NUMBER NINE BREWERY has released "Aomikan IPA," a bittersweet and refreshing craft beer made with thinned out mandarin oranges: Limited quantities available at HUGE online store "HUGEst"

”Are these green oranges being thrown away? What a waste!”

When NUMBER NINE BREWERY’s Brewmaster Kengo Saito first bite into a green mandarin orange, he was inspired by its refreshing sourness and amazing aroma, and decided to use it to brew a bittersweet, refreshing, citrusy IPA.

The story of “Aomikan IPA” began with an encounter with Ms. Natsumi Okui, owner of Amandarina LLC, a company that buys picked oranges from farmers in Kanagawa Prefecture and produces and sells them as juice and dressings.

Aomikan is the young fruit of Onshu mandarin orange. When all the oranges on the tree are ripe, each one is small and does not have enough flavor, so they are thinned out while they are still green to improve the taste and size of the oranges. The fruit is full of juice with a refreshing sourness and aroma. It would be a shame to throw away such a delicious fruit.

Ms. Okui, the owner of Mandarina buys green mandarin oranges as soon as they are picked. Not only does she rebirth the wasted and worthless green oranges into something new, but she also turns them into juices and dressings that can be preserved so that the fresh taste and aroma of young oranges can be enjoyed all year round. She wants to build win-win relationships with farmers and deliver “deliciousness” to consumers.

While listening to Ms. Okui’s passionate and powerful thoughts, Saito took a bite of a green mandarin and and was surprised to find that “the sourness was perfect for beer” The idea struck him, and he promised to brew a Aomikan IPA.

Through the online event, “Aomikan IPA” was born with the help of all those who share and support this passion.