Drinking my Brains

Well, is he or isn't he?

2011-12-20T02:12:00.000-08:00

It's hard to know what to believe. I've read so many conflicting 'news reports'.

Everybody knows who I'm talking about, so I won't say his name.

Love him or hate him, is he really gone?

How can we be sure?

The world seems to be monitoring all and every broadcast in North Korea, hoping they will somehow provide us with answers.

Here are a few snapshots possibly taken from the North Korean media, although it's hard to know if it's all just some kind of crazy propoganda story, meant to scare the West:

The announcement went out early yesterday, on National TV:

People in the street seemed shocked at the news:

Thousands immediately made their way to National Monuments, to mourn the passing of this inspirational, highly influential character.

A huge rally has been held, seemingly to 'celebrate his greatness'.

Make of this what you will. I've heard conflicting reports on all this.

It's not easy to make sense of it all.

I must say, I'm still very much confused.

Good Beer Faucets' opening night.

2011-12-19T02:44:00.000-08:00

Note: this is not a review, merely a report on last night.
Expect a more in depth review/verdict later on - they've only just opened!

Last night (18th December, 2011) was the grand opening night for Good Beer Faucets, the latest craft beer bar to hit Tokyo.

This was the one many people have been talking about for over a month, since they announced the opening night.

With a lot of hype and taking into account who's bar it was (the incredible engineering skills of Hori san and the latest rock star fantastic beer/food/manager virtuoso Dede - formerly with Yokohama Cheers and Roppongi Roti's), expectations were high. Everyone was excited.

It seemed that everyone and their friends turned up all at the same time!

Man, it was packed in there.

Good Beer Faucets is a few minutes walk from Shibuya station, just past the Bunkamura building.

Outside Good Beer Faucets

Yes, there's a Family Mart directly downstairs. I wonder how many tight arsed Welshme-I mean people will be popping down there for a quick and cheap bento, between pints?

Walking in, the first thing you notice is the cool looking interior, dominated by the 'U shaped' bar and counter.

Good, long, U shaped bar.

Then you can't help but notice those incredibly shiny, brand spanking new stainless steel taps, or faucets (hence the name). Man, it looks good.

Love those shiny new stainles steel handpumps!

There are stools to provide seating at (what reminded me of a sushi restaurant) the main bar.

Everything is very angular and square looking but clean and immaculate. Just the right height too, for most of us.

Shiny, new, happy.

Being opening night, the place was PACKED. Seriously. This proved to test the system to the max, as many endured waiting times of 40-50minutes for their beers or even longer just to place an order, as nobody seemed to know the system (at times, it seemed that included the staff!). not the best first impression, I have to say.

As expected, it was PACKED, opening night.

Just gotta love this floor diagram.

Luckily, I was at the main bar and I knew Dede, who was working literally flat out, doing what seemed to be everything and fixing things on the fly, talking to customers, pulling pints, answering questions, guiding staff... ...it was amazing to watch the man in action. All the time staying cool, calm and professional. I'd equate what he did last night to juggling 4 chainsaws and a pair of kittens and no, no animals were harmed during the entire performance.

The man helped us out on several occasions and took orders, poured and served beer expertly.

Pity we couldn't say the same for everyone else.

Many weren't happy that they had to wait extended times, waiting for the staff who were walking around with iPads and iPhones, using a computerised ordering system that was new to everyone.

A hint at their new system, using data from the iphone/pad entries. Interesting.

To be fair, you mix a brand new system for ordering and payment with a super busy FIRST night (for staff, as well as customers, let's not forget) and there is going to be a little confusion and kinks will appear that need ironing out.

Luckily Hori san and Dede were on task, each time.

Engineering genius Hori san, doing his stuff.

The staff handled things okay, considering some of them seemed a bit lost. Working in a bar that also get's insanely busy, I felt for them at times. Still, it did take a LONG time to get served, then to wait for the beer to arrive. Even longer than the wait at Popeyes (oooh! Heresy!!!! How DARE you!).

