SORRY, the export-only beer, gets a new release with mikan and kabosu

Japanese ingredients for an export-only brand: SORRY

Yo-Ho Brewing, a craft brewery in Nagano Prefecture, has been shipping “SORRY MIKAN CITRUS ALE”, a new release from its export-only brand SORRY, since October 2026. The beer is going mainly to the United States. SORRY was launched in 2016 as a US-only brand to strengthen the company’s presence in the American market, where craft beer has a share roughly 20 times higher than in Japan, and it is now also exported to other countries. The concept is “Japanese craft beer”. The beers use ingredients that are distinctively Japanese, and the cans feature a “kabukimono”, one of the flamboyantly dressed and unconventionally behaved people of Japan in around the 17th century. The earlier products were three: “SORRY UMAMI-IPA”, made with katsuobushi (dried fish used to make dashi stock in Japanese cooking); “SORRY NIPPON CITRUS ALE”, with yuzu and coarse salt; and “SORRY SAKURA MOCHI STOUT”, made with cherry leaves (now discontinued). The new beer is the first new product in the series in seven years. As of September 2026, Yo-Ho Brewing exports its beer to nine countries, including Sweden and Norway, with the United States accounting for more than half.

Citrus aroma from mikan puree and kabosu

The new beer is a fruit pale ale with an alcohol content of 5.5% and comes in a 350 ml can. Barley malt and wheat malt are combined with puree of Japanese mikan, orange juice concentrate and kabosu juice. Mikan are small Japanese citrus fruits with thin, easy-to-peel skins, while kabosu is a sharply sour green citrus fruit. The brewer says it aimed for a refreshing, easy-drinking taste by layering the aroma of mikan over the aroma of the hops. Several tailwinds lie behind its development. Japan’s beer exports fell in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but they have since grown, led by the major brewers, and reached a record high in 2024. Overseas, products made with Japanese ingredients are attracting attention alongside interest in Japanese food, and the global fruit beer market is also expanding. In fact, NIPPON CITRUS ALE, made with yuzu, is said to be well received abroad, with shipments growing. Because it is made for export, the beer is basically not sold in Japan and is offered only in limited quantities at some restaurants for visitors to the country.

Enjoying it in Europe

Sales overseas are due to start in stages from November 2026. Which European countries will stock it has not yet been announced, but because Yo-Ho Brewing exports to Sweden and Norway, drinks shops and Japanese grocery stores in the Nordic countries look like the best place to start. The best-before date is seven months from production, so it is best to drink it soon after you find it to enjoy the citrus aroma at its best. Pouring it into a wide-mouthed glass, rather than drinking straight from the can, helps the aromas of hops and mikan to come through. If you can also find the NIPPON CITRUS ALE with yuzu and coarse salt, trying the two side by side may let you appreciate the individual character of each Japanese citrus fruit.