Yokosuka brewery marks its third anniversary with a 10% Hazy Triple IPA
GRANDLINE BREWING in Yokosuka has released Third Party, a 10% ABV Hazy Triple IPA made with large amounts of wheat and oats, to mark its third anniversary.
Yokosuka, in Kanagawa Prefecture, is a port town on the Miura Peninsula, south of Tokyo. GRANDLINE BREWING, which makes craft beer there, released Third Party, a beer celebrating its third anniversary, on 3 October 2026. The style is a Hazy Triple IPA at 10.0% ABV, using more wheat and oats than the brewery has ever used before. It takes the cloudy IPA that has become familiar in Europe and pushes it to an even higher strength, in the hands of a young Japanese brewery.
Wheat and oats behind the 10% drinkability
Hazy IPA is a branch of IPA that uses wheat, oats and the like, and is characterised by its cloudy appearance and soft mouthfeel. “Triple” refers to a type with considerably more alcohol and hops than a standard IPA. The hops in Third Party are Citra from the United States and Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand, layering aromas reminiscent of tropical fruit and citrus. According to the brewery, the aim was a beer with a full body yet a smooth, juicy mouthfeel, easy to drink without making you aware of its strength. The generous use of wheat and oats is presumably there to achieve this smoothness.
Three knights drawing the Roman numeral “III”
The concept of this beer is “certification by a mysterious third-party body”. The story imagines a world with no official standards and no judges, where a fictional body recognises only what lies “beyond” quality, popularity and expectation. The label was drawn by illustrator Kenshi. Three knights in armour, each holding a sword, represent these “arbiters”, and when the three swords are lined up they form the Roman numeral “III”. Each of the three knights is based on one of the brewery’s core beers: “Hello, World”, “Super Welcome” and “Only Impact”. The label carries a textured digital embellishment, so that a sheen emerges depending on the angle from which it is viewed. Kenshi comments that they hope the label’s artwork also conveys the rich, substantial drinking experience of a 10% beer.
How to enjoy it in Europe
The press release says nothing about overseas sales, so for now it is unclear whether the beer will be available in Europe. If you are curious, check the stock updates of specialist shops and importers that handle Japanese craft beer. If you try a beer in the same style, we recommend serving it not too cold, in a tulip glass that lets the aroma gather, and sipping it slowly. The fruity aromas of Citra and Nelson Sauvin open up as the temperature rises a little. It is also worth noting how this new Japanese brewery has put thought not only into what is in the glass, but into the story and artwork of the label.
Sources
This article was written by The Sake Wire editorial team, summarising the public sources listed above. Images are our own.
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