Introducing a mead collaboration with Hong Kong-based meadery, Howong Brewing. When the Howong team visited us in Japan from Hong Kong at the end of last year, we discovered they both came from a background in craft beer and were an incredibly knowledgeable duo.

Sweet tastes seem to be very popular in Hong Kong, so we immediately hit it off on the idea of creating a sweeter-style brew🊟
We agreed that we wanted to use ingredients that bring out the best of both Hong Kong and Japan.

〈Hong Kong→Japan〉

I visited Taiwan while I was in college, but I had never been to Hong Kong. I never expected someone from Hong Kong to come visit us in Shiga.

Howong Brewing has a phrase they hold dear: "Ri Zhao Ye Wu" (Sunlight by Day, Mist by Night). It represents a message of sharing happiness together when the sun is out, and enduring and overcoming hardships together when the mist sets in at night. True to that message, they were a wonderful team—incredibly kind and dedicated to communicating with us.

When we were brewing, they even brought high-end tea leaves from Hong Kong, packed tight in their suitcases. We gratefully enjoyed the complimentary osmanthus tea as well, giving us a full taste of Hong Kong from the morning.

For the collaborative mead, we exported half for Howong's anniversary party and decided to let the remaining portion undergo a secondary fermentation before barrel-aging it. We have high expectations for how that will turn out too🇭🇰

An aroma combining Hong Kong jasmine tea with Japanese yuzu.It gives me energy to think that our cultures have intertwined, and that there are people waiting for this mead not just here in Japan, but across the sea.

〈Tasting Note〉

A cloudy, deep yellow hue. The sweetness of the jasmine tea gently supports the yuzu scent in the background, creating a profile that is both approachable and complex. Upon tasting, you experience the rich aroma of jasmine tea and the sweetness of honey, while the bitterness and acidity of the yuzu lighten the finish.

ヌヌヌ

Style: Speciality

ABV: 8%

Carbonation: Yes

Volume: 500ml

Ingredients: Honey, Jasmine Tea, Yuzu

Sweetness (10-point scale): 7 (Sweet)

Serving Temperature: Well-chilled (4-8℃)

〈Mead making〉

Usually, jasmine tea is steeped briefly to avoid drawing out harsh flavors, but we decided to steep it for a long time to capture all its complex nuances.

We were very careful about the amount of yuzu used and the timing of its removal to ensure the aroma didn't become overwhelming.

The aroma of jasmine tea and yuzu filling the entire brewery was so pleasant that it almost made me want to make jasmine tea every day. The sweet finish combined with the light carbonation is eccentric and quite lovely.

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