Craft beer subscription service Otomoni opened orders for a new Tsundere-themed Hazy IPA on November 15, 2022. The beer has a sweetness level that changes on its temperature and was brewed as part of the 15th installment of the JAPANESE BEER ODYSSEY, which aims to share aspects of both traditional and modern Japanese culture through craft beer.

For better or worse, Japan’s otaku culture is now a major part of the country’s appeal to people around the world.

Japan’s video game and anime market is now legendary around the globe, and millions flock to the country each year to become more immersed in its popular culture. Just look at the annual Comiket event–over 700,000 visitors attend each year!

To celebrate the upcoming Comiket, a new beer has been brewed that pays homage to modern otaku culture. The Tsundere Hazy IPA is perfect for otaku who love a little challenge when it comes to their love life.

Brewed with NOMCRAFT Brewing in Wakayama Prefecture, the Tsundere Hazy IPA features two distinct flavors, each coming out more strongly depending on the beer’s temperature. 

When poured, the beer has a very tropical aroma, and when ice-cold, it’s more refreshing and less sweet. 

As the temperature of the beer rises, the smell becomes more fruity and strong, with the smell of hibiscus certain to make your mouth water. Whether you like bitter or sweet, this may be the perfect beer for you. 

Would you try this tsundere-themed beer? 

Shiragiku Sake Brewery will release a special sake made exclusively to mix with soda water on October 1, 2022. The beverage will be available in Okayama Prefecture.

The company’s interest in creating a new sake culture led them to develop &Soda, a delicious sake made to be mixed with soda. This may be helpful for those who don’t know much about sake, or who may feel intimidated by the many different types. Being able to mix it with soda will make sake drinking feel more casual. 

Sake Made Exclusively for Mixing with Soda Water, ‘&Soda’

“Many people may like to mix sake with soda water or drink it on the rocks. By doing this, however, a nice sake may lose its flavor, and the drinker might be wasting a nice sake for the sake of a more easy-drinking beverage. &Soda was made exclusively to be mixed. Using Asahi Rice, a specialty in Okayama Prefecture, and water from the brewery, we’ve created a sake that has the proper aroma and sweetness. These characteristics will come through even after being mixed! The alcohol content has been increased to 18 percent, and the package will make the product easy to find and understand,” a statement from the brewery reads.

For more information on how to enjoy &Soda, please see the special website below!

Aki Rosenthal, a popular member of the Hololive VTuber collective, has teamed up with Hansharo Beer in Izu to create a tasty new brew. Called ‘Good Job Again Today,’ this is the perfect beverage to enjoy after a long day. Sales will begin on August 25, 2022.

The beer is fermented with champagne yeast and colored by malt to resemble rosé wine. Aki Rosenthal, a well-known beer lover herself, was involved in the creation of the beer, and the talent hopes that it will make workers’ lives a little easier and more enjoyable. Even those who don’t typically like beer might like this slightly fruity taste, so be sure to give it a try if you can!

Aki Rosenthal

A girl who traveled from a different universe. She has hyper curiosity and manages to reach out to all sorts of things. Her trademark pigtails float due to some sort of supernatural power.

Character Design: Azumiu Akitake @akitake_a
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFTLzh12_nrtzqBPsTCqenA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/akirosenthal

Aiming to create a new kind of drinking culture, Aika in Gunma Prefecture has started preorders for SAKE COLA, a new cola liquor, on the crowdfunding site Makuake. 

People love cola for its strong carbonation, sweetness, and distinctive spicy flavor. SAKE COLA has a complex, multi-layered aroma and refreshing sweetness offering a unique taste that no one has tasted before.

In creating SAKE COLA, the company attempted to keep the authentic sweetness of sake. To this end, they decided to work with Rokkasen, a long-established sake brewery in Yamagata. 

Rokkasen’s authentic rice-based shochu Goujoppari is brewed in the cold like sake and distilled like a ginjo sake. It has a beautiful citrus aroma and tastes similar in sweetness despite having zero sugar.

Using Goujoppari as a base, malted rice is used to produce a mild, natural sweetness, and the spices added to the drink meld with the citrus scent to create a flavor defying imagination.

The flavor and aroma of SAKE COLA spread in the mouth, with the spices and herbs lingering on the tongue. The spices were mixed by Hayashi Oki, who studied in Alsace, France before working as a pastry chef at one of Tokyo’s top patisseries. 

Mace, the key spice, is characterized by its sweet and somewhat pungent aroma. It’s used to recreate the caramelized taste that is found in most cola.

