.
MugiThirty-three kilos!? Wood-chip brewing makes it sound like someone wandered into shop class and accidentally made a lager!
Hop BroYeah, but the flavor is still clean and organized. The style is Pilsner with Japanese cypress, so think easy-drinking pilsner with a hinoki aroma layered on top.
MugiI know pilsner, but Saaz hops? What is that! A spell? A tiny herbal forest fairy with a brewing license?
Hop BroSaaz gives off an elegant, herbal aroma. When it meets the hinoki, it lands in this fresh forest-like finish that feels crisp instead of weird.
MugiOooh! And with 5.0% ABV and 20 IBU, it sounds like it won’t be too bitter either. Dangerous. I could get pleasantly lost in that forest.
Hop BroExactly. It also fits into the local-ingredient story behind Brewed with YAMANASHI, where they’ve been turning Yamanashi ingredients like peaches and plums into beer. Now the forest joined the lineup.
MugiFrom fruit to trees, that range is wild! If you call it a mountain-born lager, I’m already ready to drink it and declare friendship with the woods.
Hop BroThat’s the right energy. If I spot it in the official online store, I want to treat it like a glass of Kosuge and really take in the aroma.
MugiThen it’s settled. Let’s get the glasses ready and toast with Hinoki Lager tonight. I swear I can already feel the forest breeze.
Far Yeast Brewing has introduced `Far Yeast Hinokiragaa`, a limited beer featured on its official online store and Instagram. The brewery’s Genryu Brewery is located in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi, an area surrounded by cedar and hinoki forests. The beer builds on the idea that timber produced through thinning work, which helps preserve healthy forest growth and ecosystems, can be treated as a renewable local resource.
For this batch, Far Yeast Brewing worked with `Tsukuruzaa`, a company in Kosuge Village that promotes the use of locally available wood. The brewery increased the amount of hinoki to 33 kg, up from 14 kg in the previous version, then processed it into wood chips for aroma contribution. Saaz hops, known for their herbal character, were added to finish the beer as a fresh lager with forest-like notes.
Key specs:
- Style: Pilsner with Japanese cypress
- ABV: 5.0%
- IBU: 20
- Hops: Saaz
Far Yeast Brewing has long focused on limited releases that make use of local resources in Yamanashi. Its `Brewed with YAMANASHI` initiative began in 2020 as the Yamanashi Support Project and was renamed in 2024. The series has featured beers made with local fruit such as peach, plum, and grape. `Hinokiragaa` fits naturally into that lineup as a beer that translates the character of the mountain landscape directly into the glass.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroToday’s topic is Far Yeast Hinoki Lager from Far Yeast Brewing. It’s a limited lager made with thinned cypress from Kosuge Village, and that already sounds like a walk in the woods.
MugiThinned cypress wood? Wait, what! Are we putting actual trees in the glass now? That sounds less like beer and more like forest bathing!
Hop BroThat’s the fun part. They use the hinoki as wood chips for aroma, and this batch was increased to 33 kg, so the forest character is way stronger than before.
MugiThirty-three kilos!? Wood-chip brewing makes it sound like someone wandered into shop class and accidentally made a lager!
Hop BroYeah, but the flavor is still clean and organized. The style is Pilsner with Japanese cypress, so think easy-drinking pilsner with a hinoki aroma layered on top.
MugiI know pilsner, but Saaz hops? What is that! A spell? A tiny herbal forest fairy with a brewing license?
Hop BroSaaz gives off an elegant, herbal aroma. When it meets the hinoki, it lands in this fresh forest-like finish that feels crisp instead of weird.
MugiOooh! And with 5.0% ABV and 20 IBU, it sounds like it won’t be too bitter either. Dangerous. I could get pleasantly lost in that forest.
Hop BroExactly. It also fits into the local-ingredient story behind Brewed with YAMANASHI, where they’ve been turning Yamanashi ingredients like peaches and plums into beer. Now the forest joined the lineup.
MugiFrom fruit to trees, that range is wild! If you call it a mountain-born lager, I’m already ready to drink it and declare friendship with the woods.
Hop BroThat’s the right energy. If I spot it in the official online store, I want to treat it like a glass of Kosuge and really take in the aroma.
MugiThen it’s settled. Let’s get the glasses ready and toast with Hinoki Lager tonight. I swear I can already feel the forest breeze.
