Pelican Brewing Company’s new Honey Rice Lager, Me, You, Happoshu!, has been awarded a Gold Medal at the 2019 Honey Beer Competition hosted by the National Honey Board. Bright citrus flavors, honey, toasty malt, and crisp, floral notes combined to capture the attention of the judges. The rice-based Japanese-style beer has been a Pelican guest favorite and sold out in short order but the brewery intends to bring it back in the near future.
This year’s Honey Beer Competition had 295 beer entries made with honey, which were submitted from craft breweries throughout North America. The competition was judged by 32 certified judges from the Beer Judge Certification Program and featured 12 beer style categories and one cider category. The submitted beers were judged on their aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and the role honey played in the beer. Pelican received a Gold Medal in the ‘Other’ category for unique style honey beers.
For this award-winner, Pelican captured the delightful, yet unexpected combination of our brewer’s experience at his hometown sushi restaurant. Imagine a specialty dessert of honey drizzled orange slices paired with a dry Japanese lager and close your eyes and take a sip of Me, You, Happoshu! This clean jasmine rice lager is amplified with orange zest, citrusy Meridian hops, and generous amounts of orange blossom honey. Light toasty malt, a lean body, and a super crisp, refreshing finish really round out the unusual, yet satisfying combination.
ABV: 5% | IBU: 20 | PLATO: 11º
“I wanted to recreate this flavorful experience I had at my hometown sushi shop—they offer oranges with drizzled honey for dessert and that dish paired with a dry Japanese lager was an absolutely delicious and memorable experience I wanted to recreate for myself and fellow fanatics,” said Coren Tradd, head brewer at Pelican’s Cannon Beach brewpub. “We worked hard to innovate a recipe where the honey was prominent and achieved the incredible flavor and aroma experience I remember from that pairing.”
Like all Pelican beers, Me, You, Happoshu was born at the beach by a team of award-winning craft beer makers known for brewing styles of beer that they themselves love to drink. Cheers!
“This beer has a very balanced and nuanced sort of flavor expression,” says Darron Welch, founding brewmaster, Pelican Brewing Company. “It took a careful, deft touch in the brewhouse to bring it all together without any one thing overwhelming. Coren’s skillful design and process for this beer really lets the refreshing flavors blend and emerge as a complete expression of his intention.”
Welch continues to be one of the most decorated brewers in the Pacific Northwest, earning well over 450 medals including several Gold last year alone at the World Beer Cup, Australian International Beer Awards and North American Beer Awards.
For a list of all of Pelican’s award-winning beer, click here. 
About Pelican Brewing Company
Pelican Brewing Company was born at the beach in 1996. Here, in front of a rundown old building at the water’s edge, stood three enthusiastic young folks whose thirst for great beer overshadowed their understanding of what it would take to build a brewery. They did it anyway. Thanks to the vision of founding owners Jeff Schons and Mary Jones, Oregon’s only beachfront brewpub became one of the state’s most popular destinations. And now twenty-four years later, Pelican Brewing Company is an iconic beach brand and one of the most decorated craft breweries in Oregon. Pelican has been honored with more than 450 awards including the prestigious 2015, 2016, 2017 Australian International Beer Awards Champion Medium International Brewery; 2014 World Beer Cup Champion Small Brewery; 2013 Great American Beer Festival Large Brewpub of the Year. Why? Pelican brews are playful, but not frivolous. Brewed with purpose, passion and a deep respect for the craft. Pelican operates brewing and brewpub facilities in Pacific City, Cannon Beach, and its state-of-the-craft brewery in Tillamook, Oregon where it brews 40,000 barrels of award-winning beer annually and distributes to six states. Pelican’s vision, its beer and values were born at the beach where the team wakes up each day in a place that reminds them that amazing is possible. Cheers, Fellow Fanatics!
For more information, visit Pelican Brewing Company.
Contact: Claudia Johnson, Public Relations, 503-799-2220.
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