Along with that, tonka beans, containing the natural sweeteners Vanillin and Coumarin, were blended into the mix to create a soft, lingering flavor. Customers are sure to enjoy it from the first sip to the last.

SAKE COLA can be enjoyed at any time. It’s perfect for enjoying as an aperitif, and it can also be enjoyed with a meal, like beer or wine. 

Like whiskey, it can also be enjoyed while relaxing after a meal. At Christmas time, it can be added to warm red wine or served as an affogato with ice cream and a splash of liqueur. How would you like to try this unique creation?

Sankt Gallen Taproom, a bar directly owned by the original Sankt Gallen microbrewery, has begun selling special menu items to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Honatsugi MYLORD until March 31, 2022. Since ancient times, black cats have been a symbol of prosperous business, and fittingly, the new menu features a black cat motif. 

The 40th-anniversary beer, Congratulations Nya~ England IPA, is a New England IPA-style beer, a style that originated in the New England region of the eastern United States. The orange-yellow liquid was inspired by the eyes of a black cat glowing in the dark. The adorable cat ear burger buns are baked at the city’s Good Aging Store. The black color is made by adding unsweetened black cocoa to the flour.

Celebrating the 10th anniversary of her major label debut, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is having a busy year. The artist will perform at this year’s Coachella, one of the largest music festivals in the United States, and released her first full-length album in three years ‘Candy Racer’ in October 2021.  On January 16, Kyary embarked on the largest tour of her career, ‘Kyary Pamyu Pamyu 10th ANNIVERSARY JAPAN TOUR 2022 CANDY WAVE,’ which will see the singer performing 30 shows across Japan. In conjunction with the nationwide tour, the “LOCAL POWER JAPAN Project” was launched to energize Japan through the appeal of regional towns and cities, and has been attracting major attention. After concluding her performance in Kumamoto on March 6, Kyary is now collaborating with a local business in the area.

In the center of Yamato, a city in Kumamoto, lies the Tsujun Bridge, an important cultural property. The local Tsujun Brewery derived its name from this landmark and has been in business for 252 years. A special collaboration logo has transformed the breweries logo into an homage to Kyary’s 2014 third original album, Pika Pika Fantajin. Commemorative T-shirts featuring the new logo are also on sale! 

A special beverage inspired by Kyary is also available. Despite coming from a brewery, this amazake is alcohol-free!

While the beverage is branded with Kyary’s likeness, this particular Ama-no-Tamuzake Hotarumaru is a big seller for the brewery. Made from Kumamoto rice and purified at a nearby shrine, this sweet beverage is sure to lift your spirits, just like Kyary’s music. This drink is also more nutritious than other alcohol, containing no sugar or additives, and can be enjoyed by children. Each purchase also comes with an original shopping bag, making it the perfect souvenir!

Sake Boys, a VTuber project that reimagines alcoholic beverages as cute virtual personalities, held a team competition on February 25, 2022. Information about the new male trainees has also been released! Those who did well during the competition will be recognized as fully-fledged Sake Boys. 

Teams

Kuro Team

[From Left: Kuro (Kensho Ono), Alfie (Ryo Muraoka), Rico (Daiki Kobayashi)]

Kuro, a cat who happens to be the God of Alcohol, leads this team. The feline always does things by the book, but the other members hope to improve their skills by taking on tons of new challenges!

Shiro Team

(From Left: Yasaka (Sonosuke Hattori), Draft (Daisuke Mannami), Shiro (Toru Itoga), Shaoxing (Mizuki Chiba)]

Fellow God of Alcohol Shiro tends to do whatever he wants, and this team isn’t exactly what you’d call ‘cohesive.’ This group sticks together for the sake of music, as they often are in charge of music projects and singing videos.

Chacha Team

[Left: Cassieh (Akira Orihara), Trights (Masaru Ino), Soubi (Norihito Hase), Chacha (Yu Mizushima)]

Led by God of Alcohol Chacha, this group is made up entirely of geniuses. With lovely voices, these boys are in charge of talk radio.

Sake Boys includes characters inspired by alcohol from around the world. These are the perfect VTubers to watch while enjoying a drink, and will keep you from feeling lonely or sad if you’re at home drinking alone! Personifying these characters has been a joy for this talented cast and aims to bring joy to those still having trouble with the current state of the world.

On the Sake Boys YouTube channel, viewers can enjoy the many unique talents of these 11 members, including singing, chatting, quiz shows, and cooking. As the name would suggest, they also explain the intricacies of brewing! Be sure to check it out! 

