Ise Udon in a Glass: Setouchi x Isekadoya's Hazy IPA

SETOUCHI BEER (Setouchi Co., Ltd.), a craft brewery in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, released “Ise Udon HAZY IPA” in September 2026. The limited-edition beer was developed jointly with ISEKADO (Isekadoya Beer) of Ise, Mie Prefecture, as a new addition to UDON BREWING, SETOUCHI BEER’s udon-themed brand. Kagawa is one of Japan’s leading udon-producing regions. Ise, meanwhile, has its own local dish, “Ise udon”, in which very thick, very soft noodles are coated in a sweet, rich sauce. This beer was made by breweries from two places with strong udon connections.

Capturing “softness” in beer

Hazy IPA is a cloudy style of IPA that puts hop aroma at the front while keeping bitterness relatively gentle. The theme this time was the defining traits of Ise udon: its “exquisite softness” and “mellow sweetness”. The brewers used generous amounts of wheat malt, refined wheat and oats to give the beer a silky-smooth mouthfeel. They also added allulose, one of the rare sugars, to bring a soft sweetness and an elegant finish. The hops are a blend of three varieties, Citra, Nectaron and Dolcita, which give a vivid aroma reminiscent of ripe peach, passion fruit and sweet orange. The beer is 6.5% ABV and comes in a 350 ml serving; in Japan it costs 900 yen including tax.

The brewers on the collaboration

Okamoto, head brewer at SETOUCHI BEER, describes ISEKADO as a “pioneer of Hazy IPA” and a brewery also known for its flagship beer “Neko ni Hiki”. He says the two breweries have a lot in common in how they use ingredients and approach brewing, that he learned many techniques from the collaboration, and that the finished beer has the rich, soft flavour they were aiming for. According to Yamamiya, CTO of ISEKADO, Ise udon developed in the past as a nourishing dish for pilgrims who travelled on foot from all over Japan to visit Ise Shrine. With the gentle flavour and texture of that dish in mind, they designed the beer to combine a pairing of sweet, tropical-smelling hops with a lightness that makes it easy to drink.

Enjoying it in Europe

At launch, the beer was sold only at the taproom attached to the Takamatsu brewery and through the company’s online store. It is a limited release that needs refrigeration, so getting hold of it in Europe looks difficult. Even so, this beer, in which two breweries pooled their skills around a regional dish, shows well how inventive Japanese craft beer can be. If you come across the names ISEKADO or SETOUCHI BEER at a specialist shop or bar in Europe that stocks Japanese craft beer, it may be worth a try. For something easier to find, look on labels for Hazy IPAs brewed with wheat or oats, or beers made with Nectaron, a hop from New Zealand. Served well chilled and drunk fresh, it may give you a sense of the “softness” this beer was aiming for.