"Insane!"
"A madhouse..."
"Crazy!"
This year's Craft Beer Festa Kyoto, held in early May, was much like last year's ... only worse.
"A madhouse..."
"Crazy!"
This year's Craft Beer Festa Kyoto, held in early May, was much like last year's ... only worse.
This annual event, organized
primarily by Kyoto's Yamaoka Sakaten, has oh so definitely, completely, and
absolutely outgrown its venue. Except for the inaugural event six years ago,
which was comfortably ensconced in the courtyard Shimpukan shopping mall, it
has always taken place in the Sanjo Association Shopping Arcade, an
800-meter-long (and very narrow) shotengai near the south side of Nijo Castle.
For the first couple of years, the
festival had a fun and friendly sort of atmosphere, but since then each year
has seen the number of visitors increase -- to the point where it is
unpleasant, noisy, and even dangerous to try to navigate around to the beer
booths.
The many food shops along the
arcade like get in on the action, setting up tables outside their entrances.
This brings a wide variety of food choices for hungry visitors, but it also
makes the available walking space much smaller.
People on bicycles added to the crowd
and slowed the pace of movement, trying to maneuver their way to their homes or
to the supermarkets. Cars waited impatiently at side street intersections for a
chance to cross the arcade lane, and apparently one visitor had his foot run
over by a car.
And... this year the lack of toilet
facilities was again a serious problem. There is only one public toilet in the children’s
park in the center of the arcade. A few porta-potties could be found, if you
knew where to look. Many people, as before, casually traipsed through the Seiyu
supermarket, beer glasses in hand, to the 2nd-floor restrooms
In the late afternoon, after spending over 20 minutes in a line, waiting to use the facilities at a Lawson convenience store at one end of the arcade, I finally decided I wasn't interested in plunging back into the crowd. And I left...
Due to the crowds, the noise, and
the waiting time required to get a small sample of beer (for ¥400) a
few of my beer-geek friends have said that they won't attend next year.
Thirty-four breweries were present and serving, one more than last year, There were several newcomers, including Mabi Chikurin Beer (Okayama), Brewery Songbird (Chiba), Bell Beer / TokorozawaBrewery (Saitama), and Kyoto Brewing Company (Kyoto). Last year's pick for Rookie of the Year, Y Market Brewing from Nagoya, was a no-show.
Best of the Fest
Shiga Kogen 10th Anniversary IPA
7.5%
Ridiculous, amazing tropical fruit
nose, rude and ripe citrus and some thick dates, maybe even tobacco. Hazy pale
straw color. Thick deep fruity initial, then ripe peaches and sweet dates. Mild but
persistent bitterness. So flavorful. Alcohol seems higher than 7.5% (I’d heard
that this is an imperial....) Complex flavor changes throughout the palate.
Love it.
Kyoto Brewing Hajimemashite
6%
An American Pale Ale, the first
offering from this new brewery. Nice blended hop nose (Cascade, Amarillo, and
some Chinook, according to the brewer). Very hop-forward stuff, with a pleasant
jump of bitterness between the initial and mid palates, with the malt breaking
through later. The finish features medium-strength hop tracks. Very well-hopped
as a pale ale. Delicious. "Pleased to meet you, too!"
Fujizakura Height Mandarina Bavaria 5%
A massively fruity banana nose (the
nose seems to have body and texture). A citrusy opening, quite wheaty, with
light cloves, hisses up into a loud sweet fruitiness in mid palate. A small but
persistent bittering through mid and final. Smooth all the way, great flavors,
and excellent carbonation. A wonderful hefeweizen from Japan’s premier wheat
beer brewer.
Shonan Chocolate Porter
7%
A big, even severe, chocolatey
nose. Chocolate and mild dark roast, fairly light and sweet through mid and
final. Thin-medium body, but very creamy. Impressive aromas. Quite a porter,
really stretching out towards the feel and flavor of a stout.
