Tag Archives: Beer Breweries

Baird Beer, Bars, Beer, Beer Brewery, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/08/13): Celebrating Classic German Beer — Kellerhelles and Export Lager

August 14, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Celebrating Classic German Beer — Kellerhelles and Export Lager

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

We have said it many times — beer is the most varied and diverse beverage on earth. The proof, of course, is in the drinking. On the heels of last week’s release of two summer-harvest fruit fermented ales, we are pleased this week to release two classic styles of German lager — Kellerhelles and Export Lager.

New Seasonal Baird Beer Releases:
*Baird Kellerhelles (5.5%):

Bavaria is one of the great beer regions of the world. It is long reknowned for its dark lagers (dunkel) and wheat beers (wiessbier). Pale lagers (helles) are a somewhat more recent tradition, the first one having been brewed, it is thought, in Munich by the Spaten brewery in the 1890s. Today, the Helles Lager style is ubiquitous in the beer halls of Bavaria.

Baird Kellerhelles (’keller’ meaning ‘cellar’ and refering to beers that are not clarified or pasteurized) enjoys a wholesome bread-like malt flavor that is leavened perfectly by a delicately floral hop character. It would be hard to find a beverage that better refreshers and refurbishes the drinker on hot summer day.

Baird Export Lager (5.5%):

Bavaria is not the only region of Germany with a storied brewing tradition. The city of Dortmund in Westphalia has a brewing history dating back to the 13th century when it began supplying towns and cities in and about the region with a rich and full-bodied lager beer that become known as ‘Export Lager.’ Beer historian Michael Jackson describes Dortmunder export lager as “less fragrant than a true Pilsner, but still dry; firmer in its maltiness than a Munich lager; slightly stronger than either.”

Baird Export Lager takes its inspiration from this Dortmunder style, combining depth of flavor with a brisk and refreshing character. The high quality of our soft Numazu water I think really stands out in this well-rounded lager.

Kellerhelles and Export Lager are available for immediate release in Japan — both in kegs and bottles. They begin pouring from our Taproom taps tonight (Tuesday, August 13).

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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BULA KANA in Fiji
Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

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-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
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-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in kanzai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

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Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Samurai Surfer Beer Black

August 10, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Just imagine a samurai surfing on the waves of Suruga Bay in Shizuoka Prefecture!
Samurai Surfer Beer is an offshoot of a Tokyo-based brewery called Nihon Beer Co but it is run apparently in a more or less independent manner and can be considered as the newest and tenth craftbeer brewery in Shizuoka Prefecture.

I know a lot of collectors who will want this label!
It is located in Numazu City, at the foot of Mount Fuji, a fishing town made internationally famous by the like of Baird Beer/Baird Brewing Company run by Bryan Baird from the US.
Samurai Surfer Beer so far has come into the shape of two brews and this is one of them called “BLACK”.

Product name: Samurai Surfer Beer Black
Contents volume: 330 ml
Alcohol: 7%
Ingredients: Grain, hops, yeast, water

Clarity: Opaque, but very clean
Colour: Blackish brown
Foam: Very fine, but light and airy lingering on for quite a while
Aroma: Assertive at first but elegant. Bread, caramel.
Taste: Very refreshing and fruity but deep well-rounded attack after a quick passage through a light foam.
Bread, caramel, roasted grains/nuts, hints of oranges, coffee beans, dark chocolate and nuts.
Stays dry on the palate but with plenty of depth and welcome acidity.
Solid, reliable and deeply satisfying.
Lingers for a while on the palate with strong hints of caramel.
Thoroughly enjoyable on its own as well as with any food.

Overall: Lighter and more elegant than expected for a dark beer.
Very satisfying. its relative lightness makes it a porter beer enjoyable by both genders at any time of the afternoon and evening and night.
A delightful surprise!
A note of caution: the strong alcohol will catch up on you later! LOL

SAMURAI SURFER BEER
Shizuoka Prefecture, Numazu City, Shimokanuki, Shimoshooji, 3140-5
Tel.: 055-933-1032
HOMEPAGE (Japanese only)

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-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Baird Beer, Bars, Beer, Beer Brewery, 美食, Drinks, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Beer, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/08/05): Two Summer Seasonal Releases: Japan Tale Ale & Asian Beauty Biwa Ale

August 5, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Two Summer Seasonal Releases: Japan Tale Ale & Asian Beauty Biwa Ale

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

One of the great gifts of the summer season surely is nature’s bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Two local fruits, harvested in early summer, are of particular appeal to us because of their usefulness as adjunct ingredients in beer: ume and biwa. Fresh, whole, non-processed fruit that is added to either wort or beer and then subject to the fermentation process can lend wonderfully bright, yet subtle and nuanced, flavors to the final brew.

