Tag Archives: Shizuoka sake

焼酎, 美食, 酒, 農業, Fujinomiya City, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shochu, Tourism

Shizuoka Shochu Tasting: Fujinishiki Brewery-Kaguyahime no Sasayaki Mugi/Grain Shochu

August 7, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Fujinishiki Brewery in Fujinomiya City at the foot of Mount Fuji distills the only “Mugi Shochu”, that is a shochu made from grain/barley in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Extremely-reasonably priced but nonetheless extravagant mugi shochu, it makes for a nice present with its box!

Grain; Barley
Yeast: grain yeast
Alcohol: 25 degrees

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent
Aroma: Rich and fruity. Faint banana, almonds.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Solid and fruity attack.
Complex and sophisticated: bananas with a late appearance by almonds.
Very refreshing in spite of the the strong alcohol.
But for a beginning on an almost sweetish note, it will abandon you on a drier note with hints of nuts.

Overall: There is no need whatsoever to mix it with water!
Pour it on plenty of ice and sip it slowly!
Can be enjoyed at any time in the afternoon and evening as an aperitif or as a digestif.
Drinks most splendidly on a warm summer night!
Drink it slowly as it is dangerously tempting!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-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

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Fujinomiya City, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Fuji-Takasago Brewery-Takasago Homare Fuji Junmai

August 7, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

As I said before, with the advent of Mount Fuji and Matsubara Beach being chosen as the New UNESCO World Culture Heritage, the sake breweries have been scrambling to put on sale brews commemorating the event!
Fuji-Takasago Brewery being located on the slopes of Mount Fuji had just to join in with a beautiful retro-style label!

Rice: Homare Fuji (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in June 2013

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Golden hue
Aroma: Assertive and fruity. Pears with notes of banana. Alcohol.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Well-rounded fruity attack backed up with some palate-warming junmai petillant.
Complex: pears, chocolate, persimmon.
Disappears quickly on a strong nutty note.
Mellows with food for a great marriage.

Overall: A typical sake from Fuji-Takasago Brewery.
Shizuoka Prefecture-grown Homare Fuji sake rice seems to come into many intriguing guises demonstrating that the same rice with basically the same water and yeasts can give birth to a great variety of bectars!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, Desserts, Drinks, 酒, 静岡市, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Mirin, Organic Vegetables, Recipes, sake, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Shochu, Tourism, Umeshu, 梅酒

Umeshu: Umeshu with Organic Plums Harvested in Shizuoka City!

July 15, 2013 dragonlife 3 Comments

The other day I received a phone call a phone call from my good friend, Ms. Asami Itoh who just succeeded in her father’s steps as the new president and owner of Marufuku Tea Factory in Shizuoka City. She is a very busy lady as she is also active in producing tea bags at her other venture, CHA-O Company.

She was inviting me to join her and her sister, Aya, in the harvesting of organic Japanese plums growing on trees inside a property that her family owns up in the mountains in Umegashima!

Although Umegashima is located inside Shizuoka City, it took us more than an hour of driving up the mountains away from civilization up to a point located at 1000 meters altitude where the road ended in front of a small Shinto Shrine!

At that very spot you will discover the highest altitude green tea fields in Japan!

From there we had to walk down a precipitous lane for about 15 minutes while Asami was carrying down the necessary equipment on a rail cart that most farmers use in Shizuoka Prefecture where a lot of agriculture is conducted on the sheer slopes across the Japanese Southern Alps.

We soon reached a Japanese traditional farm house that Asami’s father had completely refurbished. I just can’t imagine how they brought up all this wood, pillars, rafters, beams and whatever else in that spot completely isolated from car roads!
But the house itself is already worth the expedition. I can imagine many of my artist and writer friends falling in love with this abode away from everything where mobile phones don’t work, although the place is equipped with electricity, gas, toilets and bathroom!

Safety lamps in case of a blackout!

The place contains a mountain of antiques gathered over the year by Asami’s father and I can guarantee you that the place is safely locked away. What with intruders regularly stealing valuable mountain vegetables growing on the property!

There is plenty of room for sleeping but this hammock just feels great in the heat of summer! Incidentally it snows up there in winter!

