Ise Kadoya Niihime is a 5% fruit beer from Ise Kadoya, based in Mie and it is part of their winter seasonal lineup of beers. It’s brewed using niihime (新姫) which is a fruit from Mie prefecture that was the result of hybridization between a tachibana (a kind of citrus fruit) and a mandarin orange. It resembles a round green lime when in unripe though when ripe, it has the appearance of a mandarin orange. Ise Kadoya Niihime can be found in bottles and on tap.
A cloudy orange bronze colour.
Ise Kadoya Niihime Aroma and Taste
What is it with Japan and new fruits? I’m genuinely fascinated by all these unusual fruits and vegetables I come across on my travels in Japan (black daikon for example from Miura) but with Ise Kadoya Niihime, it took a while to find out what this fruit was. The only information was on Wikipedia and even then, didn’t describe clearly what it was. I asked in-laws and family members who, like me, had never heard of this fruit. Turns out, it’s only available in Mie prefecture.
Ise Kadoya Niihime poured out a cloudy orange bronze colour with a little bit of a soapy head on top that clung to the side of the glass throughout drinking. There was a slight chill haze to the beer but unlike other fruit beers I’ve had, there was no gunk / crud at the bottom of the bottle that is usually leftover from fermentation. The beer had an interesting orangey-lemon aroma to it, along with a subtle burnt toffee aroma coming through as well as spiciness of pepper too.
It was as interesting in the body as in the aroma as the spiciness was more pronounced than in the nose. The citrus flavours, while present, were muted in comparison to the aroma but combined with the bitterness in Ise Kadoya Niihime, were nice. The beer finished off with the citrus flavour mixed with the spiciness in the aftertaste but neither lingered on the tongue.
Ise Kadoya Niihime One Line Review
Ise Kadoya Niihime is a nice fruit beer and one that I would drink again.
Where to Buy Ise Kadoya Niihime
Ise Kadoya Niihime can be bought online at the following places:
