A new craft beer has been born through the encounter between Japanese wine and beer brewing.
At Mercian’s Château Mercian Katsunuma Winery in Yamanashi Prefecture, 500 kilograms of grape clusters thinned during cultivation were provided to Far Yeast Brewing, a brewery known for its artisanal beers. The collaboration between the two companies has resulted in the newly launched craft beer “Far Yeast Grapevine 2025.”
Far Yeast Brewing, which promotes a beer-making project using produce grown in Yamanashi Prefecture, teamed up with Mercian, a grower of wine grapes. In winemaking, cluster thinning—removing extra grape bunches during growth—is essential to produce grapes suitable for quality wine. This time, the post-thinning grapes have been upcycled into beer.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, when Yamanashi’s tourism industry suffered, we started a project to use non-standard peaches in our beer, and it received strong support from its very first year,” explained Akifumi Tomita, Manager of Far Yeast Brewing (center in photo below at a media tasting event held on October 9).
“Thinned grapes are low in sugar and unsuitable for wine, but they work perfectly for beer. Both the juice and the skins can be used, allowing us to create a uniquely aromatic beer that highlights the character of the grapes.”
The brewing was inspired by the winemaking technique known as “maceration,” in which grape skins are steeped in the fermenting wine during the production of red wine.
At the same event, Hironori Kobayashi, General Manager of Château Mercian (right in photo), praised the collaboration: “The floral aroma of Muscat Bailey A and the beautiful flavor of Syrah come through wonderfully — it’s a beer far more delicious than I imagined.”
“Normally, the thinned grapes are returned to the soil as compost, so I think this initiative to make effective use of them is a very good one,” he commented.
“Far Yeast Grapevine 2025” (categorized as happoshu, a low-malt beer) went on limited release via Far Yeast Brewing’s online store on the 14th, and is also available nationwide at restaurants and retail outlets. It comes in 350ml cans and 15L kegs, has an alcohol content of 6.0%, and is sold at open pricing.
Throughout this month, Far Yeast Brewing’s craft beer bar “Far Yeast Tokyo” in Nishi-Gotanda, Tokyo, will serve the new beer alongside a special pairing menu featuring “Château Mercian Kamoidera Syrah 2022,” made from the same Syrah grapes used as ingredients in the brew.
Mercian aims to contribute to local revitalization in Yamanashi while promoting sustainable winemaking and further enlivening the Japanese wine market.