Lotte Peplow, the Brewers Association’s American craft beer ambassador, explores the exciting new world of Japanese and Far Eastern flavours, and their influence on American craft brewing
Photograph: Brewers Association
When it comes to global flavour exploration, American craft brewers continue to push boundaries as they seek to experiment beyond traditional hops and malts by crafting bold and distinctive new flavour profiles.
Today’s discerning and curious beer drinkers are increasingly drawn to beers featuring intriguing and exotic ingredients that appeal to those looking for novelty, cultural connections, and new taste experiences.
Japan and the Far East are growing in popularity as brewing influences, and ingredients from this region are gaining traction with US craft breweries. From rice and koji to matcha, ube, yuzu, and many more, these flavours are inspiring a wave of innovation.
Japanese-inspired rice lager is on the rise as consumers trend towards lighter-bodied, easy-drinking options. While rice lagers are far from new, US craft brewers are putting their own spin on them by experimenting with different rice varieties to unlock subtle nuances and distinctive flavour profiles. Rice lagers now justify their own entry into the Brewers Association’s Beer Style Guidelines as from 2026.
pFriem Family Brewers, from Oregon, is one of the early US breweries to brew Japanese-style rice lagers and their award-winning Japanese Lager is a well-known example of this style. According to the brewery, it features Shiso plum, fresh bread, and violet aromas, with flavours of jasmine rice, fresh green tea, and wildflowers. Brewed with rice, it “smells like flowers, but drinks like beer”.
So why are the flavours and culture of Japan gaining momentum in the States? And is this a new phenomenon?
Photograph: Brewers Association
“US consumers are eager to explore different taste and flavour profiles, especially in the brewing and beverage sectors,” says William Sutjiadi, co-founder of Shogun Brewing Co (part of Embolden Brewing Co) in San Diego.
“They’re seeking out unique and different flavour profiles, and are leaning in to elevated and enhanced flavours typical of products from Japan and Asia. Japanese culture is growing across the world — think anime, sumo wrestling and J-pop — creating a natural lead into Japanese food and drink.”
Zac Ross, brewer and owner at Marlowe Artisanal Ales, in Mamaroneck, New York, claims that Japanese and Eastern flavours are growing in demand and popularity in the States because travel to Japan has become more easy and more affordable. With greater accessibility comes influence and nostalgia. After visiting Japan and experiencing new culture and flavours, many travellers return home eager to rediscover such memories. He adds that summers in Japan are hot and humid, and rice lager helps to cool the body down. Marlowe’s Sugoi rice lager offers a similar experience and is released exclusively during the summer months.
Schilling Beer Co, in Littleton, New Hampshire, produces Tenno Dry, a Japanese-inspired rice lager brewed with jasmine rice and citrus-forward hops. Exceedingly dry and crisp in character, this beer is only brewed in the summer and is much loved by their regular customers. Production manager Justin Slotnick says that interest in Asian culture and food is driving growth in Japanese styes of beer. “There is growing interest in cocktails in the United States, and many of the ingredients, such as citruses, herbs, and spices, are starting to cross over into the beer world. Developing new and balanced flavour profiles that pair well with food and are approachable in both ABV and familiarity to non-beer drinkers is on the rise.”
For many brewers it seems that Japanese and far Eastern flavours are here to stay and will continue to evolve. Capturing the harmony of Japanese culture through a beer’s fragrance, flavour, and appearance remains an important goal in crafting authentic Japanese inspired brews.
Photograph: Shogun by Embolden
Shogun Brewing Co claim to be the pioneers of East meets West in California. Their Midnight in Tokyo hazy IPA (pictured above) is recognised as the world’s first matcha IPA and uses high-end, ceremonial grade matcha. It helps that Sutjiadi owns the largest matcha café in San Diego and has multiple locations in California allowing him to import farm-to-table ingredients direct from Japan, noting that they are better quality, more pure, and more effective than anything available in the US. This allows the brewing team to experiment with different flavours, and the result is a high-quality, green-hued, hazy IPA with a delicate, nuanced matcha character.
Sutjiadi says: “Matcha is a global phenomenon, and we can leverage this trend to our advantage. Non-beer drinkers who may enjoy matcha latte or matcha tea can be converted into beer drinkers by sampling a matcha hazy IPA. We gain market share and they gain a new drinking experience. We see the same response with our Hojicha (roasted green tea) lager, another world first, that delights and surprises drinkers, even when exported back to Japan!”
Slotnick, at Schilling, looked to the authentic flavours and culinary traditions of Vietnam to inspire a collaboration beer made with Bluejacket Brewery, in Washington DC, called Sapa, using lemongrass and lime leaf in the whirlpool of an easy-drinking pale lager. He says: “The beer was very well received and has us thinking of new ways to integrate similar flavour profiles into some new beers!”
So, are Japanese influenced beers a passing fad or here to stay? Ross at Marlowe says: “As long as travel to Asia remains a viable option for Americans, I think Japanese/Asian culinary flavours will become more of a mainstay in food and beverages. Look at the boom in popularity of Korean fried chicken, mass marketed and produced Yuzu Super Juice (YuzuCo), onigiri specialty shops, along with the general rise in popularity of rice lagers as a whole. Japanese culture pursues perfection, why not be influenced by it in brewing?”
American craft brewers are renowned the world over for their relentless creativity, technical brewing expertise, and unwavering commitment to quality. Using Japanese ingredients and flavours plays directly into their sweet spot, creating exciting new experiences for both brewer and beer-drinker alike.
American beer in the UK
The UK is an important export market for American craft beer, accounting for 8.2% of all exports and ranking as the third largest market globally. It is available through selected bars, pubs, and dining venues, as well as bottle shops, off-licences, and online from Beer Merchants, Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Brew Export, Hop the Pond, Distant Lands, and Cave Direct.
Craft Brewers Conference
America’s largest gathering for alcoholic beverage producers, the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America, will take place in Philadelphia, Pennyslvania, from 20th-22nd April. This year’s conference will feature curated educational sessions and deliver a more streamlined programme that better matches the needs of today’s beverage professionals, while fostering a more structured conference experience. Find out more at craftbrewersconference.com
About the author
Lotte Peplow is the American craft beer ambassador for Europe for the Brewers Association and is based in London. She is a certified cicerone, BDI-accredited beer sommelier, beer writer, author, beer communicator, international beer judge, homebrewer, and beer lover.
