From Plums to Bread Crust: Discover the Surprising Ingredients in Japanese Craft Beers!

The Tokyo region is witnessing a growing popularity of craft beers produced from food ingredients that would have otherwise been discarded, providing consumers with a distinctive assortment of flavors while simultaneously contributing to the mitigation of food waste.

There is a current trend in the beer industry where craft breweries are introducing a range of beverages that utilize agricultural produce and food items that would otherwise be deemed unsaleable. The production of these "sustainabeers" is undertaken by a diverse range of firms and organizations with the objective of fostering local economic growth or expanding their operations in an environmentally conscious manner.

Yokoshibahikari, a coastal municipality with a population of over 23,000 individuals, is situated approximately three hours east of Tokyo via rail. Notably, this town encompasses one of the most expansive ume groves in Chiba Prefecture. The term "ume" refers to a fruit commonly known as "Japanese plum" or "Japanese apricot," depending on the source. The orchard consists of over 1,000 trees that yield fruit suitable for pickling and subsequent use as a condiment, as well as for the production of plum wine and liqueur.

The town's Sakata Castle remains host to an annual plum festival throughout the period of late February to mid-March, coinciding with the blooming of the trees. In the current year, attendees of the festival were presented with a novel beverage alternative: craft beer flavored with ume.

According to Hideo Akiba, the head of the Yokoshibahikari lodging organization, around 50% of the plum grove can be characterized as abandoned and uncultivated farmland. In recent years, there has been a significant loss in the number of ume growers in the town due to the aging and shrinking population, as well as a decrease in pickled plum consumption.