We are thrilled to share our enthusiasm for this type of locally harvested, in-season fruit beer brewing with you through the release of two classic Baird Beer summer seasonals: Japan Tale Ale and Asian Beauty Biwa Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Japan Tale Ale 2013 (5.5%):

Brewed with a host of indigenous Japanese ingredients (un-malted wheat, korizato sugar, fresh ume plums and, of course, lovely soft Numazu water) Japan Tale Ale is lightly hopped, pleasantly tart and extremely refreshing. It’s hazy, milky-white color and snow-white foam collar are reminiscent of a Belgian witbier. It drinks, though, like a beer version of a well-made ume sour (a popular drink served in traditional Japanese pubs that is made with distilled shochu and plums and served carbonated on ice).

We are now accepting orders for Japan Tale Ale 2013. Shipments from the Numazu brewery will begin Tuesday, August 6. It will begin pouring from the taps of our Taproom pubs tonight (Monday, August 5). It is available in limited quantity in both kegs and bottles.

*Asian Beauty Biwa Ale 2013 (5.5%):

Biwa is “the small, yellow, edible, plum-like fruit of the loquat tree.” We had no idea what it was until our partner-friend-carpenter-farmer, Nagakura-san, brought some in several years ago for us to taste and then brew with. It is an extremely subtle fruit that harmonizes sweetness with tartness. Asian Beauty Biwa Ale is coyly fruity, spritely effervescent and delicately firm — like a true Asian beauty!

We are now accepting orders for Asian Beauty Ale 2013. Shipments from the Numazu brewery will begin Tuesday, August 6. It will begin pouring from the taps of our Taproom pubs tonight (Wednesday, August 7). It is available in limited quantity in both kegs and bottles.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/08/01): Harajuku Taproom 4th Anniversary

August 5, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Harajuku Taproom 4th Anniversary
Dear Taproom Friends and Baird Beer Enthusiasts,

Thank you all for helping us celebrate the Fishmarket Taproom’s 13th anniversary last month. But don’t put down those glasses yet! Harajuku Taproom will be celebrating its 4th Anniversary this weekend (Saturday, August 3rd and Sunday, August 4th)! Events are rare for our youngest taproom, so we always plan to go big for our anniversary bash! First, we have the release of Harajuku Taproom’s Special Anniversary Lemon Lager, which will be followed by a list of seasonal Baird favorites including:
Bakayaro Strong Ale
Temple Garden Yuzu Ale
Cool Breeze Pils
The one-keg only early release of Japan Tale Ale
The Harajuku Taproom and Alias Collaboration Beer: Second Strike Apple Ale
Summer Mikan Ale
And of course, Baird Brewing’s full lineup of year-round beers!

Many of these are one-keg only, so don’t miss your chance to get a taste of these fantastic seasonal treats!

The kitchen will also be preparing special anniversary dishes. This year, our famous anniversary gyoza will feature Iberico pork! Portions are limited, so we apologize if we run out early! Besides our delicious yakitori, kushi-katsu and sashimi are just a couple of the special dishes we will have to offer this weekend, so make sure to grab a bite with your beer!

In order to accommodate as many guests as we can, we will create standing-only sections as well. We thank you for your cooperation! So come on down to Harajuku and help us celebrate our 4th! The Taproom staff are ready to make sure you have a great time!

See you there!

