Fujizakura Okite Yaburi is a 5.5% India Pale Weizen that is a collaboration between Fujizakura Heights Beer, based in Yamanashi, and Shiga Kogen, based in Nagano. It was brewed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fujizakura Heights Beer in July. As such, it’s a limited edition beer with no plans for any more releases. In a turn up for the books, it’s the first weizen that Shiga Kogen have ever brewed, but also the hoppiest beer that Fujizakura Heights Beer have made.
Fujizakura Okite Yaburi Aroma and Taste
This is the second, and also last time, I’ve had Fujizakura Okite Yaburi, more about that later. However, it poured our a hazy golden grapefruit colour, with lashings of head – so it looked like a pale weizen really. However, the aroma was nothing of the sort. It had a strong grapefruit, citrus nose, with what can only be described as a chloride like kick to it. There was nothing weizen-like about it but when you heavily dry hop a beer with Mosaic and also Sabro hopes, what were the brewers expecting?
The body had a strong chloride bitter kick to it – that was really weird to drink, considering that this is supposed to be a weizen. If you’ve ever had a NE IPA that has had too many minerals added to it, then you will know what I’m talking about. It was powerful enough to induce me wanting something to wash it away. The weizen flavours were lost on this beer, as was the yeast. However, as an IPA, Fujizakura Okite Yaburi works if you like hoppy, hazy IPAs. The grapefruit, citrus, bitter punch was tart and drinkable but the chloride levels just put me off. Fujizakura Okite Yaburi left a lingering saltiness on the tongue that was screaming to be washed away.
Fujizakura Okite Yaburi The Bottom Line
If you want a salty hazy bitter IPA then try this. If you can find it. I won’t be drinking it again so someone can have my second bottle.
Where to Buy Fujizakura Okite Yaburi
Fujizakura Okite Yaburi can be bought online at the following places:
2 comments
one sip[ was enough for me. why screw up a perfectly good weizen?
not their best beer. absolutely a new england weizen. which should never exist. abomination. kill it with fire.
Agreed – guess it goes to show that Shiga Kogen shouldn’t make weizens and Fujizakura shouldn’t make IPAs.