Japanese antique tansu/箪笥/chest!

More authentic antique tansu!

Antique rice straw rain gear!

A real Japanese antique irori/囲炉裏sunken hearth!

Even the stairway and hand rail are antiques!

An array of authentic antique kokeshi dolls/コケシ all signed up by artists!

The three of us spent a good 4 hours harvesting Japanese plums overhead as the lower branches ahd been eaten out by wild deer!
I made a mistake not to wear boots in the muddy ground and I was beaten by a leech! Yes, a leech at 1000 meters altitude!

We first dropped the plums into individual wicker baskets secured around the waist.

There were (unfortunately inedible) mushrooms everywhere!

Japanese plums are best harvested just before they start changing color!

Naturally the crop was carried up to the small car park via the rail tractor!

Apparently this year’s crop was not very good but we must have collected 50 kg of them!

Although I was asked to take more with me I was allowed to choose enough of the bigger ones to bring back home to make umeshu.
Usually people use cheap white liqueur and koorizato/crystal sugar, last year I made them with local shochu, sake and koorizato, but this time I used only sweet potato shochu and a bottle of the only mirin/sweet sake made in Shizuoka Prefecture by Sugii Brewery in Fujieda City!

You will not find such an extravagant umeshu in any shop!

I still had enough left for Dragon (my worse half!) to make (from left to right): plums in fruit vinegar and honey, plum soy sauce and white wine umeshu!

She even made plum chutney!

Looking forward to tasting this great umeshu in winter. And of course it will be a rare treat to eat or use the plums in recipes!

Marufuku Tea Factory (Director, Ms. Asami Itoh)
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu, Cho, 25
Tel.: 054-271-2011
Fax: 054-271-2010
Mobile: 090-3250-4188

CHA-O (Director, Ms. Asami Itoh)
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu Cho, 94
Tel: 054-253-8421
Fax: 054-253-8413
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Fujinomiya City, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Makino Brewery-Fujisan Junmai

July 15, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

With the advent of Mount Fuji and Matsubara Beach being chosen as the New UNESCO World Culture Heritage, the sake breweries have been scrambling to put on sale brews commemorating the event!

The red tag makes sure you understand the purpose of this particular sake brewed in Fujinomiya City by Makino Brewery at the foot of Mount Fuji.
Actually the brand name “Fujisan” is owned by only two breweries, one in Yamanashi Prefecture and by Makino Brewery!

Rice milled down to 70%
Alcohol: 15 degrees
Bottled in June 2013

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very faint golden hue
Aroma: Light and fruity. Rice, banana.
Body: Fluid
Tasting: Very well-rounded dry attack, fruity with a muted junmai petillant backup.
Lingers for a while warming up back of the mouth.
Complex.
Loquats, almonds, apricots, macadamia nuts, apples.
Changes very little with food but for a drier note. Actually marries well with any food, especially izakaya fare.
Better enjoyed with food as it “nags” you into the next cup.

Overall: A typical sake from Shizuoka Prefecture with a lot of complexity, fruit and dry but smooth attck.
Whenever enjoyed with food or not, it insistently pulls you back into the next cup, a sure sign of an eminently drinkable sake!
The kind of sake to bring to any party including food, be it a bbq or a sophisticated affair!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Kakegawa City, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Yamanaka Brewery- Enshu Yokosuka Aoitenka Homare Fuji Junmai Ginjo Limited Edition

June 24, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Homare Fuji sake rice grown in Shizuoka Ptrefecture doesn’t need much to be introduced any longer, but the difference is that many local breweries are tackling the more difficult ginjo level with it and successfully at that!

More than two thirds of the Shizuoka Prefevture breweries are creating sake with Homare Fuji!
With the recent inclusion of Mount Fuji as a World Heritage will tempt collectors!

Rice: Homare Fuji 100%
Rice milled won to 55%
Yeast: Association N0 1501
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Dryness: + 1.5
Acidity: 1.7
Bottled in June 2013 (limited edition)

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Strong, dry and fruity. Banana, apricot, almonds
Body: Fluid, slightly sirupy
Taste: Strong dry attack backed up by puissant junmai petillant.
Complex.
Bananas, oranges, nuts, almonds, walnuts.
Disappears fairly quickly on a very dry nutty note.
Changes little with food.
For all its seemingly announced little dryness, the sweetness is counterbalanced by the high acidity, for a beautiful balance.

