To celebrate the 5th anniversary of Maruho Liquor Store Minami, a beer bar in Namba, Osaka, we brewed a special collaboration beer.
First, we fermented honey and wort from Myanmar sunflowers with regular brewer's yeast and Lalvin 71B™, a wine yeast with isoamyl acetate production properties, to create a mead-style beer called Braggot. After fermentation, American oak chips were added and the beer was aged in a stainless steel tank for four months to bring out the gentle, subdued woody notes. Next, we added mulberry juice, a specialty of Urasoe City, Okinawa Prefecture, and boysenberry juice from Oregon Fruit Puree to enhance the bright acidity and aroma of the fruit.
Through Maruho Liquor Store's president, Mr. Hohokabe, we also received advice from Mr. Jeff Herbert, owner of the legendary Superstition Meadery in Arizona, in developing the recipe. The mulberries we used were grown by Okinawan Biken, who regularly uses our brewery's malt grains as fertilizer.
When poured into a glass, the clear, deep reddish-purple color catches the eye. The aroma is a complex blend of toasty notes from oak chips, vibrant fruit notes from berries, the gentle sweetness of sunflower honey, and a hint of citrus. The taste also clearly conveys the individuality of each ingredient, resulting in a harmonious overall finish.