Beervana Podacast on Japanese Craft Beer and Cider

The latest installment (#83) of the Beervana Podcast finds Jeff Alworth and Patrick Emerson interviewing Japanese beer maven Red Gillen and cidermaker Nat West about the contemporary Japanese craft beer and cider scene. Give it a listen and you'll learn a lot.

Beervana Podcast, Episode 83: Japanese Craft Beer and Cider

World Craft Beer Tasting 2014

Hats off to Tani Ai, her Craft Beer Base staff, and the numerous volunteers who made the two-day World Craft Beer Tasting, held on September 27 and 28, such a pleasant event.

For its third iteration, this small festival returned to the small park area in front of Osaka’s Nakazakicho Hall, where it was first held in 2012. Last year’s event was at Namba's Minato Riverplace venue, a space much too large for the limited number of attendees, making it feel empty and quiet. This year, the circumference of the Nakazakicho park and the number of brews available seemed just right.

A fine selection of US beers were on offer, as well as some from Scotland, Germany, and Belgium. However, there were only a limited number from Japanese breweries, and many of them were "entry beers," fine for first-time craft beer drinkers but perhps all too familar to most beer geeks. One, however, that looked quite appealing was Umenishiki Wood Finish and Assemblage -- but by the time we got around to asking for it, it had been taken off tap. The staffer simply said, “Come back tomorrow.” Also, the distributor for Stillwater Artisanal Ales had brought a “secret” beer, but it was not being tapped on that first day. In fact, many of the beers on the festival lineup were available on only one of the two days.

There were also several food stalls, handicrafts from a variety of vendors, and a play area for kids. Live music performances took place in the back of the main hall room, thus keeping the rather loud music from the outside beer area. In addition, five lectures were delivered by beer experts and distributors, including one by Osaka’s own Meli Meli, author of Craft Beer in Japan: The Essential Guide.

Here are some of the highlights:

Stone Stochasticity Project Quadrotriticale

Very fruity nose, with an added wheaty note. Peachy, with some even sweeter candyish notes. Fruit blends well thoughout, with a moderate hop jump in mid palate. Interesting mix of rye and wheat. Not quite at quad level of intensity and maybe just a bit too sweet.

Stone 18th Anniversary Golden Brown IPA

Fresh, pleasant West Coasty pungent hop nose, with a lot of caramel behind. Large caramel, which floats in a lighter state, and then comes back with a vengeance. Hops not as assertive as in the aroma.
Quite balanced for this style and for this brewery.

Coronado 18th Anniversary Imperial IPA

Solid caramel nose, a bit of alcohol fumes. Very balanced, with delicious caramel flavors, fruit, and citrusy hopping. Smooth. The alcohol is hidden quite well, in the flavor at least. Balanced at a moderate level of intensity. Very good.

Modern Times Blazing World

Moderate hoppy nose, with peaches, tropical fruit, and even a touch of cow barn. Big caramelly initial. Mixed pine and citrus hopping in mid. Just a bit cloying in mid and final, but not a caramel bomb. Very pleasant mouthfeel. Liked this one a lot.

Modern Times Phalanx

Pungent grassy nose, fresh weeds crushed up in a mortar. Nice light citrusy initial, which sort of goes to an orange soft drink in mid, and returns to form in late mid and final, with fairly scratchy hopping. Medium body, Doesn’t really seem to have such a high IBU level. Unusual, interesting flavors.

Osaka’s Craft Beer Scene Featured in The New York Times / ニューヨーク•タイムズ -- 大阪のクラフトビールシーン

Osaka's still small -- but growing – number of craft beer bars are described in a recent New York Times online article.

More accurately, six of the better beer bars are discussed, all of them in one central area of downtown Osaka and all of which opened just in the past two years or so. The places considered are Beer Belly Tenma, Garage 39, Marciero, Beer Stand Molto, Yellow Ape Craft, and Dig Beer Bar. This is definitely becoming one of the better areas for ji-biiru, and most of these spots are within walking distance of each other.

