Stay Cool, Japan

 

 

Japan’s Abashiri Brewery is best known for its line of brightly colored beers that includes blue Ryuhyo Draft, red Hamanasu Draft, green Shiretoko Draft and pink/purple Jyaga Draft.

 

The concept for the line revolves around the four seasons in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island, where Abashiri is headquartered. Hokkaido lies on the Okhotsk Sea, an icy arm of the North Pacific Ocean located between Japan and Russia.

 

The wintery Ryuhyo (“drift ice“) Draft is brewed with water from the melted icebergs which annually float past Hokkaido’s northern beaches. Its bright blue hue comes from seaweed extract, as does the spring-inspired green Shiretoko Draft, which uses fermented seaweed.

 

Hamanasu Draft’s ruby tinge comes from the hamanasu fruit (“shore pear”) and represents the wildflowers that bloom along the sea in summertime, while the Jyaga Draft, made with purple potatoes, represents the fall harvest.