Japan’s Rainbow Draft Beer

There is nothing like a cold drink on a hot day. Beer is the ultimate summer drink, bringing families and friends together around the grill. One company in Japan is trying cater to the beer drinkers that are tired of drinking yellow beer. In an effort to show of their unique style and attention to to environment, the Hokkaido Abashiri Beer company introduced the world to the first blue beer last year. That’s right, blue as in “hey that looks like Kool-Aid” blue. The Okhotsk Blue Draft is supposedly made from water from melted ice bergs that float each year onto Hokkaido beaches from Russia. The blue color actually comes from a seaweed extract. The few experiences I’ve had with seaweed has been via sushi. I can only imagine the beer having a salty, plant-like taste.

Other offerings include the Hamanasu Draft, a red-colored beer, flavored with the rosa rugosa plant (or “Japanese rose”). They also have a green beer, Shiretoko Draft, which is meant to have a woodland color similar to the Shiretoko wildlife area, a UNESCO world heritage site. Before any of the Irish readers get excited, the green beer will taste nothing like an ale or stout, leaving its popularity in question.

The ploy might get people to try it once. The flavor is what is important. Would you drink a colored beer?

Photos: Abashiri Beer

Related posts:

1. We All Love Green Beer