Overall: A strong dry fruity nutty and very assertive sake.
Drinks superbly with any food.
Probably bets appreciated slightly chilled.
Although eminently enjoyable on its own, this is a typical sake from Yamanaka brewery (Kakegawa City) with intriguing complexity and fruitiness, making it the perfect sake to enhance food, especially of the better kind, be it Japanese or Western.
Shizuoka-grown Homare Fuji sake is definitely coming of age!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Sanwa Brewery-Garyubai Kaibin Jyuuri Ni Kaoru Junmai Daiginjo

June 10, 2013 dragonlife 2 Comments

Sanwa Brewery in Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City is a bit of a maverick in Shizuoka Prefecture as they are the only one brewery in Shizuoka Prefecture not using the Shizuoka yeast.

Moreover they do not participate to sake competitions organised by the Association of Shizuoka Brewers in spite of their membership.

The result is that their sake, although celebrated beyond our borders, are difficult to obtain even in Shizuoka as they are distributed only by a few sake shops.
I nonetheless, and especially the Missus and ladies in general, like them and am always looking for limited brews such as this one!

Rice: Aiyama (Hyogo Prefecture) 100%
Rice milled down to 40%
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees (genshu)
Dryness: + 1
Acidity: 1.3
Bottled in March 2013

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very faint golden hue
Aroma: Complex and elegant. Pears, rice, pineapple
Body: Fluid, slightly sirupy
Taste: Dry, well-rounded fruity attack backed up with puissant junmai petillant.
Complex and fruity, almost sweet
Disappears fairly quickly on a somewhat drier note.
Apricots, nuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, faint hints of coffee and dark chocolate.
Insistently calls for the next cup.
Very easy to drink in spite of its high alcohol contents.
Although obviously to be enjoyed on its own drinks well with food with little change.

Overall: A beautiful, almost mysterious sake.
Splendid aperitif although I suspect it would make for the perfect night cap with a special chocolate.
To be drunk only in the company of connoisseurs or lovers!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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, 酒, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/05/29): Limited Seasonal Release: Daidai Pale Ale

June 3, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Limited Seasonal Release: Daidai Pale Ale

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Just back from a fantastic few days in Melbourne, Australia where we participated in Australian Beer Week. As part of our participation we were asked to brew a special beer with some unique Japanese ingredient to debut at the week-ending beer festival. Daidai fruit was in season at the time and thus we choose to brew a daidai-infused citrus-laden pale ale. It was a big hit down under! Well, we wanted some for ourselves and our beer-loving friends here in Japan, too, so we saved a few bottles and kegs. What remains of Daidai Pale Ale is being released in the Japan market today.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Release:
*Daidai Pale Ale (5.5%):

Daidai is a wonderfully aromatic citrus fruit the juice of which is pungently tart. The aroma is captured in the peels, which we add once on the hot-wort side (whirlpool after boiling) and once as a ‘dry-peel’ addition on the cold green-beer side. The juice is added to the whirlpool along with the first peel addition and thus is subject to yeast metabolism during fermentation. The hops (Simcoe, Citra, Chinook, Sorachi Ace) were selected and combined with the intent of complementing and enhancing the daidai fruit character.

The result is a brisk and balanced pale ale highlighted by a sublimely complex fruit character. Daidai Pale Ale is available in extremely limited quantities in both bottles and kegs. It begins pouring from the taps of our Taproom pubs tonight (Wednesday, May 29).

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Morimoto Brewery: Sayogoromo no Uta Genshu Nama Junmai Ginjo

May 20, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

“Sayogoromo no Uta/The Light Night Veil Song”! Call a Japanese friend to translate the label. It is worth it!
And the sake is also worth a long conversation as it it is practically untouched/adulterated in its making! No pure alcohol or water added!

