Oh, Japan! Sea Squirt Ale

If you're into seafood and beer, maybe you'll like this..

Yamauchi, a company specializing in seafood retail, have re-released their fishy brew from 2010: Hoya Ale.

The beer is made from an edible ascidian, or "sea squirt", called Halocynthia roretzi, known as Hoya, in Japan. Ascidians, which are soft-bodied, hermaphrodite filter feeders that can be found clinging to rocky surfaces, are often eaten raw in Korea and Japan. Their peculiar flavor is often described as being akin to eating rubber that has been dipped in ammonia.

Despite originally being released in 2010, Yamauchi had to stop production of the ale in 2011 when the town Minamisanriku, from which they sourced their hoya, was devastated during the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Now, four years later, Hoya Ale is back, but only in a 3,000 bottle limited run, 1,000 of which have already sold.

Hoya Ale, which retails for 597 yen ($5.02 USD) per bottle, is described as having a smoky aroma with a clean finish. Still, reviews lament that the sea squirt flavor isn't stronger... for some reason.

Thirsty, yet?