Bryan

Harajuku Taproom
Harajuku 4th Anniversary
Saturday, August 3rd and Sunday, August 4th
Open from 12:00 – 24:00

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/07/19): Seasonal Release: Fish-Tap 13 Aroma Hop Ale; FT 13th Birthday Celebration

July 23, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Seasonal Release: Fish-Tap 13 Aroma Hop Ale; FT 13th Birthday Celebration

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

It is hard to believe that thirteen years have passed since Sayuri and I opened the doors of the Numazu Fishmarket Taproom on July 20, 2000. We had no Baird Beer on tap (our brewing license was yet to be granted), only Hoegaarden White and Guinness. We were excited and nervous, optimistic and fearful. The implications of pursuing a dream and not succeeding were too dark to fully contemplate. The first customers of the day were, to no one’s surprise, the carpenter, Nagakura-san, and his wife Shoko-chan. Their presence was both calming and reassuring. The first beer poured was Hoegaarden White; the first food delivered was Sayuri’s Parmesan chicken salad. We were officially in the restaurant and beer business!

The path to sustainable success though would prove long and arduous, more so than we ever imagined. While a deep passion for and conviction in the business helped to sustain us through the very lean early years, the real source of our fortitude was the extreme high quality of our small but loyal customer base. Our Taproom customers became our friends and cheerleaders and literally willed the business forward. Thank you for your long-time support and friendship. You are an integral part of the Baird Beer family.

In celebration of the Fishmarket Taproom’s thirteenth birthday we we have brewed a special beer — Fish-Tap 13 Aroma Hop Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Release:
*Fish-Tap 13 Aroma Hop Ale (6.5%):

This quenching and stealthily strong golden ale is brewed exclusively with low- to medium-level alpha-acid hops that are known not for their bittering potential but rather for their aromatic quality. The six varieties used are US Cascade, NZ Motueka, English East Kent Golding, Slovenian Styrian Golding, German Spalter and Czechoslovakian Saaz. Calculated kettle IBUs from these aroma hop additions come to 40. Double dry-hopping in the post-fermentation conditioning tank, though, is what contributes the glorious bouquet — herbal, floral and just a touch earthy. The earthiness is enhanced by fermentation with our Belgian yeast strain, which leaves the beer bone-dry in the finish.

Fish-Tap 13 Aroma Hop Ale will begin pouring at all of our Taprooms on Saturday, July 20. It is available also for immediate shipment to Baird Beer supporting pubs and restaurants throughout Japan. This birthday beer is draught-only (no bottles — sorry!). Our brewery is small and, as always, quantities are limited. Orders will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Upcoming Taproom Event:
*Numazu Fishmarket Taproom 13-Year Birthday Celebration (Saturday-Sunday, July 20-21):

Please join us this weekend in Numazu for a two-day birthday celebration. The festivities kick off at 11:00 am Saturday in the brewery parking lot with the tapping of the final keg of Morning Coffee Stout 2012. Barbecuing in the parking lot will begin at noon, at which time the Fishmarket Taproom will open its doors. The first brewery tour also will start at noon. Weekend party highlights include:

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/07/12): Seasonal Release: Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale

July 12, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Seasonal Release: Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

That zesty Lemon Wit we recently released really hits the spot on these sultry summer days, doesn’t it? Well, so to does our fruited Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale which we are happy to release today.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Release:
*Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale 2013 (ABV 5.5%):

A summer mikan (natsumikan) is a grapefruit-like citrus fruit that is tart and sweetly sour in flavor and wonderfully aromatic. The only fruit to make it through the doors of the Baird Brewery, of course, is fresh whole fruit recently plucked from the land. The natsumikan fruit we use is home-grown here in Shizuoka prefecture. The bounty of fruit is painstakingly hand-processed by the Baird Brewery team before its introduction into the brewhouse and then again in the cellar. You can taste the freshness and wholesomeness of the natsumikan fruit in each sip of this extraordinarily piquant brew.

The refreshing citrus character of Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale is not supplied by fruit alone, however. The natsumikan fruit is complemented beautifully by deft additions of four citrusy-spicy American hop varieties: Summit, Simcoe, Citra and Centennial. Additions of wheat (malted and unmalted) to the grist helps to further accent the natural fruit character. The quenchingly brisk and tart result is summer paradise in a glass!

Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale 2013 is available in both kegs and bottles (360 ml) for immediate release.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/07/05): New Summer Seasonals; Fish-Tap Turning 13

July 12, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

New Summer Seasonals; Fish-Tap Turning 13

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Although the rainy season lingers here in Japan, the summer heat and humidity are not proving deferential — they have crashed the party. We greet these summer weather twins with the perfect beer antidote: Baird Lemon Wit.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Release:
*Baird Lemon Wit (4.5%):

A ‘Witbier’ is a Belgian ale style whose hallmark ingredient is unmalted wheat. In addition to lending a light and wholesome taste character, unmalted wheat also contributes a hazy white color to the beer (’wit’ literally meaning ‘white’). Belgian-style witbiers also tend to be spiced, most commonly with curacao orange peel and coriander. The result is a sprite, quenching and playfully effervescent brew that is an ideal summer session ale.

