Arches Brewing's Yurei Japanese-Style Lager Quenches Thirst in Summer Months

I spoke with Arches Brewing Co-Founder Jeff Dake about his brewery’s summer seasonal Japanese-style lager that received high praise from our judge Michael Heniff. Yurei is a wonderfully engaging summer sipper that is sure to pair well with all manner of foods, as its mild sweetness and light, piquant maltiness would complement rich umami flavors in backyard favorites such as burgers and barbecue as well as sweeter desserts. This beer is only available for a limited time during the summer months, so be sure to nab a six-pack or three before they’re gone!

BC: What’s your favorite aspect of this beer (flavor, aroma, etc.)?
The stone fruit that underlies the flavor profile really sets this beer apart. You get a clean apricot aroma and taste, and the bitterness is reminiscent of the sharp bite of the fruit near the pit. The light body makes the sweet fruit flavor so powerful, and it leaves a distinct aftertaste. 

BC: Where does this beer’s name come from?
The name is Japanese and approximately translates to "ghost." We named the beer as an amalgamation of both the country of origin for the style and the primary hop used (Grungeist, which is German for "Green ghost.")

BC: Is this your “desert island beer?”
While we only make Yurei as a seasonal release, I could drink this beer all year round.

BC: Can you describe this beer in 10 words or less?
Light and dry, with subtle stone fruit and apricot flavor.

BC: Do you know a story – or have a personal story – that revolves around this beer?
On our original printing of the cans, we described the flavor the Grungeist hops imparted to the beer and how it influenced the name. Despite several brewers proofreading the label, we misspelled the hop as "Grugeist." Figuring that no one would really notice, we went with the labels as is. We were surprised that just as frequently as people sent us messages about how much they loved the beer, they also had to point out that they noticed a typo in our description! It just goes to show that craft beer enthusiasts pay attention to the details.

BC: What's a good food pairing for this beer?
Yurei pairs well with all ramen, especially Tonkatsu where the dry pilsner character can work as a foil to the silky pork bone broth. It's also a great surprise pairing with lychee-based desserts.

Judge's Review
by Michael Heniff

Rated 94
(Exceptional)

Aroma: 22 / 24
Appearance: 6 / 6
Flavor: 37 / 40
Mouthfeel: 10 / 10
Overall Impression: 19 / 20

Yurei by Arches Brewing is a Japanese-style Lager and was evaluated as an International Pale Lager, Category 2A via the 2015 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines.

These beers are golden-colored lagers with less adjuncts than typical American lagers. The malt is light but noticeable, esters are not present and the hop intensity can be from low to medium. Yurei is brewed with German Grungeist hops.

Yurei pours golden in color with a good clarity and a big, fluffy white head. The aroma is of moderate-light apricot and spicy hops over a light pils malt. The flavor is moderate-light pils malt that is evenly balanced by spicy and herbal hops with citrusy notes. The beer finishes dry and crisp with a moderately light bitterness, light pils malt and light spicy hops.

Yurei has a quality pils malt flavor that is well balanced by a unique hop that has traditional noble hop spicy and herbal characters to go along with citrus and apricot. Cheers, Prost, Kanpai!