Craft Bank Kioto : Background
Craft Bank Kioto is a 5% saison from Craft Bank Brewing, based in Kyoto. It’s part of their regular lineup, and is available in both cans and on draught. It’s brewed using locally sourced wild yeast from the Kyoto area, and also as four adjuncts in the form of kuromoji (a locally growing shrub), sansho (Japanese pepper), rice, and yuzu (Japanese citrons) which symbolize the four seasons, express the changing of the seasons. Finally, the beer is not named or spelt after the city, but comes from the kanji 季音 which roughly translates to “sound of the seasons”.
At A Glance
- ABV : 5%
- Style : Saison
- Hops : Northern Brewer and Perle
- Adjuncts : Kuromoji, sansho, rice, and yuzu
- IBU : –
Sale Information
- Availability : Regular
- On Sale : From January 2025
- Size : 350 ml
Craft Bank Kioto : Appearance, Aroma, and Taste
Craft Bank Kioto poured out a slightly hazy golden straw colour with a thin white head on top that dissipated very quickly to a few bubbles on top.
The aroma was mixed – and that’s meant in a good way. There was some yeasty phenolic funk present from the start, which lasted throughout drinking. Alongside this was a light spicy peppery note from the sansho, one of my favourite herbs to use, which was balanced against a subtle citrus note. Bringing all of this together was a floral aroma from the hops, that smelt light and crisp. As Craft Bank Kioto warmed up, some subtle nihonshu / sake notes were present, but they didn’t really stick around for long.
Craft Bank Kioto was a peculiar during drinking as it was to smell. There was a lot going on in the beer – and that’s all a good thing for this one. With the phenols from the yeast being the driving force of the beer, Craft Bank Kioto is not for the faint of heart; and also not for people new to saisons. It’s a big phenolic flavour which underpins the beer, but balanced very well with the sansho spiciness, though lacking the heat, and the vibrant citrus notes from the yuzu. The kuromoji was lost on me, I must admit, but that’s because I have no idea what it’s supposed to taste like. Yet there was a subtle floral edge to the beer that was underneath the main flavours.
Craft Bank Kioto : The Bottom Line
Craft Bank Kioto is a deliciously balanced saison that I would like more of.
Craft Bank Kioto : Where to Buy
It can be bought online at the following places:
- Craft Bank Brewing online store
- Arome
