Tag Archives: Brewing

Shizuoka Breweries 8/1: Usami Brewery


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This is the 8th Micro Brewery in Shizuoka Prefecture I finally have ascertained. So far, I have nine confirmed! Usami Micro-Brewery and Restaurant are located in Ito City, Usami in the Izu Peninsula where great water is plentiful!

Usami Brewery: Thames/English type
Ingredients: Malt and hops
Alcohol: 5%
Contents: 330 ml
Unfiltered and unpasteurized

Foam: long head, very fine bubbles
Colour: dark brown, rich colour
Aroma: strong, caramel/bread.
Taste: Sweetish attack, bread, yeast
Solid but light
Does not vary with food and stays faithful to first taste.
Drank very easily in spite of its stout nature.

Overall: A pleasant stout-style beer.
Enjoyable for its own sake or with food, however heavy.
Best appreciated at room temperature, although cold beer fans would enjoy it if slightly chilled.

Usami Brewery
European ji Beer Company
Ito City, Usami, 3504-1
Tel.: 0557-33-0333
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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #22
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Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

If you are in search of the beery flavor of fall, seek no more. Baird Beer has captured that autumnal essence in a wonderful seasonal brew set for release today: Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale.

Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale (ABV 5.5%):

To baseball fans, October means it’s World Series (also known as the “Fall Classic”) time. To me, the annual Fall Classic invariably brings back boyhood memories of watching and rooting for the great “Big Red Machine” Cincinnati teams of 1975 and 1976 World Series fame. Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale was brewed initially in 2005 as a 30-year tribute to the Cincinnati Reds World Series championship team of 1975 (they won in a dramatic 7-game series against the Boston Red Sox). We continue to brew it annually because it is such a fine beer and is the perfect libation to enjoy while taking in the Fall Classic.

Brawny in the depth and richness of its malt character (five different malts are used), this malt muscle is balanced beautifully by a wonderfully spicy and sprite hop essence (we use American Magnum, Amarillo and Glacier varieties). Much as the rare combination of power and finesse was a hallmark of the Big Red Machine on the field, so too is it a hallmark of the Big Red Machine in the pint glass!

Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale (a bronze medal winner in the 2008 World Beer Cup) is now pouring from the taps of both the Fishmarket and Nakameguro Taprooms. It also will be available on draught, beginning Thursday, October 23, at fine Baird Beer retailing pubs and restaurants throughout Japan. The bottle-conditioned version (360 ml bottles) will be available for purchase at our online estore as well as via the fine family of Baird Beer retailing liquor stores in Japan.

Finally, please note a change in business hours for our Nakameguro Taproom. Beginning Monday, November 1, the Nakameguro Taproom will be open as follows:

*Monday-Friday (2:00 PM – Midnight)
*Saturday, Sunday, National Holidays (Noon – Midnight)

For all you late night drinkers, this is good news as we will be open later. We will not be serving lunch on weekdays any longer, however, although we will feature a lunch service on weekends and national holidays.

Cheers!
Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #21
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Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Germany is a great Mecca of beer culture in the world. Oktoberfest is an annual celebration of German beer culture held in Munich around this time. This year, Baird Brewing will be participating in that
celebration by hosting our own Oktoberfest event at the Nakameguro Taproom beginning Friday, October 3 and running through Monday, October 13.

This 10-day celebration will feature a special line-up of German-style beers which include:

*Old World Kolsch
*New World Alt
*Smoke Dark Lager
*Braumeister’s Bock
*Imperial Pils
*Export Lager

Also, the Nakameguro Taproom kitchen will be offering a special selection of German-inspired Beer cuisine designed to further enhance the German-style beer experience. Please plan on stopping in the Nakameguro Taproom and joining us for the revelry.

Today, the Baird Brewery is releasing for general sale three new fall seasonals: Old World Kolsch, New World Alt and Bull Run Ale.

