Nobara Homestead Brewery Partners with song and Gio Hills Winery to Launch a Chardonnay Pomace Happoshu
A collaboration between Nagano's Nobara Homestead Brewery, the wood-fired dining restaurant "song," and Gio Hills Winery is underway. The three-way partnership, shown in an Instagram post at 19:58 on November 18, 2025, later took shape as a sparkling beer made with Chardonnay pomace (pressed grape solids). It is worth watching as a Nagano-style drink that makes the most of local ingredients.
Hop BroToday’s hot new release from Nagano’s Nobara Homestead Brewery is here. It’s a three-way collaboration with song and Gio Hills Winery, and they’ve put out a happoshu made with Chardonnay pomace.
MugiWait, a collaboration between a winery and beer? And a three-way collab at that? That feels like a full-on celebration!
Hop BroThe partnership showed up in an Instagram post on November 18, 2025, and then became concrete on March 4, 2026. It’s a 330 ml drink at 5.5% alcohol, with a malt content of 50% or more, and the ingredients are organic malt, grapes, and wheat.
MugiWhat even is "pomace"? It sounds like the name of a final boss, not a brewing ingredient!
Hop BroPomace is the skins and seeds left after grapes are pressed for wine. It’s usually a byproduct, but this time they used it as a secondary ingredient and rebuilt it as beer. In other words, it’s an upcycled drink.
MugiOhhh! I love that they’re not wasting anything and are turning it into something tasty. That feels so Nagano.
Hop BroThe flavor sounds interesting too. Because it comes from Chardonnay pomace, it has an aroma like flower nectar and a light finish. As the temperature rises, the fruit character comes forward, so it works both with meals and on its own.
MugiA beer that changes character with the temperature? That’s the kind of drink that tells a story in the glass!
Hop BroAnd the way it’s being offered is great too. song is a wood-fired dining spot that opened in Komoro's Mikakehara on June 20, 2025, and this happoshu is one of its upcycled product lines. What’s strong here is that it really puts regional ingredient circulation into practice.
MugiThat’s it, I’m done. I want this now, and I want your hop brother to try it too! Let’s toast while checking out that flower-nectar aroma!
The focus of the three-way collaboration is "reinterpreting a wine byproduct"
The combination of "song × Nobara Homestead Brewery × Gio Hills Winery" shown in Nobara Homestead Brewery's Instagram post (relevant post) was not just a collaboration in name only; it led to a practical project centered on material circulation in Mikakehara.
According to an announcement published on March 4, 2026, the effort appeared as "craft beer made with Chardonnay pomace." Pomace left over after winemaking, such as skins and seeds, was used as a secondary ingredient and reworked into beer. Product information lists it as a happoshu in a 330 ml format, with 5.5% alcohol and a malt content of 50% or more. The ingredients include organic malt, grapes, and wheat.
Flavor design and sense of place
The description says that elements derived from Gio Hills' Chardonnay pomace give it an aroma reminiscent of flower nectar and a light, easy-drinking finish. It is designed so that fruit notes become more pronounced as the temperature changes, aiming for a balance that works both with food and on its own.
What matters in this context is that Nobara Homestead Brewery continues brewing in Aokimura, Nagano, while incorporating familiar plants and local ingredients. In this case, receiving byproducts from a winery and bridging them into a different category of alcohol is consistent with the brewery's local-first orientation. Rather than a one-off project, it sits on the extension of an experiment that connects the value of ingredients within the region.
Sales positioning
This happoshu is being introduced as one of song's upcycled product lines. song itself is a wood-fired dining restaurant in Komoro's Mikakehara that opened on June 20, 2025, and this rollout also broadens the restaurant experience into retail.
- Reference: PR TIMES announcement (March 4, 2026)
- Reference: Instagram post
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroToday’s hot new release from Nagano’s Nobara Homestead Brewery is here. It’s a three-way collaboration with song and Gio Hills Winery, and they’ve put out a happoshu made with Chardonnay pomace.
MugiWait, a collaboration between a winery and beer? And a three-way collab at that? That feels like a full-on celebration!
Hop BroThe partnership showed up in an Instagram post on November 18, 2025, and then became concrete on March 4, 2026. It’s a 330 ml drink at 5.5% alcohol, with a malt content of 50% or more, and the ingredients are organic malt, grapes, and wheat.
MugiWhat even is "pomace"? It sounds like the name of a final boss, not a brewing ingredient!
Hop BroPomace is the skins and seeds left after grapes are pressed for wine. It’s usually a byproduct, but this time they used it as a secondary ingredient and rebuilt it as beer. In other words, it’s an upcycled drink.
MugiOhhh! I love that they’re not wasting anything and are turning it into something tasty. That feels so Nagano.
Hop BroThe flavor sounds interesting too. Because it comes from Chardonnay pomace, it has an aroma like flower nectar and a light finish. As the temperature rises, the fruit character comes forward, so it works both with meals and on its own.
MugiA beer that changes character with the temperature? That’s the kind of drink that tells a story in the glass!
Hop BroAnd the way it’s being offered is great too. song is a wood-fired dining spot that opened in Komoro's Mikakehara on June 20, 2025, and this happoshu is one of its upcycled product lines. What’s strong here is that it really puts regional ingredient circulation into practice.
MugiThat’s it, I’m done. I want this now, and I want your hop brother to try it too! Let’s toast while checking out that flower-nectar aroma!
