Hop Kotan Brewing unveils the fifth epana collaboration with Ebana Coffee Roastery
Hop Kotan Brewing in Kami-Furano, Hokkaido has announced the fifth release in its HOP KOTAN ORIGINALS+ series. The new Coffee Ale, made with beans from Ebana Coffee Roastery, is built on an Ordinary Bitter base and designed as a spring-summer beer with a clear coffee character.
Hop BroI want to talk about epana volume five from HOP KOTAN Brewery in Hokkaido. It’s a coffee beer made with local roaster Ehana Coffee, and the concept is seriously well built.
MugiWait, a coffee beer? Is this breakfast or happy hour? My drinks are holding an emergency meeting!
Hop BroThat confusion is fair. This “epana” release is the fifth in HOP KOTAN ORIGINALS+, and the fact that it’s a collaboration between businesses in Kamifurano makes it even better.
MugiWhoa, and it says the base style is Ordinary Bitter. What is that? It sounds super plain, which means it’s probably not plain at all!
Hop BroThat part matters. Ordinary Bitter is a light British classic with lower alcohol and easy drinkability, so it makes perfect sense for a spring or summer coffee ale.
MugiOkay, I got that... but then I saw Dry Beaning. What does that mean? Are the beans drying off, or are they taking a bath in beer?
Hop BroHonestly, bean bath is closer. It means steeping coffee beans during fermentation as an aroma transfer method, so you get clean coffee character without making the bitterness too heavy.
MugiThat sounds amazing! And the beans are Yellow Bourbon too? Even the name sounds stylish. So what does it taste like?
Hop BroThey used beans from Brazil’s Passeio farm, with nutty sweetness and soft citrus notes. And the clever part is the bright light color without leaning on dark malts.
MugiWait, coffee beer without a dark look? If the aroma still pops, that sounds like iced coffee you can just keep sipping!
Hop BroExactly. Coffee aroma, gentle bitterness, nutty roast, and a dry finish make it easy with food, so I can totally picture this with lunch or outside on a warm day.
MugiThat settles it for me. I’m already imagining Kamifurano scenery and want one right now. Preferably at lunchtime, slowly, in the sun!
Collaboration overview
Hop Kotan Brewing, based in Kami-Furano, Hokkaido, has unveiled the fifth release in its HOP KOTAN ORIGINALS+ line: epana. This collaboration beer uses coffee beans from Ebana Coffee Roastery, another local producer in the same town, and is presented as a Coffee Ale.
Beer design
The base style is Ordinary Bitter, a traditional British style known for its moderate alcohol and approachable structure. For this release, Hop Kotan also used Dry Beaning during fermentation to draw the coffee aroma more deeply into the beer.
The coffee used here is Brazil Passeio Farm Yellow Bourbon. According to the brewery, it was roasted more deeply to bring out nutty sweetness and gentle citrus notes while keeping the beer aligned with the lighter spring-summer profile. The finished beer is pale in color and does not rely on dark roasted malts.
Flavor direction
The brewery describes the beer as having a clear coffee aroma, a balanced bitterness, nutty toast-like notes, and a dry finish. In short, it is meant to drink like a refreshing iced coffee while still feeling like beer. That makes it an easy beer to imagine with lunch or outdoor drinking.
About the brewery
Hop Kotan Brewing is known for making beers that connect with local ingredients and local makers in Kami-Furano. This collaboration fits that approach well: it translates the character of a nearby coffee roastery into beer without losing the shape of the underlying style.
Rather than being a novelty beer, epana #5 reads as a carefully built coffee beer with a clear idea behind it: local ingredients, a classic base style, and a clean, summer-friendly finish.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroI want to talk about epana volume five from HOP KOTAN Brewery in Hokkaido. It’s a coffee beer made with local roaster Ehana Coffee, and the concept is seriously well built.
MugiWait, a coffee beer? Is this breakfast or happy hour? My drinks are holding an emergency meeting!
Hop BroThat confusion is fair. This “epana” release is the fifth in HOP KOTAN ORIGINALS+, and the fact that it’s a collaboration between businesses in Kamifurano makes it even better.
MugiWhoa, and it says the base style is Ordinary Bitter. What is that? It sounds super plain, which means it’s probably not plain at all!
Hop BroThat part matters. Ordinary Bitter is a light British classic with lower alcohol and easy drinkability, so it makes perfect sense for a spring or summer coffee ale.
MugiOkay, I got that... but then I saw Dry Beaning. What does that mean? Are the beans drying off, or are they taking a bath in beer?
Hop BroHonestly, bean bath is closer. It means steeping coffee beans during fermentation as an aroma transfer method, so you get clean coffee character without making the bitterness too heavy.
MugiThat sounds amazing! And the beans are Yellow Bourbon too? Even the name sounds stylish. So what does it taste like?
Hop BroThey used beans from Brazil’s Passeio farm, with nutty sweetness and soft citrus notes. And the clever part is the bright light color without leaning on dark malts.
MugiWait, coffee beer without a dark look? If the aroma still pops, that sounds like iced coffee you can just keep sipping!
Hop BroExactly. Coffee aroma, gentle bitterness, nutty roast, and a dry finish make it easy with food, so I can totally picture this with lunch or outside on a warm day.
MugiThat settles it for me. I’m already imagining Kamifurano scenery and want one right now. Preferably at lunchtime, slowly, in the sun!