 © Imagineer Co., Ltd.

Fujisan Product, a company that specializes in making Mount Fuji-themed food and beverages, has released a gorgeous blue beer in partnership with distributor Millex Japan and Far Yeast Brewing, an award-winning craft brewery. The refreshing product is being sold mainly through department stores. 

After plenty of trial and error, the drink now resembles a snow-capped mountain when poured into the appropriate glass. The blue color comes from Spirulina and blueberry, and the beer contains natural water from Mount Fuji.

Naked’s DANDELION PROJECT is now open at the Taiwan Lantern Festival until February 28, 2022! Visitors to the Weiwuying Metropolitan Park in Kaohsiung City can enjoy the popular installation along with Naked’s Flower Cleansing experience during the event. 

The Taiwan Lantern Festival is the main event of the Chinese New Year festivities in Taiwan. Established by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau in 1990, the 2022 event will be held on an even larger scale. It will also be the first time the Lantern Festival is being held in Kaohsiung City.

The DANDELION PROJECT has been set up in the Children’s Area of the park, inviting both young people and their parents to enjoy the experience together. By blowing on a dandelion displayed on visitors’ smartphones, dandelion fluff will be carried digitally to other locations around the world. This symbolizes peace and togetherness in a time of separation, and it’s no wonder that these powerful installations have been so inspiring to so many people.

This also marks the first time that Naked Flower Cleansing will be available to experience overseas. The act of Tsukubai, or cleaning your hands in a basin before entering a tea room, has been updated by NAKED to suit the modern era, shining colorful floral imagery across visitors’ skin.

UNITED ARROWS has released its first craft beer in collaboration with Be Easy Brewing, located in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. The brew is available at the UNITED ARROWS BOTTLE SHOP, which sells select alcoholic beverages from both Japan and abroad. ‘Apple Pie Ala Mode’ went on sale starting January 2 at the UA BAR on the first floor of the UNITED ARROWS Harajuku flagship store, H BEAUTY AND YOUTH, and the California General Store. 

Be Easy Brewing offers a selection of unique and constantly changing beers using ingredients found in Aomori like apples, strawberries and Tsugaru rice. From IPAs to wheat ales, the company is always experimenting with different styles. This strange collaboration was born after UNITED ARROWS expressed a fascination with the high quality and incredible taste of Be Easy Brewing’s beers.

‘Apple Pie Ala Mode’ is a Berliner Weisse with a slightly sour taste combining apple juice, cinnamon, and vanilla. 

The Ginza Lion Building, built in 1934, has been officially recognized as a registered Tangible Cultural Property.

On April 8, 1934, a beer hall was opened on the first floor of the building. The interiors were lavish and incredible for the time, and were admired by citizenry and architects alike. During the war, many beer halls were destroyed by air raids or torn down for evacuation, but this location in Ginza survived and was seized in September 1945. It was then made into a beer hall exclusively for the Occupation Forces. In 1952, the site was made available to the public again.

Lion Beer Hall 7-chome / Present Day

Lion Beer Hall 7-chome / Original Construction Completed

Lion Beer Hall 7-chome / Present Day

Lion Beer Hall 7-chome / Original Construction Completed

Large Glass Mosaic Mural at the Bar

Lion Beer Hall 7-chome / Store Interior

Lighting with Grape Motif

Lighting with Beer Foam Motif

The red brick walls of the restaurant are meant to resemble the Earth bearing a rich harvest

A pillar made to look like barley

The banquet hall on the 6th floor of the building, Ginza Classic Hall, was once used as a conference room and is currently used as a party venue. The interior hasn’t changed much since its establishment, and guests enjoy the historical setting as they knock back a few brews. Ginza Lion Beer Hall celebrated its 87th anniversary on April 8, 2021.

The interior concept of the hall is ‘fertility and harvest,’ and the Lion was built with the intention of being the ‘best building in the world, and a representative beer hall in Japan that will last for generations to come.’

Popular social media character ‘Yosi Stamp’ has collaborated with liquor store  ‘KURAND’ to produce a limited edition drink. The ‘Yosi Stamp’s 100% Milk Liquor,’ which features a brand new ‘Yosi Stamp’ illustration on the label, will be available to pre-order for a limited time until November 7 at 17:00.

The natural milk liquor is free of preservatives, colorings, and additives, and comes with a unique illustrated label, where the rabbit and chick characters have been transformed into cows! For a limited time, customers will also receive a free ‘Yosi Stamp’ original glass, so be sure to nab it while you can.