Ushitora Fujin is a 7.3% American IPA from Ushitora Brewing, based in Tochigi, Japan. It’s part of their special lineup from Uetake-san but the most surprising thing about it is not that it’s another American IPA from Ushitora but it’s a beer that has been brewed numerous times and has seen an evolution in its taste. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we actually have a beer that’s not a one-off from Ushitora. Now your minds have been blown, we also have some information about the ingredients too: Zeus Extract, Citra, Simcoe, Cascade, and Amarillo hops were used in brewing this beer.
It’s hard to believe but we found some ingredients.
Ushitora Fujin Aroma and Taste
Ushitora Fujin poured out a slight golden amber colour though I don’t know what the head would look like as the bar I was in likes to pour beers with minimal amounts of head. No problem with that for me. It had a strong bitter citrus aroma with lots of malt aroma coming through to – almost like a lemony biscuit-like aroma. There was a slight hint of grapefruit and orange going on behind the other aromas too.
The body was bit more robust for an American IPA that I expected – from my experience, American IPAs tend to be much lighter in the body in both colour and flavour. The malt produced a slight biscuit flavour to the body but the best thing about Ushitora Fujin is how well the alcohol is hidden. For a 7+% IPA, it didn’t taste remotely that strong and could easily be drunk all-night long, or until you fall over due to being inebriated from it. The residual bitterness is present from the start to the finish, even lasting way into the aftertaste once you’ve gulped the last bit of it down. The citrus flavours resonated in the aftertaste too, along with a tart orange finish.
Ushitora Fujin The Bottom Line
Ushitora Fujin is not your usual American IPA due to the malt influence on it. It will certainly get you drunk but it might be a bit too astringent for people new to IPAs.
