I want to recommend craft beer! I want you to know its deliciousness! While it might be a bit pricier than regular beer, craft beer is worth every penny! As a genuine "craft beer lover," I want to introduce you to an excellent craft beer.
This time, it's the Citrus Blanc from the new "CREATIVE BREW" line by Sapporo Yebisu, one of Japan's leading beer makers.
Sapporo Yebisu CREATIVE BREW Citrus Blanc
When you think of Sapporo Yebisu, you think of a major beer brand that leads the premium beer market in Japan. It’s luxurious, special, and if there were a "most appreciated beer" ranking, it would surely be at the top.
The beer I’m introducing today is Citrus Blanc, the third in the new Yebisu "CREATIVE BREW" line. This innovative brew uses lemongrass, a type of herb, as an ingredient.
Lemongrass: More Lemon than Lemon!?
Citrus Blanc has an alcohol content of 5%. It’s made with wheat, giving it a light, white beer-like taste. While the IBU is not disclosed, it has very little bitterness.
I’ve tried various lemon-flavored beers made with lemon juice before, but this is my first time experiencing a beer made with the herb lemongrass.
Lemongrass is an herb with a lemon-like aroma, often used in ethnic cuisine. It pairs well with spicy dishes like curry and tom yum goong and is known for its high fragrance, often said to smell "more like lemon than lemon itself."
The lemongrass used in Citrus Blanc is sourced from Egypt, carefully selected through rigorous scrutiny, true to Yebisu’s dedication to quality.
At first sip, it doesn’t have the tanginess of a lemon beer, and the impact is mild. Honestly, it was a bit underwhelming. Given Yebisu's reputation for classic and major beers, I wondered if they might not make anything too eccentric even when they say they're being creative.
However, on the second sip, when the beer had warmed up slightly from being ice-cold, it gave a completely different impression. The refreshing aroma that spreads is precisely "more lemon-like than lemon." This highlights an interesting aspect of craft beers: they’re not always best enjoyed ice-cold. For Citrus Blanc, slightly warmer is better to fully appreciate its aroma.
As the craft beer market expands and increasingly unique beers are launched, Yebisu’s choice to use herbs instead of lemon flavor to achieve a niche taste is quite a bold move. It’s impressive to see a representative Japanese beer brand like Yebisu venture into such creative territory.
Perfect Pairing with Spicy and Sour Ethnic Cuisine
The lemongrass aroma pairs excellently with ethnic dishes. The light taste of the white beer base complements and balances out bold, punchy flavors in food.
Since this beer is recommended to be enjoyed slightly warm, why not pair it with takeout ethnic food for a picnic? It’s a perfect companion for warm spring outings.
I’m already excited to see what the next "CREATIVE BREW" from Yebisu will bring!
