Yuzu Yōkai
Wellington Brewery

568 mL can from the brewery; dated Apr 7 2026 and served slightly chilled.

Pours a clear straw yellow colour, supporting an inch of loose, frothy white head that collapses within a minute or two. A thin collar and a few wisps on the surface are all that remain, with sparse lace deposition; looks ok so far. The yuzu makes for a lively, citrusy nose that encompasses aspects of lemon peel, grapefruit and mandarin orange; hints of grainy pale malts and puffed rice are also present. Maybe a hint of dill, too.

The flavour of the underlying rice lager can be discerned, if you look for it, but I'm mostly getting yuzu and Sorachi Ace hops. Lemon peel, lime, white grapefruit and mandarin orange, with floral, herbal notes reminiscent of lemongrass and cilantro. Suggestions of grainy sweetness at the finish, with peppery, herbal hops and citrus peel dissipating into the aftertaste. Light in body, with aggressive carbonation that relentlessly prickles the tongue, making for a very crisp lager. Crushable, too - drinking a few of these on a hot summer evening would be an easy task.

Final Grade: 4.06, an A-. Wellington's Yuzu Yōkai is one of the best rice lagers I've come across so far - though to be fair, the bonus ingredients are what make this beer - the rice lager itself is relegated to a purely structural role. It's an imperfect comparison, but the fairly low abv and citrusy flavours of this lager are at least somewhat radler-like - so in any situation where a radler might be called for, I figure this would make for a solid, considerably less-sugary substitute. Good stuff; if this shows up at the LCBO this summer, I'll be buying more.