As I mentioned a couple of posts back, the Black Lion in Meguro is having a brown beer festival this coming weekend, the 14th and 15th April. I'll be helping out on the afternoon of the 15th for a few hours. Below is a full list of the 30 beers that will be available over the two days, descriptions in Japanese. The beers have been grouped by organizer Tomo into suggested first beers, second beers, or third beers -- like you're only going to have three?! I have offered in brackets an alternative way of thinking of the beers .
The festival runs from 12 noon each day until 3 am the next day. (Plenty of time to pace yourself through all 30 beers!) Beer is available by the pint or half pint. Note that advance purchase tickets will be available at a slight discount (see earlier post for details).
First beers of a session (lighter, easy drinking session beers)
1.ジョンスミスビター /John Smith Extra Smooth Bitter /3.8%
イギリスを代表する世界売上Ｎｏ.１エール滑らかな泡とビターな舌触りとフルーティーな後味が魅力。
２．キルケニーアイリシュレッドエール /Kilkenny Irish Red Ale/ 4.4%
キルケニーとは、アイルランドのダブリンの郊外にある町の名前で、その町の教会で造られていたビールです。
３.バスペールエール/Bass Pale Ale/5.1%
上面発酵独特のコクとキレ、繊細な泡たち、香ばしい深い香り。その豊かな味わいと風味をお楽しみ下さい。
４.ひでじスモーキングエール/Hideji Beer Smoking Mole Ale/4.2%
葉巻をくわえた陽気な葉巻をくわえた陽気なもぐらがイメージのコクと香りのエール。造りたてはフレッシュホップとモルトの香り、１ヶ月後には芳醇さを味わえる変化するエール。
５.世嬉の一レッドエール/Sekinoichi Red Ale/5%
スコットランドタイプのビールです。深みのある赤褐色が特徴のビールです。ほのかな甘味が特徴。にがみは少なめで飲みやすいビールです。
６.ベアードビール「ザ・プロフェッサー」ミュンヘンデュンケル/Baird Beer's The Professor Munich Dunkel/4.9%
ザ・プロフェッサー ミュンヘンデュンケルは、ドイツ産のミュンヘン、ピルスナー、ウィーン、キャラード等のモルトを使用し醸造した。
７.ベアレンビター/Baeren Bitter/4.5%
華やかなホップの香り、軽やかな口当たりと後口に来る爽やかな苦味、本場イギリスの味わいをお楽しみいただけます。ベアレン唯一のライト・エール
８.サンクトガーレンペールエール/Sanktgallen Pale Ale
強いホップフレーバーと香りの爽やかなビール。 アメリカンペールエールは、アメリカのクラフトビールブームの中で生まれ、世界中のビールファンに支持されている新しいスタイルで、強力なアメリカンホップのキャラクターと強い苦味が特徴です。
９.博石館ペールエール/Hakusekikan Pale Ale/5％
苦味を効かせたビール通のためのビール。麦芽のブレンドによって醸される香ばしいコクと風味に加えほどよく効いた苦みが食欲をかき立ててくれます
１０.多摩の恵ペールエール/Ishikawa Pale Ale/5%
フルーティーな香りが特徴の上面発酵ビール
１１.湘南ビールアルト/Shonan Beer Altbier/5%
ドイツのデュッセルドルフで発展した濃色ビール。湘南の夕陽をイメージした上面発酵ビールでフルーティーな香り、ライトな飲み口で食中酒としてもおすすめです。
１２.会津麦酒アンバーエール/Aizu Beer Amber Ale/4.5%
琥珀色をしたアンバーエール。ホップの苦みを抑え、モルトの甘みと後口の味わいをすっきりと出しています。特に女性に大人気です。
Second beers of a session (mid strength, fuller-flavored beers)
１３.ヴァイエンシュテファンヘフェウ゛ァイスドゥンケル/Weihenstephan Hefeweissbier Dunkel/5.3%