(1) Old World Kolsch (ABV: 5.2%):

In the annals of German beer history, Kolsch actually is a relatively “new world” style at a mere two centuries old. It is a pale, dry, assertively hopped golden ale know as the “beer of Cologne.” A fruity-winy bouquet is one of its hallmarks. Baird Old World Kolsch is brewed with German Pilsner and Wheat malts, as well as English Maris Otter, and hopped with American Magnum and Sterling varieties. The appearance is highlighted by a gorgeously full head of long-lasting white foam and a slightly hazy white-gold color. The aroma is zesty and lemon-like. The flavor is dry and quenching with a hint of bitter hop fruit.

(2) New World Alt (ABV 5.2%):

“Alt” in German means “old” and when used in connection with beer the implication is that the beer is of a type that pre-dates the pale, bottom-fermented styles most commonly found in Germany today. “Alt” as a beer style in and of itself generally refers to amber-colored top-fermented ales associated with the city of Dusseldorf and its environs. A typical Altbier is light to medium in body and sports lots of hop character. Baird New World Alt is brewed with German Pils and Vienna base malts while deriving its copper color and body from additions of both Caramunich and Caraaroma malts. 40 BUs of Horizon, Perle and Vanguard hops punctuate the flavor experience from start to finish.

These most definitely are not the typical Alt and Kolsch versions available at other breweries in Japan. We believe the German beer gods are smiling contentedly at the Baird interpretation. What say you?

Both beers will be pouring from the taps of the Fishmarket and Nakameguro Taprooms, as well as at other Baird Beer retailing pubs and restaurants throughout Japan, beginning Friday, October 3. Bottle-conditioned versions (360 ml bottles) also are available for sale direct from the brewery via our online estore and through our fine network of Baird Beer retailing liquor shops in Japan.

(3) Bull Run Ale (ABV 5.5%):

This is a fantastically smooth, balanced but hearty American-style Red Ale. The rich malt character and lovely red hue make this a perfect autumn season libation. The snappy hop character (Columbus, Centennial, Cascade, Ahtanum), though, makes it a very satisfying thirst quencher too.

Bull Run Ale is available on draught only at the Nakameguro Taproom. A limited supply of 633 ml bottles also are available for purchase from the brewery and through Baird Beer retailing liquor store in Japan.

Prost!

Bryan Baird
Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
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Shizuoka Beer: Kuraya Narusawa Brewery


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Sometime in the mid-90’s the Japanese Government (Tax Office) made a momentous decision by greatly reducing the minimum output required for a beer brewery to obtain a license. This gave birth to a plethora of micro-breweries, most of the time coupled with restaurants and other ventures, all over Japan. Shizuoka Prefecture, for good and bad, did not escape the trend. At one time our Prefecture counted more than 15 of them. Only 9 have survived to this day, a good enough proof the present establishments are above average (this is a very personal opinion!). But one must keep in mind that Shizuoka Prefecture is nearly the ideal place to brew beer. It is blessed with the best natural water in the whole of Japan and a long and exceptional experience in brewing sake as I will explain later.


Kuraya Narusawa Brewery is located in the Northern part of Izu Peninsula, one of the most visited regions in Japan. Access is pretty simple and you do not need a car which will present from enjoying your favourite drink: get to Mishima Station (Bullet train or Tokaido), board the train to train to Shuzenji and get off at Izu Nagaoka Station where a billboard sign will confirm you are in the right place! A taxi will take you there in a few minutes (less than 900 yen).


Kuraya Narusawa, founded on the 4th of July 1997 three months after they obtained their license, harbours more than a mere micro-brewery.


It is responsible for the maintenance of a noted historical asset: the “Nirayama Hanshyaro”/Nirayama Ship Gun Foundry, the only left intact in the whole country. It took no less than three years to build between 1854 and 1857 and was first conceived in Shimoda City before move whole to Nirayama.