Again, thank goodness Dede was near by. Otherwise I might have collapsed, due to thirst. Of course the adjustment that needed to be done, taking into account the extra waiting time was to double fist, which myself and my friend did. That helped, but still we were left waiting, between double fistings.
While I had about a cm of beer left, a staff member came to take my not quite empty glass. I grabbed it back, politely saying I hadn't finished (there was still beer in the glass! - I wasn't fast enough though to prevent a female member of staff nicking the unfinished pint just before that! - cheeky!). He asked me if I was ready to order. I again politely informed him that I had ordered more than 20 minutes ago and will probably have to wait another 20mins for my beer, if the evening was anything to go by, which was why I was stretching my pint out as long as I could. We both laughed over it. What else can you do?
Opening night blues.

My biggest concern of the night was not the 400ml 'pints' (At least they advertised the volume in the menus and weren't trying to be sneaky like certain other bars- fair enough), neither the long waiting times. We have to remember it's only the first night and it was PACKED.
No, it was the inconsistency in the pours.
Dede poured beers very well (just the one time I had to ask for less head and he never forgot after that, fair play) but some of the pints I saw put out for delivery were, quite frankly, shocking.

'Slight' inconsistencies on opening night. Some beers were sent out like this.

Here, in the photo above, you can see there is a hell of a difference between those two pints. I know which one I'd rather have!!!! Hard to believe anyone would accept a 'pint' like that. I sent one pint back as soon as I saw it was at least 45% head. I would assume that this is certainly not Beer Faucets' policy, just the naivety of the new staff, who at times seem to need a little instruction - again, first night for them, as well as us. I'd expect things to change, even as soon as tonight. I know in Japan, bars often serve beer with large head but at times last night it was verging on ridiculous. Again, I'm sure the staff weren't aware there was a problem. As more and more people mentioned it though, things did appear to get better. I'm sure things have changed now. Dede was aware by the end of the evening and I'm 100% positive things will have improved by now.

'Slight' inconsistencies again. These beers are ready to go out.

A classic example is pictured below. My friend, Emily, had this beer in her hands and I asked her how it was. She replied that she hadn't actually had any yet - this was how it arrived.

"Dude, where's my beer?"

Acceptable? Certainly not.
I advise everyone to mention whilst ordering that you do not require 40% head (or a glass with 40% of your beer missing). Seriously though, ask for less head and there is a good chance you'll get that - if that's what you want. I would be VERY SURPRISED if I went back tonight and things were the same. Part of a new place's first night is work out the kinks and fix them. There were certainly a few kinks but I think the positives outweighed any negatives. The biggest positives, for me are Dede and Hori san.
Both men know their stuff. I'm sure if they had more time to prepare better, they would have. At least they opened on target.

Nothing wrong with this pint (apart from the size - 400ml).

Then there's the really cool bar, the location, the beer selection, the beer quality and I'm sure the food (if Dede's history & reputation is anything to go by.

All pints poured or finished by Dede - lovely.

All in all, first night niggles/difficulties aside, I feel this is going to be/is a great bar. As long as the staff get used to the system fast and learn to pour beer with consistency, I don't see many problems.
Price wise, it's average for Shibuya. Seemingly pricier than Aldgate but not as pricy as Cataratas.
Volume wise, their pints aren't US or UK pint sizes, but they do show the volume in ml in the menu.
I had no opportunity to try or see the food but I'm confident it will be very, very good.
Dede was the man, all night. He stayed calm and professional and did his job and then some.
I'm looking forward to what this new bar can bring to the Craft Beer community.

Brand spanking new. Good beer, good food.

Verdict is still out on this bar as it's too soon to tell but it certainly has potential. With the ineviatable kinks that happen on a packed opening night sorted out (they should be), this could be a good one.

Dede was non stop - like a man posessed. He da man!

p.s. Some friends and I soon retired to the always reliable Aldgate (get served in less than a minute) and were not so surprised to meet quite a few there who also left Beer Faucets, not exactly over enamoured with their first impressions.

Ironically, this is where more than a few of us ended up - Good old Aldgate.

Hey, it's early doors yet.

Pluses and minuses on opening night. They will only get better. Just wait and see.

Good Beer Faucets.

Check it out, if you can.

See you guys soon at the Good Beer Faucet's grand opening from 5!

2011-12-17T23:16:00.000-08:00

From 5pm today Good Beer Faucets will be Tokyo's newest craft beer bar. Opening in Shibuya from 5pm.

Shit! I'd better get going!!!!

Late again!

Look out for the weird annoying Welshman with the camera and double fisting his way to hell.

Cheers!!!!

Here's the location:

View Good beer faucets in a larger map

See you there!

