The new "NUE HOP JUICE IPA" from TWO RABBITS BREWING COMPANY is an IPA that has appeared in the company’s "Yokai Series" for the first time in a while. The label motif is Nue, the mysterious bird known from Heian-era legends. The product description also foregrounds the keyword "unknown identity," highlighting a flavor profile in which multiple hop-derived characters overlap.

It is sold in two formats: Can - 360ml (770 yen) and Can - 360ml 6 Pack (4,620 yen). The style is beer, and the specs are Alc 7.0% / IBU 45 / EBC 12. The ingredients include Coopers Pale Malt, Simpsons Golden Promise, and Rahr White Wheat Malt, while the hops used are Ekuanot and Cashmere (as listed on the product page). The yeast is WHC Apres Ski, and Sugar is listed under Other.

The main point of interest is the generous use of New Zealand cold-pressed hop juice, combined with US hops. The product page describes it as having aromas of fully ripe tropical fruit and citrus rising from the glass, along with a complex, interwoven hop character that delivers a layered umami-like richness.

Based in Shiga, TWO RABBITS BREWING COMPANY has expanded a wide range of styles while drawing influence from beer cultures in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. True to one of its signatures, the stance of "Beer for everyone," the brewery offers everything from story-driven limited releases to beers that can be enjoyed every day, and this "NUE HOP JUICE IPA" also seems to fit squarely within that context.