Yona Yona Pale Ale – Japanese Craft Beer

Yona Yona is one of Japan’s most beloved Pale Ales. This Nagano craft beer is made in an American style with grapefruit-bomb Cascade hops and a generous 41 IBUs. Being a Japanese craft brew means it manages to drink softer and smoother than the American Pale Ale style would indicate. Tasting notes include an impressive head retention with modest soapy, floral, and citrusy (lemon, grapefruit, yuzu) aromatics. The palate is dry and slightly malt-forward though balanced. Notes include savory biscuits, light toast, cilantro, more citrus (meyer lemon), minerals, caramel, and saltwater taffy. Grassy and slightly piney hops clean up a soft finish.

Yona Yona (夜な夜な, よなよな) means “every night” in Japanese. The name is appropriate for this flavorful and drinkable craft beer. That said, if you enjoy this craft brew every night, you may want to limit this pricey beer to just one!

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Finding Yona Yona Pale Ale

Finding Yona Yona is a lot more difficult than finding one of the major Japanese beer brands. It’s not distributed evenly across the US. Japanese markets are the primary retail locations to seek out. Few options exist for delivery at the moment, though that may change.

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Japanese Pale Ale

Yoho’s pale ale has only a few notable competitors in the U.S. market. Baird Beer’s “Rising Sun” is near the top of the list— if you can find it. Kizakura’s “Lucky Dog” Pale Ale is a solid option as well. Hitachino Nest makes a British style pale that’s also recommended. But this beer is earthier and less citrusy than Yona Yona. Finally, Minoh Beer of Osaka doesn’t export its beer to North American. But their Pale Ale is fantastic, as is every drop of beer they brew! 

All of the above beers come with a high price tag. Real beer in Japan is beset by high taxes, which is then followed by a long journey to the U.S. Then the importer, distributer, and retailer/on-premise vendor all add their necessary price increases. This has lead to the high prices.

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Serving and Pairing Yona Yona Pale Ale 

For starters: serve Yona Yona Pale Ale in a glass. A shaker pint is fine, a nonic pint is better, and a modern IPA glass is best. And as weird as it might sound: a red wine glass will also show this pale ale very well. Regardless of your glass of choice— serve chilled to slightly chilled. Too cold is better than warm, but letting it warm up slightly more than fridge-temp will help show this beer’s many sides. 

Yoho recommends this pale ale with teriyaki chicken, sweet and sour pork, and cheddar cheese. This is because of the beer’s sweet-smelling and malt-forward nature. Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisines will also will also pair nicely. The citrusy and herbal nature of each easily marry. The malty umami mitigates spice and the Cascade hops make short work of cheese. Thai and Vietnamese foods are also worth seeking out. Lastly, grilled salmon or black cod are made for Yona Yona.

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Recommended Beer Products

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Yona Yona Technical Info

Style: American Pale Ale (BJCP Style Guidelines) 

Grain Bill: All malt; caramel malt

Hops: Cascade 

Adjuncts: none 

ABV: 5.5%  IBU: 41  SRM: 10.7

Water: Hard

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About Yo-ho Brewing

Yoho Brewing ヤッホーブルーイング

Location: Karuizawa, Nagano   EST: 1996 

Website: English / 日本語

Social Media: Facebook Instagram  YouTube

Yoho Brewing is an extremely popular craft beer brewery based in Nagano Japan. Yoho focuses on a relatively small range of beers. Each one is unique and worth trying. Yoho beers are brewed with hard water.

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