Far Yeast Brewing Releases "Sumomo Salty Sour" Using Soldam Plums from Fuefuki, Yamanashi
Far Yeast Brewing will begin selling the limited-edition beer "Far Yeast Sumomo Salty Sour" from August 6, using fruit from the plum farm "Kikushima Seiyodo East Branch" in Fuefuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture. It is a summer-friendly fruit gose that combines the tartness of Soldam with the salty character typical of a gose.
Hop BroToday we're talking about Far Yeast Brewing's limited release, Far Yeast Sumomo Salty Sour. It's a summer-friendly beer made with plum from Fuefuki, Yamanashi, and the concept is really clean.
MugiHuh, a beer with plums!? Fruit gose sounds sour just from the name alone, but what is it like?!
Hop BroThe style is Fruited Gose With Sumomo. Gose is an acidic beer style that uses salt, and here they've layered on the tartness and aroma of Soldam plums.
MugiWait, what's Philly Sour? That suddenly sounds like a DJ name!
Hop BroGood catch. It's one of the acid-producing yeasts, and during fermentation it gives off a bright tartness and stone-fruit-like aroma. In this beer, it helps bring out the plum's shape and character very clearly.
MugiWhoa, and they used about 400 kg? That's a lot of plum presence! They're also using off-grade fruit, so somehow the deliciousness feels even more precious.
Hop BroExactly. And because they're using the skins too, they're bringing out the aroma from the peel as well. It's built to really highlight sweet aroma and bright acidity, so it's very much a summer beer.
MugiAlcohol 4.5% and IBU 10 means it should be easy to drink! On a hot day, this seems like one you could just keep gulping.
Hop BroThat lightness is the point. Because it has saltiness, it's not just sour; the saltiness and fruitiness come together tightly. It's crisp on the palate, but the plum character still remains.
MugiAnd it's brewed at the headwaters brewery in Kosuge Village, right? Yamanashi fruit plus that clean water sounds like a recipe for deliciousness!
Hop BroThat's exactly the appeal. The regional resources of Yamanashi and the brewery's sense of place overlap, so it feels like you're drinking the season and the location, not just a fruit beer.
MugiMakes sense, this is perfect for summer. If I can taste the seasonality of plums in beer, one glass won't be enough!
Hop BroThen the takeaway is: today is the day that makes you want to go after a limited fruit gose. Chill it, make it tart, with a little saltiness, and this is definitely one both of us would want to drink.
A limited gose starring Yamanashi fruit
Far Yeast Brewing began selling the limited-brew "Far Yeast Sumomo Salty Sour" on August 6, 2024, using fruit from the plum farm "Kikushima Seiyodo East Branch" in Fuefuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture. As part of "Brewed with Yamanashi," an initiative that makes use of Yamanashi's regional resources, this release uses the early-ripening variety "Oishi Wase."
Approximately 400 kg of plums, including off-grade fruit, went into this brew. By using them with the skins on, the team also drew out aromas from the peel, putting the plum's bright tartness and sweet fragrance front and center.
Balancing tartness and saltiness
The style is Fruited Gose With Sumomo. The yeast is "Philly Sour," which is known for its acidity and stone-fruit aromas, and by adding the salt that gives gose its character, the beer is finished with a drinking profile where fruitiness and saltiness meet. It has an alcohol content of 4.5% and an IBU of 10. The recipe is designed to keep it light while still letting the fruit's outline come through clearly.
From the headwaters brewery in Kosuge Village
The beer is brewed at Far Yeast Brewing's headwaters brewery in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture. About two hours from central Tokyo, the brewery sits amid the natural surroundings of the Tama River headwaters, where it continues making beer that takes advantage of the cool climate and clean water. In 2020, the company also moved its headquarters functions to Kosuge Village, further strengthening its brewing setup tied to the local community.
This beer combines a project that uses Yamanashi fruit with the brewery's character of making use of the headwaters area's environment. You could call it a limited release that carefully expresses the seasonality of plums through beer.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroToday we're talking about Far Yeast Brewing's limited release, Far Yeast Sumomo Salty Sour. It's a summer-friendly beer made with plum from Fuefuki, Yamanashi, and the concept is really clean.
MugiHuh, a beer with plums!? Fruit gose sounds sour just from the name alone, but what is it like?!
Hop BroThe style is Fruited Gose With Sumomo. Gose is an acidic beer style that uses salt, and here they've layered on the tartness and aroma of Soldam plums.
MugiWait, what's Philly Sour? That suddenly sounds like a DJ name!
Hop BroGood catch. It's one of the acid-producing yeasts, and during fermentation it gives off a bright tartness and stone-fruit-like aroma. In this beer, it helps bring out the plum's shape and character very clearly.
MugiWhoa, and they used about 400 kg? That's a lot of plum presence! They're also using off-grade fruit, so somehow the deliciousness feels even more precious.
Hop BroExactly. And because they're using the skins too, they're bringing out the aroma from the peel as well. It's built to really highlight sweet aroma and bright acidity, so it's very much a summer beer.
MugiAlcohol 4.5% and IBU 10 means it should be easy to drink! On a hot day, this seems like one you could just keep gulping.
Hop BroThat lightness is the point. Because it has saltiness, it's not just sour; the saltiness and fruitiness come together tightly. It's crisp on the palate, but the plum character still remains.
MugiAnd it's brewed at the headwaters brewery in Kosuge Village, right? Yamanashi fruit plus that clean water sounds like a recipe for deliciousness!
Hop BroThat's exactly the appeal. The regional resources of Yamanashi and the brewery's sense of place overlap, so it feels like you're drinking the season and the location, not just a fruit beer.
MugiMakes sense, this is perfect for summer. If I can taste the seasonality of plums in beer, one glass won't be enough!
Hop BroThen the takeaway is: today is the day that makes you want to go after a limited fruit gose. Chill it, make it tart, with a little saltiness, and this is definitely one both of us would want to drink.
