For this off-centered lager we teamed up with our pals at Atlantic Sea Farms, a kelp foods producer from Biddeford, ME. Taking inspiration from Japanese culinary traditions and a reverence for the sea, we began with a pale lager brewed with aromatic rice. We selected ingredients heavy with tart citrus like calamansi puree and fresh sudachi zest to counterbalance the umami from moshio salt (aka seaweed salt) & Atlantic Farm’s kelp puree. As a nod to our mutual love of fermentation, we incorporated culture from Atlantic Farm’s kelp kimchi and a unique barrel-aged rice wine vinegar for some brightness. The beer has a subtle minerality from locally produced nigari, a mineral-laden byproduct from sea salt production traditionally used to make tofu. The result is a bright, citrusy and crisp lager beer with floral lime & citrus notes, a light tartness, subtle umami and a quenching minerality. We named this beer after a phrase of our own construction – umi no shibumi – which loosely translates to “The effortless perfection of the sea.”