A few days before I left Japan I had the great fortune to stop by the Zakkoku Kobo brewery in Saitama. A friend recently discovered this out of the way brewpub, and I knew I had to go while I had the chance. Located in Ogawa, Saitama Zakkoku Kobo may well be Japan’s smallest brewery, […]
The highlight of this week’s review is Tokyo Black from the Yo-Ho Brewing Company located in the town of Karuizawa in the the mountainous prefecture of Nagano, Japan. Yo-Ho was established in 1996, shortly after an amendment to Japan’s liquor tax laws made possible the existence of smaller breweries. It is the largest craft brewer […]
Another malt-heavy brew from Scotland, Harviestoun Brewery’s Old Engine Oil: Engineer’s Reserve is the subject of this week’s review. An offshoot of Harviestoun’s 6.0% ABV Old Engine Oil, Engineer’s Reserve boasts a ramped-up ABV of 9.0% in response to feedback from U.S. consumers. Stylistically, Engineer’s Reserve falls under the category of porter, though its higher […]
Baird Beer is certainly one of the most well known brewers in the Japanese craft scene. They have diverse line of year-round beers supported by a very wide variety of rotating seasonal and one offs. On top of that, the excellent beer goes really well with the quality food available at the Baird taprooms. The […]
Drinking craft beer in Japan is little bit like an Easter egg hunt. Craft beer can be hard to find, but making the extra effort can be very rewarding. The other day I managed to find a cache of Sankt Gallen beer in the basement food hall of a local department store. Sankt Gallen’s founder […]
Beer can seem pretty one note before you dive into the colorful world of craft. All over the world mass market brewers produce a very similar pale lager. Crisp, clear, and almost boringly “beer-flavored” it still represents the basic and most quaff-able brew around. However, things can get a little confusing after you poke around […]
