Liquid Origami II: Deeper into the Fold

A couple weeks ago, I laid out how Japanese culture is influencing a wide range of U.S. beverage categories, from beer to canned cocktails, and more than a few things in between. Since then, the pace of new launches and collaborations hasn’t slowed, it’s accelerated. What started as a snapshot is now beginning to feel like a full-blown movement. So here’s a fresh batch of recent releases and observations that continue to borrow from Japan, whether through ingredients or origin stories. Some are subtle nods, while others are straight-up love letters.

Forward Thinking: Off Color Brewing’s Yuzu Kosho

Chicago’s Off Color Brewing deserves recognition as one of the early pioneers in introducing yuzu to American craft beer. Long before Japanese citrus became a darling of sparkling waters, ready-to-drink cocktails and hemp beverages, Off Color was incorporating it with intention and restraint to their popular Berliner Weisse, Fierce.

Released as early as 2015, the annual release stood out in a landscape where fruit additions were often heavy-handed and rarely featured ingredients with such culinary specificity. It was a quiet move, typical of the brewery’s MO, eschewing hype in favor of depth and subtlety, but in hindsight, Yuzu Fierce was way ahead of its time.

Now with yuzu going full mainstream into every beverage category imaginable, Off Color has stayed ahead of the Japanese-inspired flavor movement and shown off their passion for ingredients by introducing a new (to cans) version with Shishito Peppers, called Yuzu Kosho.

Per the brewery’s Instagram, “expect thick sliced chili pepper aroma and mildly sweet green pepper flavor in this Yuzu Fierce variant. Alludes to heat up front but stops short and instead throws acidic white wine with a front of fresh cut green peppers and citrus notes of Prickly pear and lemon.”