Hakone Beer

You know Hakone Beer is brewed by Suzuhiro, a long-established kamaboko maker. It was founded in 1865, so it has over 160 years of history.

It started in 1997, riding the wave of deregulation for craft beer, but it was not just diversification. Suzuhiro has "Hakone Hundred-Year Water," a natural spring water that emerges over 100 years from the Tanzawa, Fuji, and Hakone mountain ranges. It contains almost no iron and has an excellent balance of calcium and magnesium. The same water used for kamaboko was also ideal for beer.

The regular lineup includes "Hakone Pils" and "Odawara Ale." Seasonal releases include "Harumeki Pale Ale," "Ashigara Weizen," and "Kazamatsuri Stout." I like that all of them include local place names. They also use aroma hops from Saaz in the Czech Republic, the birthplace of Pilsner.

And the real highlight here is "Blessings of the Sea," released for the 25th anniversary. Brewmaster Satoru Hirota applied "fish-meat peptides," developed through research in kamaboko production, to beer brewing. Fish-derived amino acids activate the yeast, creating a bright, floral aroma that hops alone cannot produce.

According to Hirota, fermentation in a high-amino-acid environment is extremely difficult to control temperature-wise, and it reportedly took about six months of research. After twice the aging period of their standard pilsner, they finished it with a rounded flavor that pairs well with Japanese cuisine.