Kyoto Brewing and Seoul Brewing's Puffed-Grain Golden Ale, "The Password Is Pon!"
Kyoto Brewing, based in Kyoto City, has unveiled a collaboration beer with Seoul, Korea's Seoul Brewing called "The Password Is Pon!". This golden ale uses Japanese and Korean puffed grains, and its signature is the gentle sweetness and toasted aroma derived from the grains.
Hop BroToday, I'm introducing the Kyoto Brewing and Seoul Brewing collaboration, The Password Is Pon! The name alone is fun, but what's inside is genuinely interesting too.
MugiWait, beer with puffed grains!? And it's a Japan-Korea collaboration too? It already feels like a festival!
Hop BroThe style is a puffed-grain golden ale. It's one of Kyoto Brewing's "Comrades Series" beers, and with 4.5% ABV and 20 IBU, it's right in that sweet spot of being easy to drink while still having clear flavor.
MugiI see IBU all the time, but what is it exactly? It's a number for bitterness, right? What does 20 mean?
Hop BroExactly, IBU is a measure of bitterness. At 20, it's not intensely bitter, so it's a level where you can still really taste the toasted and sweet notes.
MugiOhhh, I get it! So how much puffed grain is in it? 35 kg total is way more serious than I imagined, isn't it?
Hop BroVery serious. They put Japanese and Korean puffed grains into the mash, used Maris Otter as the base, layered on biscuit malt and honey malt, and then boiled it for six hours to really concentrate the flavor.
MugiSix hours of boiling!? That's practically a stew. But just hearing toasted sweetness makes it sound delicious!
Hop BroThe flavor brings out honey, biscuit, caramel, and toffee-like notes, and they used a small amount of German Mittelfrueh hops. The gentle bitterness and subtle spice tie everything together nicely.
MugiAnd the yeast is London Ale yeast, too. It's light but still has real body, which is such a sneaky good combination!
Hop BroWhat makes it great is that Kyoto Brewing teamed up with a Korean brewery and turned a shared food culture into one beer. The previous collaboration was interesting too, but this one really feels like a beer whose background is part of the taste.
MugiI already want to drink it! Today I want to toast with a puffed-grain ale too, light and easy!
Kyoto Brewing, based in Kyoto City, has created "The Password Is Pon!" in collaboration with Seoul, Korea's Seoul Brewing. It is a beer in Kyoto Brewing's "Comrades Series," and the style is a golden ale made with puffed grains. With an ABV of 4.5% and an IBU of 20, it is designed so that the character of its aroma and flavor is easy to enjoy.
At the heart of this beer is the puffed grain snack beloved in both Japan and Korea. In Korea, it is called "bontigi," and in both countries it shares that light, airy texture created by heating grains and making them pop all at once. In the brew, a total of 35 kg of Japanese and Korean puffed grains were added to the mash. In addition, Maris Otter was used as the base, with biscuit malt and honey malt layered in, and a six-hour boil was said to have concentrated the malt character.
The flavor is defined by rich aromas reminiscent of honey, biscuit, caramel, and toffee, along with a smooth, rich finish. A small amount of German Mittelfrueh hops is used to provide a gentle bitterness and a subtle spicy note that brings the whole beer into balance. London Ale yeast was used for fermentation, resulting in a beer that balances lightness with satisfying depth. It is also interesting that Kyoto Brewing teamed up with a Korean brewery to capture a shared point of food culture in a single glass. Following their previous collaboration, "Papi Pupu Pinsu," this beer too is one that can be enjoyed for its ingredients as well as the story behind them.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroToday, I'm introducing the Kyoto Brewing and Seoul Brewing collaboration, The Password Is Pon! The name alone is fun, but what's inside is genuinely interesting too.
MugiWait, beer with puffed grains!? And it's a Japan-Korea collaboration too? It already feels like a festival!
Hop BroThe style is a puffed-grain golden ale. It's one of Kyoto Brewing's "Comrades Series" beers, and with 4.5% ABV and 20 IBU, it's right in that sweet spot of being easy to drink while still having clear flavor.
MugiI see IBU all the time, but what is it exactly? It's a number for bitterness, right? What does 20 mean?
Hop BroExactly, IBU is a measure of bitterness. At 20, it's not intensely bitter, so it's a level where you can still really taste the toasted and sweet notes.
MugiOhhh, I get it! So how much puffed grain is in it? 35 kg total is way more serious than I imagined, isn't it?
Hop BroVery serious. They put Japanese and Korean puffed grains into the mash, used Maris Otter as the base, layered on biscuit malt and honey malt, and then boiled it for six hours to really concentrate the flavor.
MugiSix hours of boiling!? That's practically a stew. But just hearing toasted sweetness makes it sound delicious!
Hop BroThe flavor brings out honey, biscuit, caramel, and toffee-like notes, and they used a small amount of German Mittelfrueh hops. The gentle bitterness and subtle spice tie everything together nicely.
MugiAnd the yeast is London Ale yeast, too. It's light but still has real body, which is such a sneaky good combination!
Hop BroWhat makes it great is that Kyoto Brewing teamed up with a Korean brewery and turned a shared food culture into one beer. The previous collaboration was interesting too, but this one really feels like a beer whose background is part of the taste.
MugiI already want to drink it! Today I want to toast with a puffed-grain ale too, light and easy!
