Japanese Brewery Releases Moldy Beer

Beer is usually made with malt. But leave it to the Japanese to opt for mold. But don’t freak out this actually less creepy than it sounds.

Here’s the deal…

A brewery in western Japan is pushing the brewing envelope into uncharted water and now selling what is believed to be the first-ever “craft beer” made with wheat “kōji mold.”.

In its quest to explore new brewing directions Oryzae Brewing & ferment works in Wakayama, Japan has substituted mold for barley and come up with something entirely new.

Kōji mold is also known as Aspergillus oryzae. It’s a fungus (most molds are fungus) and no stranger to alcohol. In addition to being used for miso, soy sauce, and a whole range of other traditional Japanese foods,  kōji mold is key part of sake fermentation.

Oryzae Pale Ale “is made by first mixing self-made wheat koji, steamed wheat, and hot water, resulting in sweet sake.” according to Kyodo News. “The liquid is then filtered and hops are added. After cooling and adding yeast, the beer is fermented for about a week, then matured for two or three more weeks.”

And the fact that the Oryzae Brewing & ferment works was the first brewery in the world to attempt to brew a beer using kōji mold, becomes less surprising given that Nobuyuki Kinoshita, owner and Head Brewer at the award-winning brewery started his career at a soy sauce firm before graduating to a sake distillery.

And Kinoshita’s Pale Ale isn’t the brewery’s only ‘moldy’ beer, Oryzae Brewing also offers Japanese White No. 9, which is made with yellow rice koji.

Described by brewery as being “fruity and mellow” as well as pairing perfectly with traditional Japanese dishes, Oryzae Pale Ale took a Bronze Medal in the 2019 International Beer Cup competing against breweries from 24 countries, so clearly this is one ‘moldy’ beer that delivers.

“I would like to continue creating beer that no one has ever drunk by bringing together different ingredients with koji,” Kinoshita added.