ドイツ南部にあるバイエルン州政府に属しており、現存する最も古いビール製造社でありながら最新の設備を所有しております。
１４.志賀高原インディアンペールエール/Shigakougen IPA/6%
ホップの香りと苦みが強めの、インパクトのある味わいは、スパイシーな料理等との相性も良好。個性がありながらも癖になる味わいです。
１５.レフブラウン/Leffe Brune/6.5%
焙煎したモルトを使用しているため深い茶色をしています。フルボディーでほのかにフルーツの香りが漂います。
１６.富士桜高原麦酒ラオホ/Fujizakura Rauchbier/5.5%
ドイツのバンベルグ特産のビールです。ラオホとは“薫煙”という意味です。麦芽を乾燥させるときにスモークしますので、独特の香りと味を楽しめます。
１７.ネストジャパニーズ・クラシック・エール/Nest Beer Japanese Classic Ale/6%
１８５３年に醸造された日本最初のビールをイメージして造った、アメリカ輸出用の杉樽熟成IPAです。
１８.リーフマンス・オード・ブラウン(ベルジャンブラウンエール)/Liefmans Oud Bruin (Belgian Brown Ale)/6%
ローデンバッハ醸造所から譲り受けた酵母を培養し、開放式の発酵釜にて醸造される
１９.オゼノユキドケブラウンバイツェン/Ozeno Yukidoke Brown Wiezen/5％
小麦麦芽と焙煎した濃色大麦麦芽を使った気品あるブラウン色のビール。まろやかでコクのある味とローストの香ばしい香りをお楽しみください。
２０.南信州インディアンペールエール/Minami Shinshu IPA/6％
アルプスの雪解け水から生まれました。駒ケ岳醸造所で醸造される仲間たちですアロマホップを豊富に使用しすっきりした苦味が特徴
２１.エチゴインディアンペールエール/Echigo IPA
大量のホップを使用した苦味の強いビール
２２.多摩の恵ミュンヘナーダーク/Ishikawa Munich Dark Lager/5%
黒褐色でコクのある下面発酵ビール
２３.スワンレイクブラウンエール/Swan Lake Brown Ale/5%
芳醇なモルトの風味が感じられ、アメリカンホップによる柑橘系の香りと爽やかな苦味が心地の良い飲料感を演出します。
２４.会津麦酒ベートベン/Aizu Beer Beethoven Marzen/6%
会 津風雅堂開館10周年を記念して2004年11月に開催された会津市民交響楽団の第九演奏会を祝して醸造されたウィン風ダークラガー（メルツェン）。当初 は限定醸造品でしたが、あまりに評判が良いのでラインナップに加えました。フルーティーな香味とホップがもたらす喉越しの良さが特徴で、何杯でもするする と飲めてしまいます。アルコール分はやや高めですが、酔い心地、酔い覚めとも大変すっきりと爽やかです。
Third beers of a session (strong, robust beers for the fireside)
２５.箕面ダブルIPA/Minoh Double IPA/ 9%
期間限定醸造のシーズナルビールです。DOUBLE IPAはただ苦いだけではなく、深みと香りも楽しんでいただける自信作です。じっくり味わってください。
２６.富士桜高原麦酒桜ボック/Fujizakura Doppelbock/8%
通常のビールの約２倍の麦芽を使用し、長期熟成させたこのビールは、ドイツではドッペルボック(ダブルボック)と呼ばれ、甘み・苦味・香りのバランスがとれたフルボディーのビールです。
２７.ネストベ゛ルジャン・ダーク・ストロング/Nest Beer Belgian Dark Strong/8%
長期熟成用高アルコールタイプのXH（エキストラ・ハイ）を、オーク樽で２ヶ月間熟成させました
２８.クー・デ・シャルル・ブラウン(ベルジャンレッドビール)/Queue de Charrue Bruin (Belgian Red Ale)/5.4%
ヴェルハーゲ醸造所にて醸造されるベルジャン・レッドビールの最高傑作オーク樽にて１年弱発酵をさせ、独特の酸味と葡萄のような甘みを持つ。
２９．セント・ベルナルデュス アブト/St.Bernardus Abbott/10%
世 界一のビールとして知られる「ウエストフレテレン アブト」を醸造する「セント・シクステュス修道院」よりライセンスを与えられ、ベルギー初の修道院ビール「セント・シクステュス」が醸造された。その中で も「アブト」は修道院長を意味し、最高級品。契約の終了した今でも世界一の味わいは受け継がれ、ウエストフレテレンにはない樽生も存在する。要は世界一う まい？
３０.ローグデッドガイエール/Rogue Dead Guy Ale/6.5%
２００５年ワールドビールチャンピオン シップ銀賞の逸品、ドイツスタイルの最良のボックタイプでこの醸造所独自の“ＰacMan”という酵母を使用、ＩＢＵ（ホップによる苦味）は３０ありま す。 (Note: I would suggest this belongs in the "second beer" category.)
