Just soy yes: Akita edamame suds set to seduce beer lovers with beany goodness

ODATE, Akita -- Anyone drinking this beer will quite literally be full of beans by the bottom of the bottle. That's because Akita Edamame Beer, set to go on sale Nov. 1, is made with fresh soybeans.

The beer, developed by the Akitainu Tourism promotion organization and Tokyo-based liquor importer Luce Co., is brewed using a paste made from soybeans picked freshly in this northern Japanese city. The beans were supplied by Akitainu, and Luce entrusted production to Semboku, Akita Prefecture, craft brewer Tazawako Beer.

The makers say that the suds taste a touch like edamame -- green soybeans served in their pods and slightly salted, which often accompany a tall mug of lager in Japan.

Akita Edamame Beer will come in 330 ml bottles retailing at 770 yen ($7.10). The beer will first be sold at the Akitainu Visitor Center in Odate and other local spots on Nov. 1. It will be available in Tokyo from Nov. 6 at Isetan department store's Shinjuku outlet and other shops. The beer will also be sold through restaurants in the greater Tokyo area.

A total of 5,700 bottles of the beany brew are expected to ship this fiscal year. According to people connected with the project, the makers are also eyeing exporting the beer to Hong Kong and other overseas markets.

(Japanese original by Hikoshi Tamura, Akita Bureau)