Historically, a mixture of medicinal herbs called “gruit” was used for bittering and flavoring beer. It wasn’t until the 14th century that the taste and durability of hops were recognized and it slowly replaced the use of gruit. They say this is when beer found its “soul.”
By the way, "IPA,” Indian Pale Ale, is a beer with a lot of hops. Hops were originally used to prevent the beer from spoiling en route from England to the East India Company, but its taste proved popular among craft beer lovers and was widely used.
Fat Barley Brewing's signature beer "Muddy hop juice" is a craft beer that uses a large number of hops. We hope you can experience the “soul of beer” with its mellow aroma and prominent bitterness that stands out as you drink it.
“Muddy hop juice” is a type of beer called Hazy IPA which has recently grown in popularity. Hop ingredients and malt proteins dissolve to create a unique murkiness, making the beer so cloudy that you can’t see through the glass.
The owner of Fat Barley Brewing told us his inspiration for Muddy hop juice. When he was training at the brewery Labrewatory in Portland, he was amazed at the Hazy IPA called “Big in Japan.” At Fat Barley, he wanted to “make beer with hops like no other.”
You can drink this beer at Ashford Craft Beer Pub, a British pub in Hamura operated by the brewery. The staff will also confirm that "Muddy hop juice uses more hops than any Fat Barley Brewing beer."
But even with his super hoppy and memorable beer, the owner isn’t satisfied. “I’ve been trying to make a beer like “Big in Japan,” but it’s still not there yet. I’ll keep making our beer better and better from here on out.” The future of Fat Barley Brewing is as hazy as Hazy IPA, but that’s exactly what makes it so interesting.
