My friends at Foreach Brewing asked me to write a tasting note for their new Unmei No Onna.

“This bright and tart Matcha Sour was brewed with the newly discovered Philly yeast, resulting in tons of citrus and stone fruit notes.
The beer pours a beautiful warm orange with a streak of golden yellow along the edge of the glass. It’s fairly hazy, topped with fluffy white foam and has a remarkably long head retention.
In the aroma we find peach candies, orange marmalade, lime zest, ripe apricot and a light caramel. The flavour continues with these notes and here the earthy and grassy matcha appears. A smooth tartness joins in, enhancing the citrus and stone fruit flavours. Medium light in body, medium high in carbonation, minimal bitter and dry finish all add to this beer’s extreme drinkability.”

What fascinates me is that this Philly yeast (a strain of Lachancea thermotolerans) isn’t part of the traditional family of brewing yeasts. Philly Sours are neither Lager nor Ale.
This yeast produces both acidity and alcohol, where brewers normally rely on yeast for alcohol and bacteria for acidity. And an additional benefit is that fermentation gets cut down to just 7 to 10 days.