Monday, April 9, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Me three!
Stephen Beaumont gives the copy cat syndrome of Irish/British bars a spray. Couldn't agree more. It is exactly the same here in Japan. Bar managers tend to be an unimaginative lot not especially interested in promoting local craft beer. They don't know much about it, it requires too much hard work, the margins are lower and/or over-the-counter prices are higher, and they are worried about wasting valuable tap space on a potentially slow-moving product. Much easier and safer to go with the Guinness, Kilkenny, Bass triumvarate.
But times have changed and are changing still. Of course, like anywhere, there are dedicated craft beer bars like Popeye, Ushi-Tora, and Kura Kura all doing their bit for Japanese craft beer. But it is the neighbourhood and big chain English/Irish pubs that really need to have a good hard think about themselves. As Stan Heironymous mentions in his response to Stephen's post, places that offer something a bit interesting and surpising are the ones who will differentiate themselves and attract those customers who are looking for that something more.
One minor problem here in Japan is the up and down quality of the craft beer breweries. You really do need to be careful and discerning about what you select to put on offer. Despite there being probably hundreds of small breweries, you could count on a butcher's hand the number that have a reputation for reliably producing remarkable beer. So it is certainly a bit of a tough old job for the average bar manager to sort through the chaff to find something worthy of showcasing as a "beer de jour". And aside from the bar's considerations, it will also be counterproductive to the craft beer industry if crap "ji-biiru" from one of the many clueless operators is set up as a representative of what craft beer is all about.
Nevertheless, in this competitive market, I predict that more pubs are going to see the light and start offering more and more unusual or guest beers. Yona Yona has gradually penetrated the market and even comes in a hand pumped format at a number of places. A couple of places have even entered into arrangements with breweries to offer a house ale. These are promising signs of a desire to differentiate.
But times have changed and are changing still. Of course, like anywhere, there are dedicated craft beer bars like Popeye, Ushi-Tora, and Kura Kura all doing their bit for Japanese craft beer. But it is the neighbourhood and big chain English/Irish pubs that really need to have a good hard think about themselves. As Stan Heironymous mentions in his response to Stephen's post, places that offer something a bit interesting and surpising are the ones who will differentiate themselves and attract those customers who are looking for that something more.
One minor problem here in Japan is the up and down quality of the craft beer breweries. You really do need to be careful and discerning about what you select to put on offer. Despite there being probably hundreds of small breweries, you could count on a butcher's hand the number that have a reputation for reliably producing remarkable beer. So it is certainly a bit of a tough old job for the average bar manager to sort through the chaff to find something worthy of showcasing as a "beer de jour". And aside from the bar's considerations, it will also be counterproductive to the craft beer industry if crap "ji-biiru" from one of the many clueless operators is set up as a representative of what craft beer is all about.
Nevertheless, in this competitive market, I predict that more pubs are going to see the light and start offering more and more unusual or guest beers. Yona Yona has gradually penetrated the market and even comes in a hand pumped format at a number of places. A couple of places have even entered into arrangements with breweries to offer a house ale. These are promising signs of a desire to differentiate.