Shizuoka Prefecture producing 70% of the national green tea and Izu Peninsula being a major growing area, no wonder that Kuraya Narusawa also grow and sell their own tea, mainly “Yabukita and Okuhikari, a total of 10,000 kg of raw leaves. Tea lovers will be interested to learn that they can actually participate to the harvest in April~May and October~November.


Local crafts lovers and collectors will be happy to learn this place is noted for its “Tsurushi Kazari”/”Hanging Decorations”. An annual exhibition is held in site on 370 square meters with more than 750 of them both for boys and girls between the end of December and March 31st!


I had made a special appointment for an interview with the company before I arrived on a very hot afternoon last Friday in the company of a friend whose haouse almost stands next door.
The manager, Mr. Hironori Imamura, a very quiet smiling gentleman was markedly a bit nervous at first. But when he later realized that my lady companion was actually the daughter of one of the biggest strawberry growers in the area (he even mentioned her father by nickname!), he markedly relaxed and warmed up to my questions.
He took us right away inside the actual brewery run by his master brewer Atsushi Watanabe.
The gentleman does everything by himself from roasting to bottling, with a total output of 50 Kl!

Grain mainly come from the States and Europe, while most of the hops is imported from the Czech Republic.

Mr. Watanabe produces three regular brews all year long: Tarozaemon Pale Ale, Yorimoto Porter and American Ale. He also have some great fun brewing five to six seasonal beers.
Now, one of them is gaining a lot of popularity. It is called Daiginjyo Masako.
Well, if you a little about Japanese Sake, you will ask why the term “Daiginjyo” is used for a beer!
The answer is pretty simple:
Mr. Watanabe is free (“on holiday”) a few weeks every winter and takes the opportunity to give a hand to a local Sake Brewery.
-“Bandai Brewery in Shuzenji?” I innocently asked.
-“That’s right.” replied the brewer with a hint of a smile.
-“How many kinds of yeasts do you use for brewing beer?
-“A dozen. But Mr Denbei Kawamura introduced me to a sake yeast, and we thought we should give it try. Do you know him?
-“Denbei San? He happens to be a friend of mine (The grin grew wider), and I suppose you are using Shizuoka New HD-1 yeast?”
The Manager and the brewer almost burst in laughter. They had taken the risk to show the heart of their business to a stranger (usually you may not without some kind of introduction or connection), and just found out they almost had a colleague in front of them (alright, this is a very conceited comment!)!

After that I actually had to put an end to the interview as my companion and I got thirsty and hungry. I had made myself enough of a nuisance and we repaired to their restaurant.


It is actually a nice place to wine and dine with your special one, family or big group of friends.
The mainly BBQ food is reasonably priced, plentiful and a good quality, most of it coming from local farms (plenty of salad and vegetabkles, too, with seafood from Izu Peninsula).


Now, the beer! You must ask for the tasting set of four! (I actually oredered two sets for myself!). Only then can you proceed to some serious drinking. Do not worry there is everything to please everybody, from their own local sake to wine and soft drinks!

I would like to take the opportunity to thank Mr. Inamura who drove us later back home (for my lady companion) and to the station (for me!).

Kuraya Narusawa: a must stop on the way to deep Izu Peninsula!

KURAYA NARUSAWA
410-2113 Izu No Kuni shi, Naka, 272-1 (get off at Izu Nagaoka Station. Few minutes away by taxi)
Tel.: 055-949-1208
Opening hours: 11:00~15:00 (Monday to Thursday), 11:00~22:00 (Friday to Saturday and National Holidays)
Live concert every Friday evening.
Brewery and Tea Factory visits possible by appointment.
Credit Cards OK
HOMEPAGE

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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #20
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Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

We brewed our 1000th batch of Baird Beer this year on April 30. Thinking this an important landmark for us, we decided in advance to commemorate the occasion by formulating and brewing a uniquely characterful beer. We also found ourselves reflecting on our journey within the Japan craft brewing industry to batch # 1000. When we started the prevailing wisdom was that it made no economic or business sense to brew on a miniscule scale (our first brewing system was of 30-liter batch size). It generally was thought, too, that an exclusive focus on the brewing of beers with distinct character and strong personality was a mistake. Our dispense of beer at The Taproom at appropriate temperatures (generally 8 – 12 C), rather than at icy-cold industrial levels was often snickered at and provoked numerous comment about our “luke-warm” beer. I could go on.

