Novel Craft Brewing unveils "Reflection" with Cave D'occi
Tokyo's Suginami-based Novel Craft Brewing has introduced a collaboration beer with Cave D'occi titled "Reflection." Brewed ahead of the June 13 Cave D'occi Tap Take Over, the 5% ABV barrel-aged saison is built on the brewery's flagship beer, Looper.
Hop BroI want to talk about Reflection today, the new beer from Novel Craft Brewing in Suginami, Tokyo.
MugiWhat! The name Reflection already sounds like an art film. What kind of beer is it?
Hop BroIt’s a collab with Cave D'occi, and the style is barrel-aged saison. It’s also 5% ABV, so it sounds pretty approachable.
MugiWait, what is barrel-aged supposed to mean? Does beer just sit in a barrel and come back wearing a suit?
Hop BroThat’s not completely wrong. It rested in a used white wine barrel, so you get white wine notes drifting into the aroma and flavor.
MugiOh wow! And the base recipe is Novel’s flagship Looper, right? That’s like the star actor showing up in a fancy costume change.
Hop BroExactly. They layered in Cave D'occi’s saison ideas, moved it into white wine barrels in Niigata, and then pitched the yeast there. That part is really fun.
MugiThe second you say yeast, I feel like I’m back in science class. And what is bottle conditioning? Another magic spell?
Hop BroNot a spell. It means the beer keeps developing a little in the bottle. Half went to keg, the rest to large bottles, and that extra finishing step adds depth.
MugiOkay, that’s cool. So even the name meaning ties back to reflecting on the process and turning it into new skills? That is ridiculously stylish.
Hop BroRight, and that’s why the name fits. The brewing process itself became a lesson, and you can feel that collaborative build-up in both the method and the flavor.
MugiI’m done for. After hearing all this, I want one now. Can you seriously wait until the June 13 Tap Take Over?
Hop BroHonestly, no. I already want to chase that NZ hop aroma and barrel finish and just say pour me a glass as fast as possible.
Novel Craft Brewing, based in Suginami, Tokyo, has introduced a collaboration beer with Cave D'occi titled "Reflection." The beer was brewed ahead of the Cave D'occi Tap Take Over scheduled for June 13, and it is a barrel-aged saison at 5% ABV.
Brewing background
According to the post, the base recipe uses Novel Craft's flagship beer, "Looper," with Cave D'occi's ideas for saison-making layered into the recipe. The team then brewed at Cave D'occi Brewery in Niigata, transferred the beer into a used white-wine barrel at the same winery, and pitched yeast there to continue fermentation and maturation.
Packaging and flavor
Half of the finished beer went into keg, while the rest was bottled and bottle-conditioned. Novel Craft describes it as a saison that carries NZ hop aroma together with white-wine notes from barrel aging. The project combines the brewery's core recipe, Cave D'occi's saison approach, and a wine-barrel finish.
The name
"Reflection" is presented as more than a literal translation of the word. The post links it to the process of looking back on experience and turning it into new knowledge and skills. That idea fits the collaboration itself, which appears to have been as much a learning process as a beer release.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroI want to talk about Reflection today, the new beer from Novel Craft Brewing in Suginami, Tokyo.
MugiWhat! The name Reflection already sounds like an art film. What kind of beer is it?
Hop BroIt’s a collab with Cave D'occi, and the style is barrel-aged saison. It’s also 5% ABV, so it sounds pretty approachable.
MugiWait, what is barrel-aged supposed to mean? Does beer just sit in a barrel and come back wearing a suit?
Hop BroThat’s not completely wrong. It rested in a used white wine barrel, so you get white wine notes drifting into the aroma and flavor.
MugiOh wow! And the base recipe is Novel’s flagship Looper, right? That’s like the star actor showing up in a fancy costume change.
Hop BroExactly. They layered in Cave D'occi’s saison ideas, moved it into white wine barrels in Niigata, and then pitched the yeast there. That part is really fun.
MugiThe second you say yeast, I feel like I’m back in science class. And what is bottle conditioning? Another magic spell?
Hop BroNot a spell. It means the beer keeps developing a little in the bottle. Half went to keg, the rest to large bottles, and that extra finishing step adds depth.
MugiOkay, that’s cool. So even the name meaning ties back to reflecting on the process and turning it into new skills? That is ridiculously stylish.
Hop BroRight, and that’s why the name fits. The brewing process itself became a lesson, and you can feel that collaborative build-up in both the method and the flavor.
MugiI’m done for. After hearing all this, I want one now. Can you seriously wait until the June 13 Tap Take Over?
Hop BroHonestly, no. I already want to chase that NZ hop aroma and barrel finish and just say pour me a glass as fast as possible.
