HAKODATE, Hokkaido -- Hoping to draw more attention to the ancient Jomon culture in Hokkaido, a Hakodate-based group and a local craft beer bar have jointly developed what they call "Jomon beer" made with chestnuts, a staple food resource for the Jomon people.
Jomon Dohnan Project, a citizens' group headed by Kaori Yamada, supports the registration of a set of 17 Jomon archaeological sites in Hokkaido and the northern Tohoku region on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The Jomon period lasted from about 10,000 B.C. to about 300 B.C., and the sites are spread over Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Akita prefectures, with two located in Hakodate.
Yasutaka Shimoda of the local bar Endeavour, who brewed the beer, succeeded in bringing out the elegant aroma and taste of chestnuts by finely crushing Japan-grown chestnuts and roasting them for about 10 minutes before adding them at the boiling stage.
With an alcohol content of 4.5%, Jomon beer has little bitterness, making it easy to drink.
"I want people to taste the beer slowly while thinking about the Jomon period," he said.
A 100-milliliter bottle of the beer was initially sold for 210, yen excluding tax, and the first batch of 150 liters was quickly sold out. The next keg will be brewed in autumn, when chestnuts are locally harvested.
For more information, call the bar at (0138) 84-6955.
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