The Royal Scotsman - Iidabashi

2011-12-17T23:05:00.000-08:00

I knew the old Chuwy curse would striek sooner or later. Well, the 6 minute train ride from Devilcraft in Kanda to The Royal Scotsman in Iidabashi turned into 30mins plus, as I got on the wrong damn train. Should have realised things weren't as they should be when I noticed the lady sleeping opposite.

I was on the Goldilocks limited express..

Someone's been sleeping in MY train.

Bugger. I luckily realised soon enoughand got off at Shinjuku then made my way back to

The Royal Scotsman.

No, not the train.

The bar.

Here are a few pics of the outside:

As you probably guess, this is themed after a Scottish style pub. Minus the locals, of course.

The main dude responsible for this place is Tomo, the infamous Japanese green mohican bagpipe player and his wife Anji, along with Yuji Shimada:
You might have seen him play in one of Aoki san's Beer Festivals or in the St Patrick's parade in Tokyo. He said he always wanted to open a bar with Brewdog beer and now he & Yuji have done it.

My good friend Yuji let me know they were opening soon and invited me to come on by. I'm glad I did., I brought my drinking centurion friend, Tim Maloney with me. Turns out this might just be the best bar of the evening. Proof you don't need 70 beers (or even 40!) on tap to have a good bar. Far from it, that's possibly too many beers (what? Am I INSANE?). Here,they had just the 4 taps and that was it.
Well, four craft taps plus Kirin heartland.
Okay, more like 4 craft taps, plus Kirin heartland, plus 4 whiskies on cask.
Sounds better, yes?

They'll be stocking Brewdog beers and last night they had Punk IPA on tap. Not bad. They also had Preston pale ale which was in decent form, not as sweet as usual.
They plan to alternate the other two taps with various (I assume Japanese craft) beers.

Here's my friend Yuji Shimada at work behind the really nice bar:

More staff photos!

The place will probably hold about 30 and it nicely laid out in wood and a nice long green leather bench running the far side of the bar plus various tables both seating and standing. The main highlight for me is the bar it's lovely. really adds a homely local British pub feel to it and I'm sure sitting there in the evening, relaxing with a wee dram will be a nice experience, especially in this cold weather.

Here are a few pics of the inside:

Beer wise, I tried the Punk IPA and it was not bad at all. I'm not Brewdog's biggest fan. They are capable of making some great beers but at the same time, they can make some absolutely shite beers. However, when they make good beers, they are really good. I'm also no big fan of their marketing style.

All hype and hot air, mostly.

Well, here is the Punk IPA:

Not bad. I'd say a UK styled IPA but perhaps fashioned with American IPAs in mind. more hops than usual UK IPAs but maltier and earthier than most American IPAs. Kind of a hybrid.

Definitely suits the bar feel, this beer.

Well chosen.

This bar is not just about the beer, though.

I give you exhibit A:

I decided to try all of them (of course).

How were they?

Well, I'd say the Islay was my favourite.

They also had another cask of whisky, set up to the right side of the bar. Sadly, we arrived more or less as they were closing and there was no time to drink more. Sob...

Never mind, I'll be back.

There was not enough time to review the place fully. No time for food and the pub is not offically open yet. It opens on Monday. Usual hours are Tues to Sunday, closed Mondays. Short walk from Iidabashi station.

View The Royal Scotsman in a larger map

I recommend this place. Nice, friendly, good staff. I assume the food menu will be good too.

Opening party on Monday!

After this, I hit The Aldgate in Shibuya for more booze.

It never ends!!!!

Maui Brewing event at Devilcraft

2011-12-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

Last night, I popped by the excellent Devilcraft bar in Kanda. They were having their very special Maui Brewing event.

Maui Brewing of course hails from the Island of Maui, in gorgeous Hawaii. For last night (Saturday) and tongiht only, they are offering about 12 very special craft beers from Maui Brewing. Most, if not all of these have never been in Japan before, so this quite an opportunity to taste the best Hawaii has to offer.

Today (Sunday)'s beer list:

01.		Maui Island Hopped Red
02.	NEW!	Maui Big Swell IPA
03.		Maui Black Rock Ale
04.		Maui CoCoNut PorteR
05.		Maui Imperial CoCoNut PorTeR
06.		Maui Shipwreck'd Stout
07.		Maui Smoked Hemp
08.		Maui Old Chinwig
09.		Maui Ginger Sason
10.		Maui Wheat Wine
11.		Maui Mana Wheat
12.		Maui Bikini Blonde

After a short 2 minute walk from Kanda Station (south exit, JR), I arrived and noticed a few friendly faces already at the bar.

