Sankt Gallen, a pioneer of craft beer based in Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, has released bottles that wine lovers should definitely check out.
That is "Barley Wine."
These products are beers with high alcohol content on par with wine and the ability to undergo long-term aging just like wine.
The two varieties will reportedly be released in a limited run of 6,000 bottles each.
Special Beers
Barley wine is a style of beer created in 19th-century Britain—where the cold climate prevented grape cultivation—to rival the popularity of French wine.
As the word "wine" in its name suggests, although it is beer, it boasts alcohol levels comparable to wine and can be aged for years, just like wine.
Today, two types are widely enjoyed as grain-based wines: "Barleywine," made primarily from barley malt, and "Wheatwine," made primarily from wheat malt.
Sankt Gallen has been releasing Barleywine since 2006 and added Wheatwine to its lineup in 2012.
Both Barleywine and Wheatwine are brewed using only the same ingredients as regular beer—malt, hops, water, and brewer's yeast—but in enormous quantities.
Using roughly three times the normal amount of malt, the brewery increases the raw ingredients to raise the alcohol level to its absolute limit.
Furthermore, because only the most concentrated portion of the wort is used, where Sankt Gallen's brewing system can normally produce about 2,000 L of beer in a single batch, it yields only half that amount—1,000 L—for this style.
Just from these details, you can tell it is an exceptionally luxurious beer.
Rivaling Beaujolais Nouveau
Sankt Gallen reportedly releases its "grain wines" on the very same day every year to rival Beaujolais Nouveau.
With the idea of "providing beer bars with their own unique way to celebrate the Beaujolais release day," they chose Barleywine as a beer capable of standing up to wine.
The idea that "beer fans celebrate Beaujolais release day with barley wine" has begun to take hold, to the point where midnight tap-release events were held at beer bars prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Naturally, wine fans will also want to enjoy Barleywine alongside Beaujolais Nouveau.
Enjoy Both Beer and Wine!
There are surely many wine fans interested not only in new Japanese wine releases but also in Beaujolais Nouveau.
This year, why not add "barley wine" to your list to check out as well?
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