If you're a fan of designer berries and fancy brews, there's a buzzy collaboration on the horizon that'll whet your appetite. Oishii, the berry brand famous for its vertically-farmed, $6 strawberries, has teamed up with Grimm, an artisanal brewery in Brooklyn, New York, to make a beer that tastes of the finest strawberries around.

On September 9, Grimm unveiled the Ambient Fizz: Koyo Berry, which highlights the flavor of Oishii's Koyo strawberry, at its Williamsburg-based taproom. In a statement to Tasting Table, Grimm founders Joe and Lauren Grimm said, "We all put our heads together to imagine the perfect, wild strawberry beer and decided the best showcase for these berries would be in an Ambient Fizz." After macerating over 300 pounds of Koyo strawberries, the brewery combined the sugared berry mix with its 1.5 to 2-year barrel-aged sour beer and a splash of water. The resulting flavor is described as having a slightly tannic finish and mild tartness, perfect for the summer season.

Breaking down the flavor components of this ale further, let's look at the two key ingredients that go into this brew. The Koyo strawberry is a new release from Oishii, following its wildly popular Omakase strawberry. The Koyo is a varietal from Japan and is noted as having a mildly tart flavor. The big selling point for these berries, besides their flavor, of course, is the fact that they are made to be non-GMO and pesticide-free. In other words, it's a very environmentally clean strawberry.

Meanwhile, the beer itself brings in the "wild" aspect. As the Grimms describe it, "Like a lambic, these beers are fermented exclusively by the wild microbes that settle onto the surface of the liquid as we expose the wort to nighttime air." Though the beer packs a powerful punch of flavor, it has a fairly low ABV, coming in at 4%.

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Oishii unveiled The Rubī tomato, available now in select Whole Foods Markets. Grown from a Japanese varietal dubbed a “fruit tomato,” The Rubī offers the perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, and umami, offering pure deliciousness.

“Red is our favorite color at Oishii. The Rubī is the sweetest tomato you will ever taste and builds on what we started with our delicious strawberries: we’re on a mission to redefine how we experience fresh fruit,” said Hiroki Koga, CEO and Co-Founder of Oishii.

Hiroki continued, “We’re huge believers that vertical farming is the answer to the future of agriculture; it allows us to grow great-tasting produce in a way that’s better for people and better for the planet. But this technology will only take root if we can grow complex fruits and vegetables – like strawberries and tomatoes – efficiently and at scale. With The Rubī and The Koyo Berry, we’re here to show that this future is here today.”

Beginning today, The Rubī is available exclusively in Whole Foods Market’s Jersey City location, retailing at $9.99 for a tray of 11 tomatoes. Oishii’s tomatoes will be expanding to other Whole Foods Market stores in the coming months.

True to its name (Rubī means “ruby” in Japanese), the jewel-like tomato has a bright red, shiny, delicate skin that encases its juicy center bursting with flavor. Just like Oishii’s Omakase and Koyo strawberries, the Rubī is grown in indoor vertical farms located just outside New York City.

The debut of Oishii’s tomato coincides with the brand’s expansion across the northeast region. Earlier this summer, Oishii launched its flagship Koyo Berry in the DC area before bringing the fruit to Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Just eight months after its first unveiling, The Koyo Berry has increased its supply to Whole Foods Market stores by 600% and is on track to double again by January 2024.

For more information:
Oishii Berry
www.oishiiberry.com