Some of you who regularly hit the craft bars in Tokyo and Yokohama might already recognize 'Irish' Neil on the right and that's Jesse next to him, a very good homebrewer and cool dude - he surfs and brews, so those are two most excellent qualifications!

They are ALSO holding a special offer, for this event. Buy a stamp card for 5,000yen and get 5 pints PLUS a free pint glass to take home (provided they still have some -limited to about 25 or so pint glasses per night).
This is a very good offer, seeing as some of these beers are high strength and normal cost is up to 1200yen a pint.
Not only that, hand in the completed card and you go into a raffle for more Maui prizes. It's a no brainer, really. You can use the card for both days but I knew that was never going to happen.

My first beer for the night was the Island hopper red, an American red ale.

Island hopper red.

The beer looks good. a nice roasty red color with a decent thick foamy off white head.
Nice aroma, good fruity American hops and a hint of caramel, Just right.
Good hoppy fruity flavor, giving hints of mangoes, pineapple, pine, grapefruits & nice caramel from the crystal malts blending in with it but the body was just so light and thin. Half way through it kind of felt like I was drinking flavoured water, it was so weird. I think this is their 'style' and it could just be I'm used to beers with a bit more body to them. Not a bad pint.

5.5-6/10

My second beer for the evening was the Black Rock black IPA.

Black Rock BIPA

This Black IPA was a nice one. Nothing full on, gentle toasted flavor in there that reminded you it was a black IPA (using black or highly roasted malts to get the color and a little depth of flavor, without adding too much body to the beer) but otherwise felt like a nice hoppy pale or again a light bodied, drinkable IPA, going down. Still a bit thin bodied and light tasting but the speciality dark malts helped add a bit of character to it.

6.5/10

Right, third up and this one was the Shipwreck Stout.

Shipwreck oatmeal stout (with Mike, Jason & John)

The stout was an oatmeal stout (I think it was labelled as one). Smelled lovely! Nice roasty aroma with cream/tan head. Decent roast flavours mixed with cocoa and dark chocolate in here. Again a bit on the thin side, body wise, going with expectations. Don't mean to be unfair to Maui as they clearly seem to be designing their beers to be like this. Perhaps they think it suits the island way more to have thin bodied beers? I picked up a hint of coconut in this one. As John mentioned, it could be from the oats or possibly maize or other grains that might be used in here. Still not a bad, if a light oatmeal stout.

6.5-7/10

Only two spaces left on my card. Nuts. time to go large.

Next up and number four was the Imperial coconut Porter.

Imperial coconut porter

The imperial coconut porter was pretty nice. Bit of high alcohol flavours in here but thankfully less coconut than the normal coconut porter.

A LOT of people love the coconut porter but I'm not such a big fan of huge flavours in my beer - I mean coconuts, bourbon, oak etc.

This beer certainly has more presence and 'weight' in the body, thanks to the coconut and dark malts.

You can taste the cocoa in here. The beer uses "cocoa nibs, blended with the toasted coconut during the maturation process to intensify the aroma of coconut and dark chocolate" and you just about notice.

Quite a nice pint and one to take your time with. Let it warm up and appreciate the aromas and flavours as they are released.

7/10

Damn. Just one space left.
Luckily, I'd been granted a taste of Jesse's beer when I arrived and knew what it was that I wanted.

Maui Brewing Old Chinwig

Left: Imperial Coconut Porter, Right: Old Chinwig strong ale

The English styled Strong ale/ winter warmer needed a long time to warm up properly but for a strong ale up in the 8% area, it was very drinkable. Again thinner than you'd expect but quite nicely put together. Try her when first served, then let her warm and you'll notice the toffee notes increasing in the flavor. Nicely made. Again a little thin but this beer doesn't seem to mind. I enoyed this one.
7.5/10

All in all, a very well laid out event and some very nice beers. These beers are RARE and might not be available in Japan again so I certainly recommend you go to this event. Thank you, Devilcraft for organsing this.

Looking forward to the next event!

While you are in Devilcraft you definitely should take advantage of their kick ass pizza menu:

Gorgeous looking Hawaiian ham and pineapple pizza! Mmm!

