Kyoto Indigo Skies is a 5.5% fruit sour from Kyoto Brewing Company, based in Kyoto, in Kyoto, Japan. It’s part of their bottled and draft lineup, though its availability at the time of writing is unknown. Kyoto Indigo Skies is a kettle sour using blueberry and raspberry puree along with pilsner and wheat in the grain bill. Perhaps a first for BeerTengoku but Kyoto Indigo Skies is the first beer we’ve come across that has no hops. Yes, we said that right. IT HAS NOT GOT HOPS IN IT!
Kyoto Indigo Skies Aroma and Taste
The first thing you notice about Kyoto Indigo Skies is how purple it is – is this really a beer?! Of course it is – it’s made up of yeast, water, and malt – three main components for a beer, but it doesn’t contain hops. Well are hops necessary in a beer? That’s a conversation for another time altogether. The aroma coming off of the beer was a tart sour one – somewhere between a blueberry aroma with hints of sour raspberries and some sour funk too. It was a lot for my nose to take in but that’s because my nose was just as shocked as my eyes were.
The body was another flavour revelation – so much going on but so simple to start off with. The berry flavours were juicy and tart, with the sourness from the kettle aspect bringing it all together. Kyoto Indigo Skies was a crazy beer to taste – I really didn’t think I would like it but it works and the blueberry and raspberry flavours could easily be picked out from one another. The tartness was sharp, though faded fast, with just a lingering sourness in the beer from start to finish really.
Kyoto Indigo Skies The Bottom Line
Is it a beer? I don’t know. Is it delicious? Yes!
Where to Buy Kyoto Indigo Skies
Kyoto Indigo Skies can be bought online at the following places:
