-14TH ANNIVERSARY-
KOJI LAGER
5.0% ABV
KOJI HAS BEEN USED FOR CENTURIES TO MAKE A WIDE VARIETY OF PRODUCTS—MOST NOTABLY MISO, SOY SAUCE, AND MY FAVORITE, SAKE. JUST AS DIFFERENT YEAST STRAINS CAN COMPLETELY CHANGE A BEER’S FLAVOR, THE TYPE OF KOJI USED CAN DO THE SAME. WE USED A SAKE STRAIN PROVIDED BY OUR FRIENDS AT BEN'S AMERICAN SAKE IN ASHEVILLE, NC. OVER THREE MONTHS, IT TRANSFORMED THE BEER, ADDING A SLIGHTLY TART CITRUS NOTE AND A TOUCH OF UMAMI THAT BALANCE EACH OTHER PERFECTLY.
CAN AND KEG CONDITIONED
READ ON FOR THE FULL STORY.
CONCEPT
MAKING BEER WITH KOJI ISN’T A BRAND NEW IDEA, BUT FEW BREWERIES ARE DOING IT. THE PROCESS TAKES TIME, HAS UNPREDICTABLE RESULTS, AND THERE’S LITTLE INFORMATION OUT THERE ON BEST PRACTICES.
WE BUILT THIS BEER ON A GRISETTE-STYLE GRAIN BILL AND USED A TURBID MASH. AFTER FERMENTING WITH LAGER YEAST, WE ADDED KOJI-INOCULATED RICE DIRECTLY TO THE FERMENTER. ADDING KOJI HERE—RATHER THAN DURING THE MASH—PRESERVES ITS ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY, WHICH BREAKS DOWN STARCHES AND CREATES DRYNESS WITHOUT SACRIFICING BODY OR COMPLEXITY. THE RESULT IS A BEER THAT’S CRISP, DRY, AND YET FULL OF CHARACTER.
GROWING KOJI
WE GREW OUR OWN KOJI USING 60% MILLED CALROSE RICE (SAKE GRADE) AND SPORES FROM BEN'S AMERICAN SAKE. THE PROCESS TOOK SEVERAL DAYS—SOAKING AND STEAMING THE RICE, THEN INOCULATING IT IN A TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT. ONCE FULLY CULTIVATED, WE ADDED THE KOJI DIRECTLY INTO THE FERMENTER AND LET THE MAGIC HAPPEN.
SIMPLE SCIENCE
KOJI BREAKS DOWN STARCHES INTO SIMPLE SUGARS THAT YEAST CAN FERMENT. IT ALSO BREAKS DOWN PROTEINS INTO AMINO ACIDS, ENHANCING BODY AND ADDING UMAMI. THE RESULT IS A BEER THAT’S BONE-DRY ON PAPER BUT TASTES BALANCED AND FULL. DEPENDING ON THE STRAIN, KOJI CAN ALSO PRODUCE ORGANIC ACIDS THAT ADD A LIGHT TARTNESS AND CITRUS CHARACTER.
CONDITIONING
AFTER THREE MONTHS OF SLOW, CONSISTENT DEVELOPMENT, THE KOJI HAD DONE ITS JOB. WE PACKAGED THE BEER AND NATURALLY CONDITIONED IT BY ADDING SUGAR AND YEAST BACK TO CARBONATE.
WE’RE EXTREMELY PROUD OF THIS BEER AND HOPE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE DRINKING SOMETHING TRULY SPECIAL AND UNIQUE.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’M FORTUNATE TO BE FRIENDS WITH SOME INCREDIBLE BREWERS IN ASHEVILLE, NC, INCLUDING THE TEAM THAT WON GOLD AT GABF IN 2021 FOR THEIR JAPANESE DRY LAGER MADE WITH KOJI. A BIG THANKS TO PATRICK SHEARER FROM BEN'S AMERICAN SAKE AND PETER BATINSKI FROM HI-WIRE BREWING FOR SHARING THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THIS PROJECT.