Rice milled down to 55%
Alcohol: 17~18 degrees
Dryness: + 1
Acidity: 1.7
Bottled in 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very faint golden hue
Aroma: Light, dry. Pears
Body: Fluid
Taste: Well-rounded dry attack with assertive junmai petillant.
Both complex and straightforward at the same time.
Pears and nothing else apparently!
Disappears quickly on a dry note.
Turns on a drier note with food with more junmai petillant.
Elegant in spite of its high alcohol content that tends to be dangerously forgotten!

Overall: Another Morimoto Brewery nectar off the beaten tracks of Shizuoka Prefecture or whatever traditions for that matter!
Chilled, makes for a superb aperitif, probably the best compliment to be made to any sake!
For special people only!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Fujieda City, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Shidaizumi Brewery-Junmai Daiginjo Yamada Nishiki

May 20, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

The toji/brewmaster at Shidaizumi brewery in Fujieda City is of the Noto School, that is from Noto Peninsula in Ichikawa Prefecture.
Ichikawa and Shizuoka Prefecture sake arevery similar in concept and many are made for sake tasting competitions.

Elegant presentation!

plenty of explanations but this is the very top!

Rice: Yamada Nishiki
Rice milled down to 40%
Alcohol: 15^16 degrees
Yeast: Shizuoka HD-1
Dryness: + 4.0
Acidity: 1.3

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Fleeting, elegant. Rice
Body: Fluid
Taste: Soft well-rounded attack backed up by junmai petillant.
Abruptly turns to a very dry note at the back of the palate upon swallowing.
Complex:
Pears, hints of green apple, grapes. Late appearance of dry nuts.
Elegant and sophisticated. There is no point to drink it with food although it changes little.

Overall: A sake obviously conceived to be tasted on its own.
A great and so elegant aperitif when chilled.
But is eminently enjoyable at any temperature.
A sake to impress your friends or important people!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka sake Tasting: Morimoto Brewery-Sayogoromo Junmai Koshu Roman

May 20, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Morimoto brewery is not only “notorious” for its sake away from the general Shizuoka trend but it also produces extraordinary “koshu/old sake”!

But the more extraordinary is that that particular koshu had been matured at room temperature for the last 12 years!

And there were only 3 bottles left in the whole brewery!

Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 17~18 degrees
Bottled in 2001

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Golden
Aroma: Chinese old spirits, very dry, sherry
Body: Fluid
Taste: Strong pleasant dry attack.
Very complex.
Reminiscent of a dry sherry at first, but turns sweet on the palate before disappearing on a drier note.
Very fruity. Mandarines, apricot, loquats, dry persimmon.
Changes little with food although junmai petillant asserts itself.
So easy to drink in spite of its high alcohol contents.

Overall: A rare treat as usual!
To think that every year sees a new sake crafted to be left in the same spot for years and years!
Makes for the perfect aperitif although it would definitely make for a very dangerous proposition late at night!
For connoisseurs and gastronomes only!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

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

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/05/16): Two More Hoppy Spring Seasonal Beers

May 20, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Two More Hoppy Spring Seasonal Beers

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

May is our ‘tribute to the hop’ month and we are pleased to announce the release of two more wonderful hop-character seasonal brews: Fire in the Belly — Doug’s Red Ale and Belgian Pale Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Fire in the Belly — Doug’s Red Ale (6%):

Doug Benning was what we would consider a ‘founding customer’ in our Fishmarket Taproom. He first made an appearance the second or third weekend of our operation, visiting together with his wife, Miyuki, and fellow ‘founding customer’, Jason Block. That Doug was a curiously inquisitive and passionate person was revealed to Sayuri and me within minutes. That he was to be a life-long fan of the Taproom and Baird Beer, a future owner-partner in our business, and, most of all, an intimate and fiercely loyal friend, became apparent over the coming months and years.

Sadly, Doug passed away one year ago today, in a fashion as sudden as his life was intense. I understood Doug’s intensity perhaps better than most; we shared what my mother would have called ‘fire in the belly.’ We love Doug and Fire in the Belly is our beer memorial to him.

Fire in the Belly — Doug’s Red Ale is an explosively flavorful ale, richly malty with a bright hop character. The aroma is piny and pungent and comes courtesy of dry-hopping with two American varieties: Chinook and Simcoe. Doug, this Baird Beer is for you!