Homebrew Hanami
Hanami ostensibly means "flower viewing" in Japanese. But it really means waiting for all the sakura to bloom so that all and sundry can pour into the parks with the perfect excuse to eat and drink to excess and behave abominably.BEERS organised a hanami in Yoyogi Park for the second year in a row. Last year a few of us brought a few bottles of homebrew. Somehow this year it turned into a bit of an extravaganza with five 11-L party kegs of beer that was as good as any you'd find in any brewpub. There was a superbly crafted ordinary bitter and biere de garde by anonymous brew guru #1, a Hefeweizen and a Helles lager by anonymous up and coming all-grain brew guru #2, and a low carbonated APA by yours truly and my trusty brewing partner, the anonymous man in the psychodelic T-shirt. That's me with my APA in the photo (cute gloves huh?). I don't know how Hymie the android got admitted, but being a robot he probably didn't drink much. It was a very fun, very cool event (in more ways than one) drinking some great home-made craft beer. I'm already looking forward to next year!
And a big shout out to Rei-chan for the photo!
Friday, March 23, 2007
Real Ale at BEERS
Last night's monthly BEERS meeting presented members with a "real" treat in the form of two familiar craft beers served as real ale by gravity pour. The beers were accompanied by the brewer, Toshi Ishii from Ya-ho brewing in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. Toshi used to work at Stone Brewing in California. He gave us a talk about real ale and talked a little about the two beers. As an added "treat", the casks in which the beers were presented were oak pins (4.5 UK gallons) without any inner liner (more on this later).
Beer number one was Yona Yona, familiar to most if not all beer fans in Japan. An American pale ale style, it was dry hopped in the cask. With the absence of carbonation, the beer was beautifully smooth and the floral Cascade hop character was a delight as it danced upon a slightly sweet, malt stage.
Beer number two was Ya-ho's Tokyo Black Ale, a classic example of the porter style that was popular among London's working classes in the 19th century and from which stout evolved. The Tokyo Black had a slightly higher amount of carbonation than the Yona Yona, providing a slight carbonic tickle on the tongue, but it was still very much a real ale. Tokyo Black is a superb beer to drink as real ale. It is rich and smooth and roasty, but with very rounded corners and none of the burnt, dry flavor typical of stout. (A tip when buying Tokyo Black Ale in the can is to pour it a few minutes before drinking. Carefully stir with a spoon or swirl the glass to release excess CO2 and allow it to warm to around 12 degrees C. The resulting taste experience will be vastly superior to an over-chilled, fully-carbonated version). Bryan Harrel in Brews News #75 described it as: "Near black, opaque, dark tan short-lived head. Faint subdued aromas of dried fruit, sweet coffee and chocolate cake. Smooth mouthfeel with rich, dark malt flavors, but very little deep roast bitterness. A session ale for dark-beer lovers." He gave it four stars out of five. As real ale it gets an easy five, if not six!
Some questions during the presentation led to a lot of discussion about packaging craft beer in bottles versus cans, and whether there is any difference. The discussion seemed to lurch away from real ale and led me to ask Toshi what the benefit is of conditioning real ales in wood compared to the more common stainless steel casks that are common in the UK. And would any differences become more evident over time? The answer seemed to be that it was, er, too difficult to answer. So perhaps the benefit is mainly aesthetic and spiritual rather than for any tangible taste difference. Certainly oak casks are much more expensive and the beer in them is more difficult to maintain in good condition in the cellar, so if tangible taste benefits are so difficult to identify, then it is no wonder that Yona Yona is the only brewery in Japan with wooden casks, and that even in the UK there are only eight breweries with wooden casks. In short, it is for the purists, and even then, as Toshi intimated, reserved for special occasions like beer shows (and BEERS meetings!)