Our sole mission was and is the delivery to discerning drinkers of a broad variety of beers that shimmer with character and shine with distinction. Fortunately for us, there is in Japan an abundance of sensistive, open-minded and discerning drinkers. It has been sheer joy to brew beer for such a fine group. To those who didn’t get it, and perhaps sitll don’t, we say, good naturedly: Zamamiro! (loosely translated as, “Hey, I told you so!”).

*Batch # 1000 Ale (Zamamiro! Ale) (ABV 7.8%):

The concept here is a strong, golden ale that enjoys a clean, crisp and easy smoothness while still packing a powerful flavor and alcohol punch. The brewing inspiration is very Belgian — we use only base malts and unmalted wheat, we jack up the gravity (to 1.074) with lots of sugar (sudakito), keep the hop BUs at a reasonable level (35), and accentuate aroma by dry-hopping with earthy, herbal hop varieties (Santiam and Glacier). The only thing Belgian we don’t do is ferment with a phenolic-producing Belgian yeast strain (we use our house ale yeast instead). The result, we think, is a beer that combines supreme drinkability with quiet audacity.

Batch # 1000 Ale is now being served on draught at both of our Taprooms as well as at other fine Baird Beer retailing pubs and restaurants throughout Japan. 633 ml bottles also are available for purchase at Baird Beer retailing liquor stores in Japan and via our online estore.

Please note: The Nakameguro Taproom will be closed for business Tuesday, September 16 due to a special event. It will re-open for normal business hours on Wednesday, September 17.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird
Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #19
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Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The sublimity of beer resides not just in the drinking but also in the historical, cultural and social tales it tells. Japan Tale Ale is our conception of a beer that tells, in its liquid way, a story of Japan. Today’s release of Japan Tale Ale 2008 represents the second installment in what promises to be a long and interesting story.

Japan Tale Ale 2008 (ABV 6.1%):

Brewed with a host of indigenous Japanese ingredients (umalted wheat, rice, sudakito sugar and plums), Japan Tale Ale is lightly hopped, highly attenuated, pleasantly tart and extremely refreshing. It almost drinks 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). It is now available on draught at both of our Taprooms and at other fine Baird Beer retailing pubs and restaurants. 633 ml bottles also will be available for purchase at Baird Beer retailing liquor shops throughout Japan and via our own estore.

Please mark your calendar for this Saturday, September 6. Beginning at 7:00 pm the Fishmarket Taproom will be hosting a live acoustic music show by the blues-inspired singer, Mexico. A 500 yen music charge will be collected at the door. Please plan to join us.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan

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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #18
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Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Lest anyone question our determination to fully quench your summer thirst, we are releasing three more beat-the-heat seasonal beers: Export Lager, Queen & Country Pale Ale and Asian Beauty Biwa Ale.

(1) Export Lager (ABV 5.3%):

Brewed in the tradition of Dortmund-style export lagers, Baird Export Lager combines a huge depth of flavor with a brisk and refreshing character. Less fragrant in hop character but brawnier in malt body than a pilsner, Baird Export Lager is a supreme thirst quencher. Drink it side by side our Cool Breeze Pils and your tastebuds will experience a demonstration in subtle flavor differentiation that simply can’t be conveyed in words.