*Belgian Pale Ale (5.2%):

Pale Ale is the Pilsner of the ale world — myriad versions of it are brewed by ale breweries around the world. In this take, we ferment with our house Belgian ale yeast (a witbier strain) and incorporate a unique blend of fruity, grassy, herbal hop varieties (Galena, Santiam, Motueka, Styrian Golding, Saaz), all of which are used in dry-hopping. The flavor is fruity and full in the mouth, finishing with a very pleasant spicy dryness.

Both Fire in the Belly and Belgian Pale Ale are available for immediate release in kegs as well as bottles (360 ml).

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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, 酒, 観光, 農業, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/05/10): 2013 Release — Saison Sayuri

May 11, 2013 dragonlife 1 Comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

2013 Release — Saison Sayuri

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

I am a big fan of Belgian-style Saison beers and so is my wife Sayuri. In 2007 I brewed this style for the first time as a birthday present for Sayuri. She liked it so much that we now brew it annually and release it on her birthday. Today is her birthday and we are pleased to release Saison Sayuri 2013.

Baird Beer Seasonal Release:
*Saison Sayuri 2013 (ABV 6%):

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 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. As with the 2012 version, this year’s Saison Sayuri is brewed with small spice-like additions of the peels and fresh juice of local aoshima mikan fruit from the local orchard of our carpenter and friend, Nagakura-san. The citrus character of the mikan fruit is complemented beautifully by bright fruit flavors imparted from three varieties of New Zealand hops (Motueka, Wakatu and Cascade). The result is a piquantly quenching brew that still manages a great, albeit understated, depth of character.

Saison Sayuri is available for immediate release in both in kegs and bottles (360 ml). It will be pouring from the taps of each of our Taproom pubs today, May 10, in honor of the birthday girl.

Sayuri and I will be at the Nakameguro Taproom tonight to celebrate her birthday together with the 5-year anniversary of the Nakameguro Taproom. Of course no Taproom birthday celebration would be complete without a special commemorative batch of Baird Beer. This year, our brewers are honoring the Nakameguro Taproom with NT-5 Wheat-Hop Ale. This is a hop-forward wheat-based ale that is dry-hopped with a unique combination of six hop varieties (Summit, German Magnum, Centennial, Citra, Saaz and Tettnanger). NT-5 Wheat-Hop Ale will be tapped at the opening of business tonight and is available on draught exclusively at the Nakameguro Taproom. We hope to see you there.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Drinks, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Shuzenji, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Bandai Brewery-Izu Banyo Homare fuji Junmai Ginjo

May 6, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Bandai Brewery is a bit away from anywhere in Shizuoka Prefecture as it is located in Shuzenji the last stop along the private railway line starting from Mishima City into Izu peninsula.
Its brews are not always easy to find but they have increasingly become worth the search!

All pink presentation for the ladies!

The rice is 100% Homare Fuji grown in Shizuoka Prefecture!

Junmai ginjo is increasingly becoming the norm, proving that the new rice has come of age!

Rice: !00% Homare Fuji
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled in 2013

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Light and fleeting. Fruity. Rice
Body: Fluid, slightly sirupy
Taste: Fruity, dry and deep attack.
Well-rounded with only a little junmai petillant warming the back of the palate.
Soft and complex.
Nuts, almonds, coffee, dark chocolate.
Very easy to drink and soft on the palate.
Disappears fairly quickly ending on a sweeter note of dark chocolate.
Changes very little with food apart of an accentuated junmai petillant.

Overall: In the best sense of all a straightforward and eminently pleasant sake, very feminine in approach.
Can be enjoyed at any temperature at any time of a meal and away from a meal!
Bring it to a party and please everyone!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

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

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/05/01): More Spring Seasonal Releases

May 5, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

More Spring Seasonal Releases

Dear Baird Beer Enthusiast & Taproom Friend:

Welcome to May and to Japan’s Golden Week holiday season. We are excited to kick both off with today’s release of two terrific spring seasonal brews: Pawa-Hara Golden Ale and Hop Havoc Imperial Pale Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Pawa-Hara Golden Ale (6.5%):

Last year I learned of a new and interesting Japanese cultural construct which is essentially the polar opposite of bureiko jikan. Japanese call it pawa-hara which is short for “power harassment”. This is a situation in which someone on the top rungs of the hierarchical relationship ladder invites underlings out for a drink and a bite with the express intent of bullying and berating them. Alcohol, it seems, fuels this newly coined social custom too.

