Baeren Brewery to Release Limited-Edition "A Handful of Saison" for the 140th Anniversary of Takuboku's Birth
Baeren Brewery in Morioka, Iwate, has announced a limited beer, "A Handful of Saison," to commemorate the 140th anniversary of the birth of Ishikawa Takuboku. Inspired by the "beer and mandarin oranges" reference in Takuboku's diary, it has been crafted as a fruit saison using Unshu mandarin juice and peel, creating a beer that layers local literature and local climate into one bottle.
Hop BroThis one is seriously the hottest new release today. Baeren Brewery is putting out a limited beer called "A Handful of Saison" for the 140th anniversary of Ishikawa Takuboku's birth!
MugiWhoa! A literary anniversary in beer form!? That sounds so interesting!
Hop BroThey took Takuboku's diary mention of "beer and mandarin oranges" as inspiration and turned it into a fruit saison using Unshu mandarin juice and peel. Even the name is a riff on "A Handful of Sand," which is pretty clever.
MugiI keep hearing about saison, but what kind of taste is it really? It sounds like a spell!
Hop BroThe hallmark of saison yeast is a bright aroma and a dry finish. In other words, it's a drink with a crisp, clean cut.
MugiOh, so it's not just sweet like mandarin juice!
Hop BroThat's the smart part of the design: you get the citrus character of mandarin, the refreshing hop aroma from Iwate-grown hops, and even a subtle astringency from the peel. Light, but not thin.
MugiWhoa, you just switched into artisan mode! So where can I buy it?
Hop BroIt's a 330 ml bottle at 5.5% ABV, priced at 484 yen per bottle including tax. It's available through the official web shop and Rakuten. But the release date and stock differ by channel, so check carefully.
MugiA local writer, local hops, a mandarin-orange story... it feels less like a commemorative beer and more like drinking Morioka itself.
Hop BroExactly! It's one bottle where you can taste the afterglow of literature and the snap of citrus at the same time. This is the kind of beer you want to chill and open tonight.
MugiIt's settled! Let's toast with "A Handful of Saison". My mouth is already on saison standby!
Reinterpreting Morioka's literature with a modern saison
Baeren Brewery's "A Handful of Saison" is a seasonal limited release centered on an homage to Ishikawa Takuboku, who spent his youth in Morioka. In its official announcement, the brewery explains that it has modernized the combination of "beer and mandarin oranges" mentioned in Takuboku's diary.
The flavor is designed around the citrus character derived from mandarin peel and juice, layered with the dry finish typical of saison yeast. While making use of the refreshing aroma of hops grown in Iwate Prefecture, the beer is said to stand out for its balance, leaving a subtle astringency within a light body. The product name references Takuboku's representative work, "A Handful of Sand," and the literary tone of the naming is also striking.
Product information and sales channels
The specifications listed on the official web shop are a 330 ml bottle, 5.5% alcohol by volume, and a fruit saison style. The ingredients are malt (produced in Germany and the UK), Unshu mandarin juice, hops, and mandarin chips. The listed price is 484 yen per bottle, tax included. Sales are available through the official web shop as well as Rakuten, and the notice says that the release date and sales channels vary depending on the retailer, so buyers should check stock and arrival status on each sales channel.
In the context of Baeren Brewery
Baeren Brewery, founded in 2001, has its headquarters and main brewery in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture. It is a brewery that has long emphasized brewing rooted in the local region while respecting the traditional beer culture of Europe. This "A Handful of Saison" can be seen as a release that extends the company's strength in expressing a sense of place not only through ingredients, but also through storytelling. By combining elements of a local writer, a local citrus image, and locally grown hops, it presents a profile as a craft beer from Morioka that goes beyond being a simple commemorative product.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroThis one is seriously the hottest new release today. Baeren Brewery is putting out a limited beer called "A Handful of Saison" for the 140th anniversary of Ishikawa Takuboku's birth!
MugiWhoa! A literary anniversary in beer form!? That sounds so interesting!
Hop BroThey took Takuboku's diary mention of "beer and mandarin oranges" as inspiration and turned it into a fruit saison using Unshu mandarin juice and peel. Even the name is a riff on "A Handful of Sand," which is pretty clever.
MugiI keep hearing about saison, but what kind of taste is it really? It sounds like a spell!
Hop BroThe hallmark of saison yeast is a bright aroma and a dry finish. In other words, it's a drink with a crisp, clean cut.
MugiOh, so it's not just sweet like mandarin juice!
Hop BroThat's the smart part of the design: you get the citrus character of mandarin, the refreshing hop aroma from Iwate-grown hops, and even a subtle astringency from the peel. Light, but not thin.
MugiWhoa, you just switched into artisan mode! So where can I buy it?
Hop BroIt's a 330 ml bottle at 5.5% ABV, priced at 484 yen per bottle including tax. It's available through the official web shop and Rakuten. But the release date and stock differ by channel, so check carefully.
MugiA local writer, local hops, a mandarin-orange story... it feels less like a commemorative beer and more like drinking Morioka itself.
Hop BroExactly! It's one bottle where you can taste the afterglow of literature and the snap of citrus at the same time. This is the kind of beer you want to chill and open tonight.
MugiIt's settled! Let's toast with "A Handful of Saison". My mouth is already on saison standby!