(2) Queen & Country Pale Ale (ABV 5.1%):

The heritage of the Pale Ale / Bitter style belongs to the British. American craft brewers have irreverently taken over the style with a boldly, and generally citrusy, re-interpretation. Baird Rising Sun Pale Ale slots into the irreverent American re-interpretation category. Queen & Country, on the other hand, is our tip of the hat to the British forerunners. Darker in color, earthier in hop aroma and more noticeably malty in body than Rising Sun, Queen & Country Pale Ale is a pintful of pleasurable beer history. Once again, a direct taste comparison between the two is a better lesson in Beer tasting 101 than we could ever hope to provide in words.

(3) Asian Beauty Biwa Ale (ABV 5.1%):

Biwa is “the small, yellow, edible, plum-like fruit of the loquat tree.” We had no idea what is was until our partner-friend-carpenter, Nagakura-san, brought some in last year for us to taste and then brew with. It is an extremely subtle fruit that harmonizes sweetness with tartness. Biwa Ale is krauesened at packaging and the character in the glass is a spritzy, effervescent and delicately firm one — like a true Asian Beauty!

All three brews are being poured from the taps of our Taprooms in Numazu and Nakameguro. Export Lager and Asian Beauty Biwa Ale are available in both draught and bottle (633 ml) at fine Baird Beer retailing pubs and liquor shops throughout Japan. Queen & Country Pale Ale is draught only and available in extremely small quantities.

Cheers!

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
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Shizuoka Beer 6/2: Bryan Baird Brewery


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I will never be able to praise Bryan Baird in Numazu City enough for contributing so much to beer and micro-brewing in Japan!

This is only my second “official tasting”: “Angry Boy Brown Ale”
(I made a point not to read Bryan’s own comments. There might be quite a discrepancy between the two of us!)

Bryan Baird Brewery: Angry Boy Brown Ale
Draught/nama Beer
Ingredients: Barley Malt, barley, hops, yeast.
Alcohol: 6 degrees
Contents: 300 ml

Clarity: smoky
Colour: rich dark brown-orange
Foam: very long head, great long-lived foam
Aroma: Oranges. Yeast. Strong and sharp
Taste: Comparatively shart tail. Tangy oranges lingering on at the back of the palate. Steady. Solid. Oranges, lemons, grapefruits.Dry. Welcome acidity.

Overall: Another beer suited for any food, especially meat, sausages and the like. Can be appreciated cold in summer on its own, though. Refreshing and very satisfying. Funnily enough I enjoyed eating Carr’s Whole wheat Crackers with it!

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Shizuoka Beer 3/5: Oratche Wind Valley Brewery Dark Lager Praha


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Coming back at my office after an afternoon spent on having students take a final exam, I could not resist from opening a bottle that I kept for such emergencies in the fridge. After all it had been a long stuffy day and I still had three hours to wait until dinner!

Windy Valley Brewery Dark Lager Praha

As usual with Oratche this is another organic beer using wheat malt.
It is unfiltered and should be kept in a cold environment because of its live yeast.

Clarity: slightly smoky (unfiltered)
Alcohol: 5.5%
Colour: Dark coffee
Foam: Long head, good medium bubbles
Aroma: Fresh, light, dry. Oranges, bread
Taste: Short tail. Dry and heady. Refreshing. Lighter than expected. Oranges, caramel, bread. Drinks well with food, especially cheese.

Overall: A beer fit for dinner in the heat of the summer. To be enjoyed in the evening after a long day’s work! Don’t be fooled by its dark colour. It is not a porter. Typical Oratche’s brew.

Oratche
419-0105 Tagata Gun, Tanna, 349-1
Tel.: 055-974-4192
Fax: 055-974-4191
Homepage (Japanese)

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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #17
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Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The enduring persistence of this year’s rainy season at last has abetted and the sultry heat and torporific humidity of a Japan summer are upon us. Fear not, though, for the most refreshing and revitalizing antidote to this seasonal languor is being released today: Baird Cool Breeze Pils.