Well, if this is going to take place, we feel there needs to be a good beer suitable to the occasion. Our answer: Pawa-Hara Golden Ale. The recipe is pretty much the same as Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale, only a lighter (14.4 Plato) less potent (6.5%) version. The result is a beer of seductive but not overwhelming strength; ideal for buttering someone up for the lambasting to come!

Pawa-Hara is available in both kegs and bottles (360 ml).

*Hop Havoc Imperial Pale Ale (6%):

As you know, hops are dear to the hearts of the brewers of Baird Beer. We simply love hop character in beer. Last year we designated May as ‘Hop Madness Month’ and released sixteen different varieties of hop-forward beer to celebrate this beloved perennial plant. This year too we will be releasing several hop-centric seasonal brews during the month of May as a gesture of our love. We start off with a hop bomb — Hop Havoc Imperial Pale Ale!

We limit the release of Hap Havoc to once a year as it will take a complete year for the imbibers’ taste-buds to fully recover from the hop assault. The malt bill here is one that would constitute a strong pale ale (starting gravity of 13.7 Plato), but the hop charge is one you would find in a double IPA (85 BUs in the kettle and whirlpool and then double-dosings of dry-hops using a combination of Citra, Simcoe, Sorachi Ace, Centennial and Chinook). Put simply, this is Hop Madness!

Hop Havoc Imperial Pale Ale is available for immediate release in both kegs and bottles (360 ml).

Upcoming Taproom Events:
May is also the month in which we celebrate two important Baird Brewing birthdays — the Nakameguro Taproom will turn 5 on May 10 and Sayuri will be 26, I believe. We will be killing two parties with one weekend blowout at our Nakameguro Taproom (Friday, May 10 – Sunday, May 12). The birthday girl will be at Nakameguro on the 10th, drinking copious amounts of her birthday beer — Saison Sayuri. This year’s Nakameguro Taproom birthday beer is a unique wheat-based hop-forward ale that we call NT-5 Wheat-Hop Ale. It will debut on May 10 and be served exclusively on draught at the Nakameguro Taproom.

Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for a festive birthday weekend of great pizza and beer. You can learn more details about the weekend celebration as the date approaches by visiting the Nakameguro Taproom blog on our website.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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, 酒, 観光, 農業, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2013/04/24): Seasonal Release: Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale

April 29, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Seasonal Release: Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Have you told your boss at work lately what you really think of her? Do you need some liquid encouragement? We have it for you in Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale (ABV 8.5%):

The inspiration for this refreshing yet potent brew is the renowned Belgian classic, Duvel. The key attributes of Duvel are light body, high alcohol, and spritzy effervescence. We aim for the light body and strong alcohol through a high starting gravity (18 Plato) that contains a large amount of Japanese korizato and akato sugar (20 percent). High attenuation and natural carbonation through secondary fermentation in package provide the sprite, refreshing character. A touch of spicy-floral hop flavor and aroma (Sterling, Saaz, Styrian Golding) helps to round out the character.

Bureiko jikan (literally, “time for impertinence“) is a classic Japanese cultural construct: it is a moment when, generally fueled by alcohol, the strict bonds of hierarchical relationships melt away and individuals on the lower rungs of those relationships can let their true feelings and frustrations out without threat of later recrimination. It is a cathartic venting mechanism that effectively preserves the hierarchical system of relationships here. So, invite your boss or senpai out for a Baird Beer, order up a glass of Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale, and let it fly!

Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale is available for immediate release in both kegs and bottles (360 ml).

And if you need to work your way up to a Bureiko, just stop into one of our Taproom pubs for a handpump pull of a delightful session ale: Munich Malt Ale (ABV 4.0%). As the name implies, the base malt in this smooth mahogany ale is 100 percent German Munich malt. A generous addition of specialty caramel wheat malt adds body and color. The hopping is lightly spicy (Santiam) and softly fruity (Ahtanum). Munich Malt Ale is available beginning Thursday, April 25 exclusively at our Baird Beer Taproom pubs.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES