Friday, May 13, 2016

Japanese Breweries at the 2016 World Beer Cup


The 2016 World Beer Cup winners were announced on May 6, and nine Japanese breweries won awards.

The WBC, which calls itself "the most prestigious beer competition in the world," and may very well be, has been held every two years since 1996. The awards were given out on the last day of the Brewers Association Craft Brewers Conference at the
Philadelphia Convention Center.

This year’s event was the largest ever: 6,596 beers were entered by 1,907 breweries in 55 countries. A total of 16 countries’ breweries received medals. 44 Japanese breweries sent 135 entries and won nine awards, for a 6.67% success rate.

Here they are:

Gold - Nine-Tailed Fox 
           Nasu Kohgen Beer Co.  Aged Beer (40 entries)
Gold - Arima Japan Ale
           Konishi Brewing Co.  Experimental Beer (86 entries)
Gold - Sakura Mankai Lager 
           Chateau Kamiya Ushiku Brewery  Herb and Spice Beer  (129 entries)
Gold - Arch Devil Imperial Stout
           DevilCraft  British-Style Imperial Stout   (53entries)
Gold - Minoh Beer Stout 
           A·J·I Beer  Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout   (42 entries)

Silver - Asahi The Dream 
            Asahi Breweries  Light Lager   (45 entries)
Silver - IPA 2016 
            Yo-Ho Brewing Co.  American-Style Strong Pale Ale   (118 entries)

Bronze - Iwate Kura Beer Oyster Stout 
              Iwate Kura Beer  Experimental Beer   (86 entries)
Bronze  - Golden Dragon 
                Ise Kadoya Brewery  Session Beer   (34 entries)

This tally is a big uptick from the 2014 competition, from which Japan reaped only three medals.
Compared to four in 2012
and five in 2010
nine in 2008
ten in 2006
five in 2004
two in 2002,
fourteen in 2000
nine in 1998
and one in the inaugural year of 1996.

A number of beer writers took note of Japan’s increased presence on the award stand, one of whom called it “Perhaps the event’s most compelling story...” Perhaps…. there weren’t so many other compelling stories? Another writer claimed Japan is “an up-and-coming beer market…” Those familiar with Japan’s demographics and the long-term decline in alcohol consumption might beg to differ.

In any event, craft beer drinkers in Japan should seek out those medal-winning brews and try a little judging for themselves -- with the exception of Asahi The Dream (nothing special there) and Nasu Kohgen’s Nine-Tailed Fox (you’ll never find it – except maybe at Popeye in Tokyo).

2 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was credentialled into this. I had a few more dollars of credit on Southwest Airlines {it would expire in June}.
    A key element to remember is that all the beers are tasted blind. No one could harbor a grudge against a beer brewed by a macro brewery, whether in Japan or the U.S.A., and down vote that brew. I was impressed by the number of Japanese beers earning medals.

    ReplyDelete