Deceptive simplicity. It’s something we subconsciously chase in a lot of beers we brew. From time to time, we celebrate the excessive nature of Double IPAs and Barrel Aged Porters, but the real challenge is nuance. Enter: Kainpai Style! – our new Japanese Rice Lager.
Kanpai Style! is the culmination of two employees – Matt Sanders and Zak Strezo – swooning about food during a recent brew day – a pretty regular occurrence around here. Kanpai Style! is a marriage of two things we love: crisp lagers and Asian cuisine.
“I have always been a big fan of Asian cuisine, especially sushi. I love the clean, bright depth of flavors – much like my favorite beer style, the pilsner. Over a homebrew session, we discussed these things in great length. Eventually we decided to make a rice lager, like a really badass rice lager. All this culminated into a beer that was created with enjoyment, celebration, and just some good old fashion fun in mind.” – Matt Sanders, cellarman
This balanced 50/50 malt bill of premium pilsner malt and Japanese Uruchimai sushi rice provides a clean and delicate beer that finishes at 4% ABV. The dry hop consists of a small amount of Japanese Sorachi Ace that’s loaded with hints of dill, lemon, and cedar.
So why sushi rice? Pilsners are traditionally brewed with a pilsen-based malt. However, Matt and Zak wanted Kanpai Style! to mimic the clean, flavor-focused feel of Asian cuisine.
“Lagers are always traditionally malt-forward and very clean. Pilsners have a hop and fruit forward flavor profile while still keeping crisp characteristics. Matt and I wanted to stretch that line of traditionalism as far as we could, so why not base a lager off a flavor profile we both enjoy?” – Zak Strezo, Quality Lead
In Japan, the easiest way to say “cheers” is kanpai. Directly translated, kanpai means “dry cup.” We hope that everyone will grab a 4-pack of 16 oz. cans of Kanpai Style! on Wednesday, July 15th and raise their glasses in celebration of yet another crushable Great Raft Brewing creation.
Curbside pick-up orders can be placed at grbtogo.com. For more information on curbside pick-up, please click here.