Rob Barrow, a craft beer expert from the UK, was also in attendance and shared some insights into the real ale scene (did somebody mention CAMRA) in the old dart. We heard about how CAMRA are very particular about what is and isn't considered kosher in the world of real ale. They frown upon cask breathers, a device that allows CO2 or a cellar mix (CO2 + N2) to replace drawn off beer in the cask and thus protect the remaining beer from oxidation. They are also agin sparklers, a little plastic device that is inserted into the pouring spout to inrease head formation by knocking CO2 out of solution (and flavour with it). The session was rounded out by some informal social mingling until the casks were all-too-soon emptied.
After the meeting, Tod, Jim and I popped into Towers near Tokyo station, a "hole-in-the-wall" bar that, in its own small way, champions craft beer. An ambition we should all hold. We tried a regular hand pumped "real ale" Yona Yona and found it quite insipid compared to its dry-hopped sibling we had just been drinking. After some lively banter with the other patrons (well, one in particular), we sauntered off into the night, satisfied with our evening of drinking good beer.
Beer number one was Yona Yona, familiar to most if not all beer fans in Japan. An American pale ale style, it was dry hopped in the cask. With the absence of carbonation, the beer was beautifully smooth and the floral Cascade hop character was a delight as it danced upon a slightly sweet, malt stage.
Beer number two was Ya-ho's Tokyo Black Ale, a classic example of the porter style that was popular among London's working classes in the 19th century and from which stout evolved. The Tokyo Black had a slightly higher amount of carbonation than the Yona Yona, providing a slight carbonic tickle on the tongue, but it was still very much a real ale. Tokyo Black is a superb beer to drink as real ale. It is rich and smooth and roasty, but with very rounded corners and none of the burnt, dry flavor typical of stout. (A tip when buying Tokyo Black Ale in the can is to pour it a few minutes before drinking. Carefully stir with a spoon or swirl the glass to release excess CO2 and allow it to warm to around 12 degrees C. The resulting taste experience will be vastly superior to an over-chilled, fully-carbonated version). Bryan Harrel in Brews News #75 described it as: "Near black, opaque, dark tan short-lived head. Faint subdued aromas of dried fruit, sweet coffee and chocolate cake. Smooth mouthfeel with rich, dark malt flavors, but very little deep roast bitterness. A session ale for dark-beer lovers." He gave it four stars out of five. As real ale it gets an easy five, if not six!
Some questions during the presentation led to a lot of discussion about packaging craft beer in bottles versus cans, and whether there is any difference. The discussion seemed to lurch away from real ale and led me to ask Toshi what the benefit is of conditioning real ales in wood compared to the more common stainless steel casks that are common in the UK. And would any differences become more evident over time? The answer seemed to be that it was, er, too difficult to answer. So perhaps the benefit is mainly aesthetic and spiritual rather than for any tangible taste difference. Certainly oak casks are much more expensive and the beer in them is more difficult to maintain in good condition in the cellar, so if tangible taste benefits are so difficult to identify, then it is no wonder that Yona Yona is the only brewery in Japan with wooden casks, and that even in the UK there are only eight breweries with wooden casks. In short, it is for the purists, and even then, as Toshi intimated, reserved for special occasions like beer shows (and BEERS meetings!)
Rob Barrow, a craft beer expert from the UK, was also in attendance and shared some insights into the real ale scene (did somebody mention CAMRA) in the old dart. We heard about how CAMRA are very particular about what is and isn't considered kosher in the world of real ale. They frown upon cask breathers, a device that allows CO2 or a cellar mix (CO2 + N2) to replace drawn off beer in the cask and thus protect the remaining beer from oxidation. They are also agin sparklers, a little plastic device that is inserted into the pouring spout to inrease head formation by knocking CO2 out of solution (and flavour with it). The session was rounded out by some informal social mingling until the casks were all-too-soon emptied.