Baird Lemon Wit is brewed in this Belgian tradition only with a local twist — we spice with Japanese sansho rather than coriander and use the peels (and juice) of locally grown lemons rather than curacao oranges. The unmalted wheat we use (as 25% of the grist) is grown domestically in Chiba prefecture. The taste? Bright and tart, crisp and refreshing.

Baird Lemon Wit is available both in kegs and bottles for immediate release. It begins pouring from the taps of our Taproom pubs tonight (Friday, July 5). Those visiting a Taproom pub this weekend will also be greeted by two other new and limited release (Taproom-only, draught-only) seasonal specials — Faded Glory Pale Mild (3.2%) and Shohei’s First (5.8%). The former is a classic English-style Mild pulled as you would expect in real ale fashion through our Taproom hand-pumps. Faded Glory is the ultimate session ale. The latter is the first go at a bit of recipe formulation by the newest member of our brewing team — Shohei Taguchi (formerly of Yoho Brewing in Nagano prefecture). Shohei’s First is a sort of hoppy Golden Ale that features Southern hemisphere (New Zealand) hops — Motueka, Wakatu, Nelson Sauvin and Cascade (dry-hopping with Motueka and Wakatu). It you happen across our lanky new brewer enjoying his namesake brew this weekend, give him a pat on the back and welcome him to the Baird Beer family.

Upcoming Taproom Event:
*Numazu Fishmarket Taproom 13-Year Birthday Celebration (Saturday-Sunday, July 20-21):

Sayuri and I first opened the doors of the Fishmarket Taproom on Saturday July 20, 2000. It is hard to believe that our baby is about to become a teenager! Despite her increasingly sassy impertinence, we still love her and will be celebrating her birthday next weekend. Celebration highlights include:

11:00 AM (Saturday 7/20) kick-off in the brewery parking lot with the tapping of Morning Coffee Stout 2013
Brewery parking lot BBQ (11:00 AM – 5:00 PM Saturday; Noon – 5:00 PM Sunday)
Brewer-guided brewery tours at noon, 2:00 and 4:00 each day
Special tappings of various cellared brews (Daidai IPA, Carpenter’s Mikan Ale, Bakayaro!, Second Strike Apple Ale, Kiwi IPA, Saison Sayuri and more!)
Debut of Fish-Tap 13 Anniversary Ale
Phenomenal lineup of celebration food and BBQ delights
The doors of the Fishmarket Taproom will open each day at noon (food last order @ 22:00; drink last order @23:30). All beer and food items will be 500 yen (beers to be served in our take-out bura-bura cups). Kindly mark your calendar and plan to join us for what promises to be a most festive birthday celebration!

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Baird Beer, Bars, Beer, Beer Brewery, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/06/28): Seasonal Debuts: Kellerpils and Old Brown Ale

July 1, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Seasonal Debuts: Kellerpils and Old Brown Ale

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Germany and Belgium share at least two things in common: a border and world-renowned beer cultures. Yet their respective brewing traditions could hardly be more disparate. The Germans are methodical, scientific brewers who eschew any beer ingredient save four: malt, hops, water and yeast. The lagers and ales of Germany tend to be clean, round and highly drinkable. The Belgians also are traditional brewers but with a more open and intuitive approach, incorporating a wide range of ingredients including uncultured yeast and wild micro-flora. The ales of Belgium tend to be funky, complex and often refreshingly sour.

We are pleased today to release two new seasonal beers, one inspired by Germany (Kellerpils) and the other by Belgium (Old Brown Ale).

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Kellerpils (4.5%):

The term ‘Kellerbier’ translates literally to ‘cellar beer.’ It refers to a type of German beer that is not clarified or pasteurized and contains some of the original yeast of fermentation. This methodology, of course, is the one we use for all Baird Beer. Pilsner is the world’s most popular lager beer style, being crisply quenching and bracingly refreshing.

