FAR YEAST HINOKI (Japanese Pilsner from the Forest | $/btl)

A Japanese Pilsner from the Forest

Hinoki is a crisp Japanese pilsner brewed with chips made from hinoki—Japanese cypress—harvested through forest thinning around Kosuge Village in Yamanashi Prefecture.

Kosuge is home to Far Yeast Brewing’s Genryu Brewery. Surrounded by forest and located at the headwaters of the Tama River, the village provides both the water and the landscape behind this limited beer.

Far Yeast combines the cypress with Saaz hops, whose delicate herbal character naturally complements the fragrance of the wood. The result is refreshing, restrained and quietly distinctive: a familiar pilsner carrying the scent of a Japanese forest.

Why We Like It

Hinoki demonstrates how an unusual ingredient can give beer identity without overwhelming it.

This is not a heavily flavored novelty beer. The cypress adds aromatic detail—wood, herbs, gentle spice and the suggestion of a cool forest—while the pilsner remains crisp, balanced and highly drinkable.

At 5% alcohol and only 20 IBU, Hinoki has enough character to hold your attention without losing the refreshing purpose of a lager.

Beer with a Connection to Place

Kosuge Village is more than 90% forest and sits at the source of the Tama River, one of Tokyo’s principal water sources.

Forest thinning allows the remaining trees to grow properly, supports a healthier forest ecosystem and helps protect the watershed. Far Yeast worked with Kosuge-based wood specialists to process locally thinned hinoki into chips for the beer.

The cypress is not an exotic ingredient added simply to attract attention. It connects the beer directly to the forest, water and community surrounding the brewery.

What It Tastes Like

Hinoki is crisp and refreshing, with aromatic impressions that may suggest:

• Japanese cypress
• Fresh-cut wood
• Forest herbs
• Gentle spice
• Saaz hops
• Clean malt
• A dry, lightly bitter finish

The cypress should be experienced as an aromatic accent rather than an overpowering wood flavor.

Food Pairings

Hinoki’s crisp structure and herbal character make it particularly suitable for Japanese food, seafood, grilled dishes and fried foods.

Try it with:

• Sushi and sashimi
• Tempura
• Yakitori
• Grilled fish
• Gyoza
• Ramen
• Fried chicken
• Pork cutlets
• Mushrooms
• Herb-seasoned vegetables
• Salty snacks

For Wine Stop’s EATS pairings, Hinoki fits especially well with Sushi & Poke, Dumplings & Ramen, Fried Chicken and Burgers & Fries.

Style

Pilsner with Japanese cypress

Alcohol

5% alc.

Bitterness

20 IBU

Ingredients

Malt, Japanese cypress wood chips and hops

Hops

Saaz

Serve It Like This

Serve cold in a pilsner glass, white-wine glass or small stemmed beer glass.

A narrow glass emphasizes its crispness, while a wine glass gives the cypress and herbal aromas more room to emerge.

The Wine Stop Take

Mori to Mori took us into the rice fields of Yamanashi. Hinoki takes us into its forests.

Far Yeast has used a highly distinctive Japanese ingredient with admirable restraint. The cypress doesn’t turn Hinoki into a flavored curiosity; it gives an otherwise crisp, refreshing pilsner a quiet sense of place.

Japanese beer deserves a wider vocabulary. Hinoki adds another word.