There is a mountainous area of Tokyo, where the population density is low. It is located on its western fringe. Here the natural factor seems to dominate the human. The Tama River—sometimes referred to as the “Tamazon” further downstream—begins its journey in this place, and the shy serow occasionally makes an appearance. The place is Okutama, which can be reached by taking the Chuo Line to Tachikawa, changing for the Ome Line, and riding to the last stop, which is appropriately named Okutama Station. A thirty-second walk will take you to Vertere.
We cannot account for all of their output, because we have yet to visit the brewery, but if everything they make is like what we tasted, visitors will not be disappointed. We bought a can of their Pursh Belgian Wit for 910 yen. The ingredients are wheat malt, wheat and oat flakes, hops, and coriander. The hops are Pacific Sunrise and El Dorado and the yeast is Abbey. The abv is 5%, and they inject CO2 thereto.
Pursh is an easy-to-drink, refreshing beverage with a silky, somewhat oily, mouthfeel that adds to the sensory experience. This is most likely due to the inclusion of the oat flakes. The hops add verve and the coriander spice. We would say that this is a beer for three seasons, too light for winter but perfect for the other three.
Links:
Vertere: http://verterebrew.com/
Imadashoten* (今田商店): http://imadashouten.com/
* A great sake shop where we bought Pursh. Located in Kayabacho, Tokyo.
Recommendation level (out of five stars):
⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Drinking Japan 