[Ofunato City, Iwate Prefecture] Taste the 4-drink comparison set of SANRIKU BEER from Sanriku Brewing Company!

The Sanriku Coast, which straddles Iwate and Miyagi, is surrounded by a ria coastline and rich nature.

The coastal city of Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture is still in the process of recovering from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and Sanriku Brewing Company was launched in 2018 to help.

The brand name is Sanriku Beer

The name was chosen from the owner's desire to convey the appeal of food produced by Sanriku's rich nature.

The four beers are made with ``Tsubakicha'' from Ofunato, ``Hokugen no Yuzu'' from Rikuzentakada, ``Date Masamu'' from Tomemai in Miyagi Prefecture, and oysters from Sanriku, and are available as table beers. This is a beer that you can enjoy casually.

OEM production through contract brewing

Sanriku Brewing outsources brewing to Helios Sake Brewery Sawauchi Brewery in Nishiwaga Town, Iwate Prefecture, and Marca LLC in Nishi Ward, Osaka City.

It is carefully made with detailed recipes such as malt ratio, boiling temperature and time, hop type and combination, and timing of addition.

Sanriku Beer's recommended ``4-drink comparison set''

A 4-bottle set of 3 standard Sanriku beers and 1 limited brew beer, so you can compare and enjoy the differences.

Here we will introduce reviews from those who have actually tasted them.

By the way, "IBU" stands for "International Bitterness Unit", and the higher the number, the bitterer it is.

Weekend Umineko (Style: Belgian White, Alcohol Content: 5.0%, IBU: 15)

Based on Pilsner malt, it is the flagship of Sanriku Beer.

Kesen camellia tea leaves are used as an auxiliary ingredient, and it has a refreshing, fruity taste unique to wheat.

It is characterized by the use of coriander and orange peel, and has a beautiful foam and a light sour taste.

I tried "Weekend Umineko"

There is a coriander flavor in the mouth, and a slight lingering aroma of camellia tea on the palate.The reason why you can feel a faint salty scent is probably because camellias grow in the sea breeze.

It has a refreshing citrus flavor and just the right amount of acidity, and you can drink it as much as you want.

“Weekend Umineko” is good friends with seafood

Salmon sashimi, boiled scallops, crab-flavored kamaboko and seaweed went well with carpaccio, which was drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with lemon juice and salt.

It went perfectly with ``Weekend Umineko'', especially with salmon.

Koisuru Saison (Style: French Saison, Alcohol content: 6.0%, IBU: 25)

The ``northern yuzu'' produced in neighboring Rikuzentakada is an auxiliary ingredient, and its flavor is fragrant.

French Saison yeast and Simcoe hops allow you to enjoy the refreshing aroma typical of Saison.

I tried drinking “Koisuru Saison”

When you bring the glass close, you can smell the herbal scent of yuzu and hops, and when you put it in your mouth, the sweetness, light acidity, and bitterness spread out in a well-balanced manner.

And the citrus scent that comes in the aftertaste is not hops, but exactly the scent of yuzu, and you can drink it refreshingly.

Marriage of chicken and “Koisuru Saison”

I heard that it goes well with chicken and pork dishes, so I tried grilling chicken breast with salt and pepper.

The light taste of the breast meat brought out the citrus aroma and sweetness of the saison, and the bitterness of the saison brought out the flavor of the chicken, and the 400g of chicken settled in my stomach easily.

This saison would also go well with tuna sashimi.

Dateo IPA (Style: IPA, Alcohol content: 6.0%, IBU: 50)

The branded rice ``Date Masamu'' is used as an auxiliary ingredient, and the citrus aroma from hops such as Centennial, Simcoe, Citra, and Amarillo is well-balanced with just the right amount of bitterness and light body, making this an easy-to-drink IPA.

I tried "Date Otoko IPA"

When poured into a glass, the gorgeous citrus and herbaceous aroma of hops wafts through the air, and in the mouth, those aromas and bitterness spread throughout the mouth.

Light to drink, with a refreshing citrus aroma from the nose, and a refreshing and pleasant bitterness that lingers on the aftertaste.

“Date Otoko IPA” has plenty of meat

Meat dishes are best with IPA, so I paired beef and pork steak with just salt and pepper.

It goes perfectly with beef steak, bringing out the best in each other, and seems to be endlessly satisfying.

It also goes well with pork steak, probably because the umami of the rice brings out the flavor of the meat.

Bababa Stout (Style: Stout, Alcohol content: 5.0%, IBU: 25)

This oyster stout is made from oysters from Sanriku, and has the rich taste of dark beer with a light salty taste, and you will be surprised by its deliciousness.

"Bababa" is a dialect of the southern part of the coast of Iwate Prefecture, and is the same expression of surprise as "Jajaja" in the NHK drama series.

I tried Bubba Stout

It was a little too chilled, so I didn't notice much of a characteristic when I first drank it.

Eventually, as the temperature approached room temperature, I felt a coffee-like flavor and a light bitterness, a fragrant aroma, and a salty and oyster flavor.

I think oysters would go well with "Baba Ba Stout"...

In Ireland, raw oysters are standard for stout, but I couldn't find good oysters this time, so I tried pairing it with canned red clams, and the flavor of the red clams went well with the sweet and salty sauce.

It was also delicious with salted corn chips and yogurt dip, and chocolate was also a good match.

summary

Sanriku Beer can be purchased by mail order on the official website, as well as at roadside stations ``Sanriku'', ``Takada Matsubara'', and ``Three Peaks'' in Ofunato City.

You can also enjoy it in-store at several restaurants in Ofunato City, as well as at Yoshihama Shokudo in Morioka City and Subako in Hachioji City, Tokyo.