The online store of Craft Bank, a Kyoto-born craft brewery, has introduced its seasonal product, the "YUZU BRUT 6-bottle set." The price is 4,200 yen including tax (six 350 ml cans).

The heart of this beer is fully ripe yuzu from Mizuo, Kyoto. Using peel whose aroma has been concentrated by the winter cold, the brewery has shifted an ingredient it normally uses in COLD IPA to this BRUT LAGER instead. The aim, it says, is a sharper drinking experience and a design that lets you taste the yuzu aroma directly.

In the fermentation process, the brewery uses white koji from Hishiroku, a long-established Kyoto producer. By thoroughly breaking down the sugars, it pushes the dryness that the style name suggests. The hops are Hallertau Blanc, Nelson Sauvin, and Motueka, layering aromas reminiscent of white grape and lime. This prevents the yuzu-derived citrus character from feeling one-dimensional and gives it greater depth.

The specs are ABV 5.0%. The malts are Pilsner malt, Ale malt, and Spelt malt. It pours a pale gold and is designed with strong carbonation. When served well chilled, its crisp finish and the yuzu aftertaste that returns on the nose stand out.

Craft Bank started in 2020 at a former bank site in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto Prefecture, and opened its brewery in 2022. The local context of renovating a building while making beer also lies behind this glass. "YUZU BRUT," which combines local Kyoto ingredients and brewing technique, seems to be not only a seasonal beer but also a release that shows where the brewery is today.