Baird Kellerpils is a simple brew comprised of two German malts (Pilsner and Sour) and four classic continental hops (Magnum, Spalter, Tettnanger, Saazer). The nose contains a pleasant hint of sulfur from the secondary lager yeast fermentation; the flavor is nutty and bready; the finish is dry with a balanced bitterness. This truly is an old school Pils. It is available in kegs only.

*Old Brown Ale (4.5%):

Belgian beer styles run a very large gamut and their definitions tend to be broad. A regular bruin (brown) ale would be darker than amber in color, less sour than a Flemish Brown Ale, and less strong than a classic Abbey/Trappist Dubbel.

Baird Old Brown Ale is brewed to moderate gravity, 12.8 Plato, and enjoys a typically eclectic Belgian grist bill which includes both malted and un-malted wheat as well as malted rye. Hop bittering is moderate at 22 IBUs while hop aroma is little to none. Fermented warm with a Belgian yeast strain, the flavor manages at once to be sweet and a touch tart. The overall character is perhaps best described as sessionably complex. Old Brown Ale is available in both kegs and bottles (360 ml).

Both beers begin pouring from our Taproom taps tonight (Friday, June 28) and both are available for immediate release to craft beer retailing establishments throughout Japan.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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Bars, Beer, Beer Brewery, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/06/06): Three Single-Hop Seasonal Releases

June 10, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Three Single-Hop Seasonal Releases

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Hops are the spice of beer; they provide the bitter balance to the malt sweetness and infuse the brew with varying attributes of flavor and aroma. There are many varieties of hop, all imparting different character notes. Hops sharing the same name and genetic lineage often manifest characteristics dramatically different from their brethren grown in other regions of the world. Hops are, in a word, fascinating.

The best way to understand the comprehensive character of an individual hop variety is to brew a beer exclusively with that hop. This is called single-hop brewing. We have been busy single-hop brewing over the past several months and are happy to begin releasing some of these experiments. Up today: (1) Sorachi Ace Single-Hop Ale, (2) Santiam Single-Hop Ale, and (3) Northern Brewer Single-Hop Ale. All three of these varieties were grown in the United States. The recipes for these beers are identical, except of course for the hop variety. Calculated IBUs stand at 30. All are dry-hopped.

New Seasonal Baird Beer Releases:
*Sorachi Ace Single-Hop Ale (5%):

Sorachi Ace is a hop variety apparently from China but then shipped to and grown in Japan where it became known as a Japanese hop. It’s pedigree is a cross between Brewer’s Gold and Saazer. The Sorachi Ace we are using was grown in the United States. We have never seen, used nor tasted Sorachi Ace grown in Japan. This is our first experience with it period. It is noted for a lemon-like character. Alpha acid content for the 2012 crop is 15.3%. What do you think?

*Santiam Single-Hop Ale (5%):

This hop was released in the U.S. in 1997 and is a cross between Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittlefruh. It thus is noted for it’s ‘noble’ aroma, often described as spicy and floral. Santiam is one of the key hops in our year-round Single-Take Session Ale. Alpha acid content for this 2011 crop sample is 9.2%. How do your tastebuds respond?

*Northern Brewer Single-Hop Ale (5%):

Originally bred in England in 1934 from a Canterbury Golding female hop and a male hop known as OB21. It is held as a quintessentially ‘dual-purpose’ hop: equally good for its bittering potential and its aromatics. We are using the U.S. grown version here. We first got to know this hop as a signature hop in the Anchor Steam beer. Alpha acid content for this 2012 crop is 9.4%. We used to use Northern Brewer way back and featured it in our Bay Steam beer (a forerunner to Red Rose Amber Ale) — remember that? This is our first go with it in several years. What say you?

All three of these single-hop ales begin pouring tonight at our Taproom pubs. They also are available for immediate release to Baird Beer retailing pubs and restaurants in Japan. Please note, these are small-batch brews, keg only (no bottles), and thus very limited in supply. Orders will be fulfilled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

Bayern Maister Bier, Beer, Beer Brewery, 美食, 観光, 農業, Fujinomiya City, Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Tourism, 富士宮市

Shizuoka Beer Tasting: Bayern Meister Bier, Edel Weiss First Class Premium Beer

December 4, 2011 dragonlife 6 Comments

Stephan Rager in Fujinomiya City is the only German national who is both the owner and the master brewer of a brewery in Japan!
The German Embassy in Tokyo is fully aware of it and regularly orders his beer for special occasions!

