Yuzu are pretty versatile, with their uses ranging from baths to cooking to beers. Shimane Yuzu Fresh has plenty of the fruit. It’s a saison-style beer from Shimane Beer, and is the first time we’ve encountered a saison made with yuzu. Shimane Beer style it as a Belgian fruit beer. Shimane Yuzu Fresh contains locally sourced fresh yuzu and also plenty of dried yuzu as well. Besides that, it’s a spring seasonal beer that is available from mid-April onwards.
Plenty of refreshing tartness in this beer.
Shimane Yuzu Fresh Aroma and Taste
My previous experience with a yuzu beer didn’t end too well as it was too bitter and felt like someone had gone overboard with the yuzu. It’s a nice fruit in small portions but too much is akin to sucking on a lemon; some people may enjoy that but I don’t. The initial aroma of Shimane Yuzu Fresh was much milder and palatable but the typical saison soapiness came through too and it ended up smelling like a seasonal special washing-up liquid . The hazy golden body was topped with a large amount of frothy white head that made Shimane Yuzu Fresh look more like a weizen than a saison.
Importantly, somebody at Shimane practised restraint (or had knowledge about the dangers of using too much yuzu) as Shimane Yuzu Fresh didn’t want to either kill my taste buds nor contort my face into something resembling a winning entry at a gurning competition (completely SFW link). The wheat and bitterness were fairly mild and worked nicely with the yuzu to produce a refreshing beer that lingered on the taste buds but never outstayed its welcome.
Shimane Yuzu Fresh One Line Review
Shimane Yuzu Fresh is a nicely done beer that resembles a weizen more than a saison, but don’t let that put you off.
Where to Buy Shimane Yuzu Fresh
At the time of writing, Shimane Yuzu Fresh can be bought from:
