Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2013

Forget all the beaujolais nouveau hype this November and break open a bottle of Sankt Gallen barley or wheat wine. The Kanagawa-based brewery has released the drinks in limited quantities of 6,000 bottles each on the same day that French red comes out. So why are alcoholic drinks made with grains labeled “wine” and not “beer”? The folks at the brewery say they are aged as long as a wine and at 9.8% have a similar alcohol level. The el Diablo Barley Wine is made with two and a half times the malt and six times the hops as beer and given a second round of fermentations in the bottle just like champagne. The brewery recommends enjoying the drinks in a large wine or brandy glass along with cheese, foie gras, dried fruit or chocolate. Set of two (¥2,730). www.sanktgallenbrewery.com