The writer also samples some of the very good to great beers being produced in Japan, among them Minoh W-IPA, Shiga Kogen Imperial Black IPA, Iwate Kura Weizen, and Fujizakura Weizenbock.

In addition, Mark Meli, author of “Craft Beer in Japan,” provides color commentary and essential background to the author’s observations on the history and growth of the business, as well as the development of beer styles in Japan.

The article appears in the April 27, 2014 edition The New York Times and is available online here: A Craft-Beer Pub Crawl in the ‘Kitchen of Japan’.

Stillwater Artisanal event at dig beer baR 4/18/2014

Brian Strumke, the brewer of Stillwater Artisanal, came to Osaka's dig beer baR (yes, it is written that way) last week for the Japan launch of his beers

One of a fairly limited class of gypsy brewers, itinerant beer-makers who use other breweries facilities and equipment to create their beer, Brian has worked at many places throughout Europe and the United States. Stillwater has been selected as one of RateBeer's Top 100 brewers in the world the past four years in a row.

Brian is in Japan for a number of events, including Tokyo Beer Week, a Meet the Brewer event at Tokyo's Watering Hole, and a simple beer party at Osaka's Asahiya Liquor Shop.

Brian gave a brief talk, in which he explained how he works and why he makes the Belgian-inspired beers that form the the greater part of Stillwater's list.

                                       Brian with Nishio-san of dig beer baR

                                                Brian w/ Albert Kuwano (of AQ Bevolution) translating

I had a chance to speak with him and asked him how he decides where to make his beer.
His answer was simple and judicious: he goes to breweries he admires and with whom he wants to work.

Stillwater's distributor, AQ Bevolution, obtained a good selection of beer for the event, inlcuding Classique, Stateside Saison, Why Can't IBU, Cellar Door, Folklore, As Follows, and Existent.

Here are a few of the beers we sampled and how they shaped up:

Stateside Saison
Mild peach and tangy apples, some funk. Hazy light straw color. Light tangy fruit mix / mid has little spikes of roughness and some light hopping emerges / fades slowly into nips of bittering. Smooth. Very mild and pleasant. 

As Follows 
Fruity aroma, estery, peaches -- similar to Stateside Saison, but bigger. Pale champagne color. Sharp fruit, alc. spiked peaches / yeast and more fruit / some alc. warmth / dry finish. Medium body, warm on the tongue. A kind of blondish fruity tripel.

Why Can't IBU?
Nice floral nose, light peaches and a touch of funk. Cloudy apple juice color. Light tang and good bittering, punchy peach. Thin-medium body, with a yeasty pull. Saison-y... but the hops really come through nicely.

Existent
Dirty dark fruit nose, with esters and some funk. Dark brown with ruby highlights. Nice melange of dark fruits and sweetness / a bit of rude fermented dates / trickles of chocolate with some sourness. Medium body.The flavors are mildly defined and sneak through one by one.

Folklore
Mild fresh-squeezed darks fruit aroma, prune juice, some yeast. Medium dark brown, flat. Light melange of raisins, prunes, and dates. Light chocolate roast emerges in mid palate. Decided alcohol warmth. Medium body and just a little spritzy. Fun on the tongue. A nice take on the Belgian stout style.  

While in Japan, Brian had a chance to make a collaboration brew with Kiuchi Brewery (Hitachino Nest), a blended sake and saison. This should hit the shelves and taps sometime in the next few months. Look for it soon.

 

Scott Brimmer in The Japan Times on Sunday

Last weekend's edition of The Japan Times on Sunday had a very short interview feature on Scott Brimmer, founder and brewmaster of Brimmer Brewing. It is really a party game sort of piece (actually, the section is titled "20 Questions"), with a his answers to some wacky questions, only a few of which deal with beer.

One of the newer microbreweries in Japan, Brimmer Brewing makes a number of solidly-crafted basic styles, including a pale ale, a golden ale, and a porter. These are available at beer festivals and at certain craft beer bars throughout Japan.For more on Brimmer Brewing, click HERE.