Cool Breeze Pils 2008 (ABV 5.0%):

Bohemian in style, cleanly malty in body, and coquettishly floral in aroma, Cool Breeze Pils registers on the imbiber like a fresh ocean breeze does on the perspiring body of a mid-afternoon sunbather. Cool Breeze Pils is dry-hopped in tank, unfiltered, and re-fermented and naturally carbonated in package where it has undergone a 6-month maturation. The result, we believe, pays handsome tribute to the glorious history of this storied lager beer style.

Cool Breeze Pils is now pouring from the taps of our Taprooms in Numazu and Nakameguro, as well as at other fine beer establishments throughout Japan. 633 ml bottles also are available for purchase direct from our estore (www.bairdbeer.jp) and through our fine network of Baird Beer retailer liquor stores in Japan.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #16
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Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The Fishmarket Taproom opened its doors for business on Saturday July 20, 2000. In the ensuing eight years many pints have been poured to an extraordinarily diverse and interesting group of patrons, many of whom have become intimate friends and all of whom we are proud to have an association. We will be celebrating the Fishmarket Taproom’s 8-year anniversary during this upcoming three-day holiday weekend (Saturday, July 19 – Monday, July 21). Event highlights are listed below.

Fishmarket Taproom 8-Year Anniversary Celebration (Saturday, July 19 – Monday, July 21) (Noon to Midnight each day):

*Fruit Beer Festival:
The use of fresh, whole fruit as an integral beer ingredient has become one of the hallmarks of Baird seasonal brewing. We have reserved kegs of fourteen styles of recently crafted fruit beer just for this special event. The fruit ales that will be poured during the festival weekend are:

(1) Fishmarket Taproom 8-Year Ale (Citrus IPA made with natsumikans)
(2) The Carpenter’s Mikan Ale (including the tapping at noon on Saturday of the first-ever wood cask-conditioned version)
(3) Mikan Wheat Stout
(4) Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale
(5) Sweet Citrus Stout
(6) Temple Garden Yuzu Ale
(7) Daidai Dark Wheat Ale
(8) Yamanashi Budo Ale
(9) Yamanashi Apple Ale
(10) Japan Tale Ale 2007 (brewed with ume)
(11) Country Girl Kabocha Ale 2007
(12) Strawberry Milk Stout 2007
(13) Snow Storm Strong Dark Ale (brewed with strawberries and Belgian yeast)
(14) Saison Sayuri (brewed with kinkan and natsumikan peels)

All Baird Beer during the festival (including these fruit ales) will be available by the pint for 700 yen, the glass for 500 yen and tasters at 250 yen.

*1000-Yen Buffet:
We will be serving a hedonistic buffet of wonderful beer fare each and every day of the festival (noon until 10:00 pm). Best yet, it is 1000 yen per person, eat until you can’t see!

*Special Fruit Beer Cuisine:
Our crack team of chefs (Takanaka Tencho, Shoko-san and Sayuri) are busy as I write concocting a phenomenal menu board of fruit beer inspired cuisine. Each of these special a la carte items will be designed to pair with one of our festival fruit ales.

*Sidewalk Barbecue:
We will be grilling some wonderful Numazu specialties downstairs on the sidewalk each festival day from 3:00 to 7:00 pm. Order you beer upstairs in a plastic “bura-bura” cup and enjoy it outside in the glorious seaside summer weather while feasting on sumptuous sticks of seafood barbecue.

*Brewery Tours:
We will be conducting tours of our Fishmarket Brewery each festival day. On Saturday and Sunday, tours will commence at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. On Monday, one tour will be conducted at 3:00 pm. The tours will leave from the Fishmarket Taproom at the appointed times (you may, of course, bring your beers with you as the brewery is only a short 3 minute walk). Reservations are not required. Anyone is welcome.

Please plan on joining us for what promises to be one hell of a celebration!

Cheers!
Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #15
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Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The waiting is over. Today marks the 2008 release a Baird summer beer icon — Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale. Extra maturation time in the bottles and kegs renders this 2008 version more special than ever.

