A new seasonal beer is arriving from craft beer brewery Nagahama Roman Beer, founded in 1996 in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture: the limited-batch Nagahama Fresh Hop IPA, shipping in stages from September 22, 2026 (Tuesday).
About Nagahama Roman Beer
Nagahama Roman Beer was founded in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, in 1996 and marks its 30th anniversary in 2026. Set in a historic, atmospheric townscape nurtured by rich nature and snowmelt water from Mt. Ibuki, the brewery operates as a beer factory with an attached restaurant. Since its founding, it has kept the flavors of its beloved standard beers while continuing to take on the challenge of brewing new limited-edition beers.
What Is a Fresh Hop IPA?
As the name suggests, this is a type of IPA (India Pale Ale) brewed using freshly harvested "raw hops." In ordinary beer brewing, hops are typically dried or processed into pellets, but a defining feature of fresh hop IPA is that the hops go into the brew within 24 to 72 hours of harvest. At Nagahama Roman Beer, lupulin—the aromatic component—was extracted by hand from hops harvested that same day. By completing the process from hop harvest to brewing in about five hours, the beer achieves the fresh, three-dimensional aroma unique to fresh hops, along with a soft, refined bitterness with little off-flavor.
Hops Grown in Nagahama
In Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture, the Omi Haruba Association has led efforts since 2022 to cultivate hops in earnest as a high-value regional crop. The initiative aims to boost the local industry over the long term through both beer brewing and hop cultivation. Because the hop fields are close to Nagahama Roman Beer's brewery, freshly harvested hops can be used in beer production.
A Hop Harvest Experience for Customers
This year, the brewery invited general customers to a hop harvest experience for the first time, joining Nagahama Roman Beer staff and local farmers in the fields. Guided by hop farmers on harvesting techniques, participants carefully picked hops that had grown full and vibrant. Sharing the fresh aroma and excitement of the harvest with customers, surrounded by nature in the hop fields, made for a new experience unique to this year.
Product Specifications
- Product Name: Nagahama Fresh Hop IPA
- Category: Beer
- Beer Style: IPA
- Alcohol Content: 7%
- Ingredients: Malt (produced in Canada and Germany), hops
- Volume: 350ml
- Best Before: 120 days from production date
- Storage: Refrigeration required
- Suggested Retail Price: ¥600 (excluding tax)
Head Brewer Futoshi Okumura's Comment
This year, despite the extreme heat, the farmers carefully grew a large quantity of hops under difficult conditions. Thanks to their effort, this year's Fresh Hop IPA was able to use plenty of fresh hops. Every year, hops are harvested in summer, and the freshly picked raw hops are used in brewing at the brewery just a few hours later, with fresh-hop beer released in this period spanning late summer to early autumn. Enjoy this beer, available only during this season, with its slightly green aroma.
Main sales locations: Liquor Mountain stores, Nagahama Roman Beer's retail shop, Nagahama Roman Beer's online shop, and Best Beer Japan.
Nagahama Roman Beer Online Shop: https://shop.romanbeer.com/
Nagahama Roman Beer Official Website: http://www.romanbeer.com/
