Niigata beer with freshly grated 'oi-wasabi'

Niigata Prefecture lies on the Sea of Japan coast and is known as a land of rice and sake. Yahiko Brewing, which makes craft beer in the village of Yahiko in the middle of the prefecture, has developed a beer that uses wasabi grown in Kashiwazaki, also in Niigata, as an adjunct ingredient. The local newspaper Niigata Nippo reported the news on 5 October 2026. The beer is sold together with a grater made in the city of Tsubame.

Real wasabi as a beer ingredient

The wasabi comes from the Nihonkai Ishiji Wasabi-en farm in Nishiyama-machi, Kashiwazaki. Most of the tubes and powders sold as “wasabi” in Europe are made mainly from horseradish, which is not the same thing as the rhizome of the wasabi plant itself. Real wasabi is said to be characterised less by fierce heat than by a fresh, green fragrance and a faint sweetness. Yahiko Brewing reportedly had long been thinking of making a beer with this farm’s wasabi. It is an interesting example, both as an attempt to bring Japanese ingredients into beer and as a bottle born of ties with a local farm.

‘Oi-wasabi’ with a grater from Tsubame

The highlight of this product is the grater that comes with it. Tsubame is known as a metalworking town and ships cutlery and cooking utensils around the world. Drinkers grate fresh wasabi themselves and add it to the beer in their glass. The name given to this way of adding aroma afterwards is “oi-wasabi”, roughly “more wasabi”.

The origin was a small coincidence. Yahiko Brewing sold bottle openers at an affiliated liquor shop. Emu Te Torimatsu, a kitchenware wholesaler in Tsubame, then suggested that the same shop might also stock graters. The existing idea for a wasabi beer and the grater proposal came together, and the result was a product that delivers beer and tool as one set.

Whether this beer can be bought in Europe has not been reported so far. Even so, the idea of adding freshly grated wasabi to beer is something you can try at home. Fresh wasabi rhizomes can sometimes be bought in Europe at certain Japanese grocery shops or from growers who cultivate wasabi. Grate it slowly in circles on a fine grater and add it little by little just before drinking. The aroma fades quickly, so it is worth noting how the taste changes with each sip. A light beer that is not too bitter would be a good match. Another idea is to enjoy it with dishes that traditionally come with wasabi, such as sashimi or sushi. A Japanese brewer combining local ingredients with a craftsman’s tool to suggest a new way of drinking is a story worth watching as part of that wider trend.