A summer mikan (“natsumikan”) is an almost grapefruit-like citrus fruit that is tart and sweetly sour in flavor and gloriously 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. Our summer mikans are Shizuoka-grown, right in the Heda orchard of our carpenter-partner-friend, Mitsuo Nagakura. The bounty of fruit is painstakingly hand-processed by the Baird Brewery team before its introduction both on the hot-side (during wort production) and the cold-side (right into the conditioning tanks along with a dosage of dry hops). The gorgeous new artwork adorning the bottles is the expertise of our wonderfully talented artist and friend, Ms. Eiko Nishida.

Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale 2008 sports a wheat accented grist bill (German base wheat and specialty caramel wheat along with unmalted Japan wheat) that compliments our workhouse malt — Crisp floor-malted Maris Otter. The hopping is all-citrus and all-American (Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade and Ahtanum). The alcohol is moderately strong around 5.5% ABV. The quenching result is summer paradise in a glass.

Draught Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale is now available at the Fishmarket Taproom, the Nakameguro Taproom and fine Baird Beer retailing pubs and restaurants throughout Japan. Bottles (633 ml) too are available for purchase through Baird Beer retailing liquor shops and direct from the brewery.

Lastly, please mark your calendar for the upcoming 8-year anniversary extravaganza at the Fishmarket Taproom (Saturday July 19 – Monday, July 21). Monday, July 21, of course, is a Japan national holiday. We will open each day at noon and celebrate with our annual Fruit & Beer Festival, a daily buffet of sumptuous beer-inspired specialty dishes (1,000 yen all-you-can-eat), a downstairs sidewalk barbecue to be manned by a team of passionate patron-volunteers, and casual acoustic jams. Complete event details will be announced early next week.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #14
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Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The Japan sky is everyday grey and heavy with rain, or so it seems, in this annual season of “Tsuyu.” Could there be a finer time to plant oneself on a comfortable stool in a friendly pub and contemplate life while enjoying a pint or two of flavorful ale? Rainy Season Black Ale and Saison Sayuri insist the answer is “no.”

(1) Rainy Season Black Ale (ABV 6.3%):

A torrential downpouring of hops define this otherwise roasty, toasty, espresso-like powerful black ale. 80 BUs of American lupulin as well as dry-hopped character from citrus-laden Anthanum, Cascade and Amarillo hops coat the tongue with a resinous stickiness that is pungently pleasurable. This is the Baird Beer antidote to the rainy season funk. We guarantee the results!

(2) Saison Sayuri (ABV 5.3%):

Saison means “season” and this family of beers is thought to have originated in Wallonia in southern Belgium. Saisons were brewed in the winter at farmhouse breweries for the summer consumption by thirsty farmhands. While there is no exact flavor profile or processing technique that define Saison stylistically, common traits exist (e.g. relatively pale in color, moderate in alcohol, refreshing in a dry or sour type of way, etc.). Often spices and ingredients uncommon to beer but
otherwise readily available on the farm are incorporated. Saisons are thus typically Belgian in their funkiness and individuality.

Saison Sayuri is like its namesake — a fascinating admixture of down-to-earth simplicity and understated complexity. This second annual version is brewed with pale base malts, unmalted wheat, a touch of chocolate wheat for color and Japanese sudakito sugar. Additions of Japanese kinkan fruit and natsumikan peels lend complexity and a sort of “je ne sais pas” character. Fermented this year with a yeast derived from the famous Saison Dupont brewery, Saison Sayuri is less phenolically sweet than last year. She remains, though, her charming and beguiling self.

Both ales are available on tap at the Fishmarket and Nakameguro Taprooms as well as other Baird Beer retailing pubs and restaurants. 633 ml bottles are available for purchase at Baird Beer retailing liquor stores as well as direct from the brewery. Get ’em while the gettin’ is good!