After the meeting, Tod, Jim and I popped into Towers near Tokyo station, a "hole-in-the-wall" bar that, in its own small way, champions craft beer. An ambition we should all hold. We tried a regular hand pumped "real ale" Yona Yona and found it quite insipid compared to its dry-hopped sibling we had just been drinking. After some lively banter with the other patrons (well, one in particular), we sauntered off into the night, satisfied with our evening of drinking good beer.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Red Miso Lager Beer
Miso paste in a beer? Red miso paste? Apparently the Morita Kinshachi Beer Co. Ltd of Nagoya thinks it is a fair and proper thing to foist upon the public. I saw it in the Foodshow (basement level) liquor section of the Tokyu Department Store at Shibuya Station yesterday, first thought phht, and finally decided, oh what the hell, I've just run a marathon, I might as well give this a try. I was not expecting much though, as other attempts by Japanese craft brewers to incorporate indiginous ingredients with their brews have left me a little less than whelmed.Tasting notes
Appearance was a very dark brown transluscent colour with ruby hints. Off-white head and subdued carbonation.
Aroma was a rich prune-like vinous aroma. Nothing really punched me in the nose and shouted "aka miso" at me. No hop aroma.
Fairly clean lightish body at first, very malty and assertively rich and meaty in the back palate. But still no standout flavour that would make you say, "hey, red miso!" At 6% abv, I basically would put this down as a pretty standard, actually quite good, Bock beer. I wasn't knocked out at the first sip, but by the last I could have easily opened another bottle.
Overall score 7.5/10. (maybe another 0.5 for the label).
Monday, March 12, 2007
Ya-ho Brewing Bier de Garde
I think this must almost be a first among Japanese breweries, a Bier de Garde! The Karuizuwa-based Ya-Ho Brewing Company, makers of the deliciously American hopped Yona Yona, have released several seasonals at different times. I am especially fond of their India pale ale, but a Scotch ale they produce is also a beautiful beer. So when I was browsing the craft beer section of the basement-level Foodshow beneath Shibuya station yesterday, this new color scheme can caught my eye. "Ho ho, what have Ya-Ho produced now?" I asked myself. Upon closer scrutiny of the lable I was surprised to see the words Biere de Garde pop out at me. "Wow, that's brave!" I thought to myself. "Fancy going to market with something as obscure as that!"But head brewer Ishii Toshi is not exactly known for a lack of willingness to challenge the Japanese craft beer market with new beer. He has been championing real ale for several years now, after all.
Biere de Garde is a beer style from northern France. The name translates as "beer to keep". It is usually robustly malty, not lacking in hop flavour, and is said to have a musty, earthy character that can be difficult to replicate when brewed with conventional modern brewing practises. This one was pretty much true to this description. A rich golden color, certainly a very full caramelly malt profile with some subdued but noticeable noble hops rounding out the flavour. But wait, there is a little more. A faintly earthy breadiness. Wow, Ishii-san has pretty much nailed this style. It'd be interesting to track down a bottle of Jenlain and drink them side by side. A robust lager-ish beer at 6% abv, this would stand up to some good hearty food. Highly recommended!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Brown Lion, Brown Beer
A pub in my neighbourhood called the Black Lion has been running a three-part series of mini beer festivals. The first one was titled "Black, Lion Black Beer", the second "White Lion, White Beer," and the third one, scheduled for April 14 & 15 '07, will be called "Brown Lion, Brown Beer".
I reviewed the White Beer fest in the March issue of Brews News (coming to this link soon). My bottom line conclusion was that I strongly support the idea of these small-scale, themed beer festivals. Tomo at the Black Lion has put together good selections of Japanese craft brews and imported beers allowing us to sample Japanese craft beers alongside examples of the style originating from their "home" province. For example, at the "white" day, classic German hefewizens from Germany beside locally-produced examples (but he missed an opportunity to compare Hitachino Nest White Ale with the Celis White and St. Bernado's White that the had on tap -- never mind, there is always room for improvement).
I hope the Black Lion or similar venues take up Tomo's very innovative and creative foray into the promotion of good beer in Japan. Every little bit helps push back the dark shroud of Sapasakirisun that hangs over the land. A key bit of information is that Tomo is offering a price saving for advance ticket purchases up until the 13th April: 3 x half pints for 1300 yen (1500 yen on the day) or 3 x pints for 2500 yen (2700 yen on the day).
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