Noodles loved by hot spring fans and temple pilgrims become a very unique brew.
Like with all Japanese noodles, you don’t cut udon when eating it. You simply pick up a mouthful of noodles with your chopsticks, take a bite, and slurp up the rest.
However, udon does get cut during the production process, so that the noodles in each batch will have a uniform length. This means that noodle makers, whether individual restaurants or supplier factories, end up udon noodle scraps. These usually get tossed out, since they’re too short to make extra noodles out of, but as of this month some of that extra udon is getting made into craft beer.
Mizusawa 15 Udon Ale takes the first part of its name from Mizusawa, a district of the town of Shibukawa, Gunma Prefecture. Shibukawa has three claims to fame: Mizusawa Kanon Temple, the hot springs of the town’s Ikaho Onsen district, and the Mizusawa udon noodles that visitors to both have been eating for hundreds of years. Made with a blend of different types of locally grown wheat and pure water sourced from Mount Mizusawa and Mount Haruna, Mizusawa udon noodles are said to have been first made by monks at the temple, and then popularized further at restaurants and inns along the approach that pilgrims would patronize.
▼ Gate of Mizusawa Kanon Temple
Recently, the Shibukawa Ikaho Onsen Tourism Association approached sustainable design company consultancy Odoriji for help developing a beer that would represent Mizusawa’s local food culture and traditions. Incorporating Mizusawa udon was the obvious choice, but it took some extra thinking to figure out how to make that happen. Though the noodles are made with high-quality wheat, the noodle scraps won’t ferment without some extra help. First they’re crushed and placed in carefully temperature-controlled hot water that malt enzymes are also introduced to. This converts the udon noodles’ starches into sugars which can then be used in the fermentation and brewing process, which is performed by Tokyo-based craft brewer Sakatsugi Brewing.
The result is a 5-percent ABV ale that Odoriji describes as having an immediate gentle sweetness with a touch of fruitiness coming on afterwards, but which doesn’t linger so long as to prevent a refreshingly crisp, clean finish. Naturally, they recommend pairing it with Mizusawa udon, as well as tempura, a popular accompaniment for the noodles.
As for the “15,” that’s in reference to Route 15, the road leading to Mizusawa Kanon Temple which includes such a dense cluster of noodle restaurants in one part that’s it’s earned the nickname “Mizusawa Udon Street.”
▼ The label artwork depicts a section of the winding road as an undulating udon noodle.
Mizusawa 15 Udon Ale went on sale just this month on October 10, and is being offered through Odoriji’s online shop in two, four, and six-can bundles. It’s also being served at select restaurants in Mizusawa and Ikaho (listed here). Quantities are limited, as the beer is still in its test-marketing stage, but hopefully it’ll make its way to other parts of Japan too soon.
Source: PR Times, Visit Gunma
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: Wikipedia/Unkei6hokusai4, PR Times, Odoriji
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