This week, we have another beer from Japan, Kirin Ichiban Shibori Stout. Kirin had its beginnings in 1885, when it took over the assets of another company, Spring Valley Brewery, which had been established by a Norwegian-American in Yokohama, Japan in 1869. The brewery was originally known as Japan Brewery Company, but three years after […]
This week I’d like to take a look at another relatively uncommon ingredient used in brewing beer. Our feature this week is Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, produced by the oldest brewery in the county of Yorkshire in northern England. Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery was founded in 1758 in the small market town of Tadcaster, and […]
This week we’ve decided to go with something a little more recognizable, especially for those of you in Japan. Best known for its ubiquitous but fairly ordinary Super Dry, Asahi Breweries also produces a noteworthy stout. Asahi Stout is a very dark, strongly flavored, high-gravity ale with 8% abv. It’s available only in 334-ml bottles […]
One thing that I think draws people to brewing, both as a hobby and a career is the chance to express your creativity. Last year I started off the spring brewing season with a mocha milk stout. I am a hop-lover at heart, but I think that brewing a wide variety of styles is fun. […]
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 […]
The twice yearly Keyaki Hiroba Beer Festival returns to Omiya in just a few days. This fall it runs from Friday the 19th to Tuesday the 23rd of September, a little extra since Tuesday is the Fall Equinox and a public holiday. This festival remains one of the best beer gatherings in Japan. There will […]
A few weeks ago I wrote about BrewDog , the Scottish craft brewery that has been making a major effort to enter the Japanese beer market. The new BrewDog Roppongi has been on my to do list since it opened earlier this year. Recently I had a chance to check it out, and I was […]
Japanese craft beer can be hard to find. Luckily for beer aficionados some people have made it a point to gather as much excellent beer as possible in one place. So it is with Aoki Tatsuo’s craft beer pub Popeye. Aoki has long been a supporter of the Japanese craft scene, and Popeye is one […]
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 […]