Stephan fluently speaks English and Japanese on top of his own native language, and if you cannot read Japanese you might have to call him for more information!

At least the cap is overwritten in plain German!
I did actually conducted a tasting of the same brand two years ago with my good friend Patrick, but I certainly needed some refreshing!

Product name: Edelweiss First Class Premium Beer
Contents volume: 330 ml
Alcohol: 5.5%
Ingredients: barley malt, hops and live yeast all imported from Southern Germany.

Clarity: smoky and clean
Colour: Dark orange-apricot color
Foam: Fine bubbles, disappearing quickly. Soapy head.
Aroma: Strong, sweetish and fruity. Bread, yeast, faint oranges
Taste: Dry deep and refreshing attack. Complex and sophisticated. Fruity, yeasty, tangy, moreish (British expression), looking forward to drinking more. Bread and faint oranges, Lingers on palate for quite a while.
Very solid. Marries well with food, especially pork, potatoes and Izakaya fare.
Varies little with food and stays very dry and deep all the time.

Overall: Refreshing and reassuringly solid. Nice long aromatic aftertaste. Can’t wait for the second glass.

Bayern Meister Beer Co. Ltd.
Shizuoka Prefecture, Fujinomiya City, Kami-Ideji, Kawaharatan, 1254-1
Tel.: 0544-443311

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Clumsyfingers by Xethia
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Oratche: an ecological symbiosis

March 5, 2008 dragonlife 2 Comments

The Japan Blog List

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sake, shochu and sushi

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In 1997, when Mr. Tomoyuki Shimono came all the way from Tokyo to Kannami, near Mishima City, he surely had a grand idea: not only he wanted to create his own bio dairy products and beer, but he also knew how to develop it to contribute to a better environment and cooperation with locals.
He certainly needed a lot of courage to achieve his goals: Kannami is far away from urban life regardless of the great numbers of Tokyoites-owned villas sprouting all over a nearby mountain. At the time he arrived there, the land was poor and grew little but oranges due to its exposure to cold winds in winter and searing heat in summer. Oratche’s beer was not called “Wind Valley Beer” because it sounded good, but because it was a fact of life!
I had already written a few articles about their surprisingly good cheeses when I met their young business department executive, Mr. Satoru Nishimura, by pure chance in Isetan Department Store in Shizuoka City. The gentleman most readily assented when I asked him if I may visit and investigate his company. He went as far as picking me up at the station, about ten minutes away from his establishment.

Oratche is a multiple-purpose company as they include a large shop, a dairy classroom for kids, an attraction park with rabbits, goats and ponies.

Local farmers have their own space where they can sell their own bio vegetables to visitors. Oratche had a good idea to recycle the refuse from the many cows they keep for milk and calves they raise for meat. They just give it to the local farmers who can use it as biological fertiliser!

They certainly never run out of it, I can tell you, as everything is well planned and quickly disposed of! They grow their own corn for feed combined with hay directly imported from the States. Knowing the Japanese Customs’ pickiness, I do not harbour any worry about its quality!

Now, their beer was a discovery!

I was lucky to come just after the new batch was finished. It was Sunday, and the beer brewery was on holiday, but they opened for my sole person and was offered a premium taste of three beers (see boards above. I had to decline the others, as I did not trust myself! Lucky I don’t drive!)
Great beer, seven of them, unfiltered and organic, with a very creamy foam. Wait until I report on the bottles I brought back home!

Before taking my leave, the company graciously offered me lunch at their restaurant where most ingedients are local. The enormous chicken side I chose is from Mishima, and the vegetables from local farmers. The carrots were so sweet!

Do look at their homepage, ven if it in Japanese (they are planning to start a blog soon), and you will see their wealth of products: milk, cream, butter, cheese,yoghurt, ice-creams, fruit juices, jams, cakes and beer!

I’m planning on more visits. If you are interested, do join me!

ORATCHE
419-0105 Shizuoka Ken, Tagat Gun, Tanna, 349-1
Tel.: 055-974-4192
Fax: 055-974-4191
Business hours: 10:00~18:00 (week days), 10:00~20:00 (Sat., Sun. and National Holidays)
Free car park.
HOMEPAGE