Shiokaze Blue Lab unveils new "Mugizen" at Soga Stand, begins serving Best Bitter
By March 9, the Chiba-based Shiokaze Blue Lab Brewery account "Shiokaze Blue Stand Soga" announced a new beer called "Mugizen." The style is Best Bitter, with ABV 4.5% and IBU 33. It emphasizes a design that brings out malt sweetness first, along with a restrained carbonation feel.
Hop BroToday’s news from Chiba is a new release! Shiokaze Blue Lab Brewery has put out "Mugizen" at its serving location, Shiokaze Blue Stand Soga. The style is Best Bitter!
MugiWhoa! Even the name sounds enlightened! So what does it taste like?
Hop BroThe specs are ABV 4.5% and IBU 33. It’s designed not to go too hard on bitterness, but to bring out the malt sweetness first. The carbonation is also restrained, and the color leans clear.
MugiWhat is that! I hear ABV and IBU all the time, but I panic because it feels like it’s going to be on the test every single time!
Hop BroABV is alcohol by volume, and IBU is a rough measure of bitterness. 4.5% means light and easygoing, and IBU 33 is about "solidly bitter, but not aggressively so." In other words, Mugizen is a balanced beer.
MugiOhhh! So I can drink it without making a "so bitter!" face!
Hop BroExactly. Best Bitter is a style where you enjoy not just hop bitterness, but also the toasted aroma and roundness of the malt. It’s also interesting how the malt character gently increases as the temperature rises a bit.
MugiIt changes personality with temperature!? The beer world’s two-faced pretty boy!
Hop BroAnd Shiokaze Blue Lab Brewery had its new production license confirmed in 2024, so this new release comes in the flow of steadily building serving experience in local Chiba. The context is good too.
MugiI want to drink it with the story attached! Next time, let’s toast Mugizen at Shiokaze Blue Stand Soga, and big brother Hop can be in charge of checking how the temperature changes!
In an Instagram post from "Shiokaze Blue Stand Soga," the serving location for Shiokaze Blue Lab Brewery, the release of the new beer "Mugizen" was announced. The specs shown in the post were Style: Best Bitter / ABV: 4.5% / IBU: 33. The description highlights a flavor design that lets you taste malt sweetness first, a drinkability shaped by lower carbonation volume, and a clear-colored appearance.
Rather than pushing hop bitterness to the forefront, Best Bitter is a style whose appeal lies in its balance with the toasted aroma and roundness derived from malt. In that context, "Mugizen" is positioned as a beer that combines lightness and composure. For readers who want to explore how it pairs with food, it is worth trying while also noting how the malt character changes as the temperature rises.
As background on the brewery, Shiokaze Blue Lab Brewery (Nobuto, Chuo Ward, Chiba City) can be confirmed in National Tax Agency public records as a new recipient of a happoshu production license in 2024. In addition, a 2024 announcement from Chiba University shows product commercialization through the brewery and serving records at "Shiokaze Blue Stand Soga" and "Shiokaze Blue Stand Nobuto," suggesting that the brewery has been steadily expanding within the region.
This "Mugizen" release can be seen as a new beer rooted in that local Chiba context, with a clearly stated style and an easy-to-understand direction for its flavor.
Information Sources
- Instagram post (Shiokaze Blue Stand Soga)
- National Tax Agency: List of New Licensees for Alcohol Production, etc. (Reiwa 6)
- Chiba University press release (September 2024)
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroToday’s news from Chiba is a new release! Shiokaze Blue Lab Brewery has put out "Mugizen" at its serving location, Shiokaze Blue Stand Soga. The style is Best Bitter!
MugiWhoa! Even the name sounds enlightened! So what does it taste like?
Hop BroThe specs are ABV 4.5% and IBU 33. It’s designed not to go too hard on bitterness, but to bring out the malt sweetness first. The carbonation is also restrained, and the color leans clear.
MugiWhat is that! I hear ABV and IBU all the time, but I panic because it feels like it’s going to be on the test every single time!
Hop BroABV is alcohol by volume, and IBU is a rough measure of bitterness. 4.5% means light and easygoing, and IBU 33 is about "solidly bitter, but not aggressively so." In other words, Mugizen is a balanced beer.
MugiOhhh! So I can drink it without making a "so bitter!" face!
Hop BroExactly. Best Bitter is a style where you enjoy not just hop bitterness, but also the toasted aroma and roundness of the malt. It’s also interesting how the malt character gently increases as the temperature rises a bit.
MugiIt changes personality with temperature!? The beer world’s two-faced pretty boy!
Hop BroAnd Shiokaze Blue Lab Brewery had its new production license confirmed in 2024, so this new release comes in the flow of steadily building serving experience in local Chiba. The context is good too.
MugiI want to drink it with the story attached! Next time, let’s toast Mugizen at Shiokaze Blue Stand Soga, and big brother Hop can be in charge of checking how the temperature changes!