Cheers!
Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter


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Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin 2008 #13
bryan-sayuri.gif

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Japan’s craftsmen and its manufacturers have long been recognized as world class. This history, as I often have stated, is a prominent and continuing source of inspiration for us at Baird Brewing. It is our endeavor, in conjunction with other committed players in the field, to make Japan the citadel of creative craft brewing. As a measure of our effort, today we are proudly releasing three wonderfully unique and distinctive late-spring seasonal beers.

(1) Temple Garden Yuzu Ale (ABV 5.5%):

This is the third in our line of seasonal beers that incorporate local citrus fruit in the ingredient portfolio. Per our custom, we use only fresh citrus fruit, the juice and peels of which we process by hand at the brewery. Yuzu is the Japanese name for citron, a terrifically aromatic and tart citrus fruit. We annually receive our first lot of Yuzu fruit from the garden of a local Buddhist Temple. In addition to the Yuzu fruit, significant portions of both malted and unmalted wheat are included in the grist providing a sturdy platform of sweet-tart character for the Yuzu to act upon. Bittering and flavor additions of Vanguard hops complete the flavor circle. The aromatics stem entirely from late kettle additions of Yuzu peels.

The result is other-worldly. Temple Garden Yuzu Ale is on tap at both our Fishmarket and Nakameguro Taprooms and will be available on draught at other fine Baird Beer retailers throughout Japan. It also is available in 633 ml bottles for purchase direct from the brewery or from Baird Beer retailing liquor stores throughout Japan.

(2) Kiss of Smoke Amber Lager (ABV 5.0%):

This is a new addition to our lineup of seasonal lager beers. Stylistically, it is a Bamberg-type Marzen Rauchbier but with an extremely subtle and delicate smoke character. This “kiss of smoke” serves admirably both as a counterpoint to the rich malty flavor and as a compliment. The malt bill is entirely German and includes a small 10 percent addition of Weyermann smoked malt. 25 BUs of hops in the form of Magnum, Horizon and Sterling play a barely noticeable but important supporting role. Brewed in August 2007 and packaged the following month, this unfiltered and naturally carbonated lager has been shaping into form for nearly a year.

Available on tap at the Fishmarket and Nakameguro Taprooms as well as other Baird Beer retailing pubs and restaurants. 360 ml bottles are available for purchase at Baird Beer retailing liquor stores as well as direct from the brewery.

(3) Oatmeal Brown Ale (ABV 5.0%):

The idea for this first-time seasonal, as well as its brewhouse implementation, was the work of two of our talented young brewers. Oatmeal traditionally has been used in ale brewing to create a silky texture and more prominently smooth character. This is precisely the effect achieved here in this English-style Brown Ale. A pleasant underbelly of fruitiness (perhaps from late additions of Fuggle hops) contributes an extra and pleasing layer of complexity. Our young brewing bucks are learning their lessons well!

This beer is available on draught in very limited supplies exclusively at our Fishmarket and Nakameguro Taprooms.
Cheers!

Bryan Baird
HOMEPAGE

Shizuoka Beer 1/4: Oratche Brewery-Windy Valley Brewery Pilsner


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With the heat starting making itself felt, it is a good time for exploring more beers of that little favourite micro-brewery of mine, Oratche Brewery in Kannami, next station after Mishima City!

Windy Valley Brewery Pilsner

This is another organic beer using wheat malt.
It is unfiltered and should be kept in a cold environment because of its live yeast.

Clarity: slightly smoky (unfiltered)
Alcohol: 5%
Colour: Light gold
Foam: Long head, very fine bubbles
Aroma: Oranges. Dry.
Taste: Short tail. Dry and heady. Oranges, lemons. Refreshing. Calls for the next sip.

Overall: A beer fit for the first heat of the summer. To be enjoyed in the evening after a long day’s work! Typical Oratche’s brew. Deserves to be known!

Oratche
419-0105 Tagata Gun, Tanna, 349-1
Tel.: 055-974-4192
Fax: 055-974-4191
Homepage (Japanese)