This is the normal Chicago style pizza. Unfortunately, my 'friend' Tim Maloney covered the otherwsie beautiful little thing in chilli powder:

Do you have enough chilli on there, Tim? Bloody hell!

Go check out the Maui beers at Devilcraft today!
Kanda, South Exit. Directions here.

p.s. if you are interested in trying some production Maui beers (these may not be from the brewpub), you can find them in some craft stores, like Sugaya and Tanakaya or you can buy them here. They aren't that cheap though.

Few events this week/next week

2011-12-15T21:13:00.000-08:00

I'll try to update this post as I find out about more events, leading up to Christmas.

So far, off the top of my alcoholic brain damaged head...

FRIDAY (today!): A few people are joinging in on a Tokyo Beer Meet Up pub crawl in Yokohama, starting from Thrash Zone at 6:30. Just bring 200yen for the organiser, Marco and come and join in and enjoy the fun. His Beer Meet Up group is fun and has regular meet ups at Craft Beer bars across Yokyo/Yokohama. Yokohama is a great place to pub crawl, too.
Note the new location for Thrash Zone, over the other side of the road, away from the station and close to the Lawson (just past it and to the right, walking from the station).

SATURDAY & SUNDAY: Devilcraft will be having a very special Maui brewing event featuring of some very special Maui brewing beers (many which are coming to Japan for the first time and some are quite special indeed). This is fast becoming a very cool place to hang out at and drink a great selection of Japanese and imported craft beer in great condition. They also have kick ass Chicago style pizza. On Sat/Sun, for the Maui event, they are having a special offer each day, 5,000yen gets you 5 pints PLUS the first 24 customers get a free Maui glass. Plus if you finish the card, there's a chance to win prizes in a special raffle, later on.

The event is from 3-11pm Sat, 12-9pm Sun and reservations are recommended (those tables might go fast but they do have a few floors!). you might see me at the bar, early(ish) on Sat.

SUNDAY: The grand opening of Good Beer Faucets, in Shibuya. 40 plus taps, 3 hand pumps, lots of Japanese and imported craft plus guaranteed to have great food, seeing as Dede Brim is overseeing things. See you there! Open from 5pm.

MONDAY: A new craft beer pub wil open. Yes, another one! This one is the brainchild of a certain green mohican haired bagpipe player. If you've been to Aoki san's Real Ale Festivals, then you know who I mean!

The guy loves Brewdog and has stated that he wants to open his own bar in Japan and serve Brewdog beer - well, he's done it.

The Royal Scotsman is open for business in Shunjuku from Monday. Reportedly they'll have at least 4 taps of craft (plus Guinness!), featuring Brewdog of Sctoland, Preston of Japan and others and 3 whisky kegs! Yes, the guys love whisky too. I'll check the place out early on and report back.

Opening hours are Tue - Sat:15:00-03:00 & Sun:15:00-00:00. Normally closed on Mondays.

Thrash Zone is Dead. Long live Thrash Zone!

2011-12-01T22:46:00.000-08:00

Yes, the Thrash Zone as we knew and loved it is no more.

However, despair not, fellow hop head metal freak nuts bananas bonkers boozers!

There is a new Thrash zone.

It opened yesterday, December 1st.

It's bigger, longer, wider, harder. Satisfaction guaranteed.

I was surfing the web when I noticed my good friend Captain Tugwash had posted a pic of the place.

Well, then I just had to rush on down there, at 11pm and check it out myself!

Here are a few pics of the place:

The front, as you enter thru a small glass sliding door (easy to walk straight past it!)

As you can tell, the place is a lot bigger. Two t three times bigger. It's also wider, meaning you can go from front to back of the bar easy(er!).

He has 7 taps right now, with the option and space to add a lot more later on. The place is still undergoing construction and will just get better but right now, with the smell of fresh paint, big screen TVs resting on the floor, just a few taps and a load of happy metal freaking craft beer drinking lunatics, it's already started off in a great way.

Be prepared for a whole new Thrash Zone that still retains the essence of the old but brings in the extra oomph of the new!

It certainly offers something different from the other craft beer bars. Loud music, energetic regulars and always a warm welcome. This could be another classic craft beer bar.

I think this pic matches the atmosphere in there:

Gotta luv it.

The beer qulaity is very, very good.

Very friendly place. Don't be put off by the Thrash metal connections, everyone is friendly here.

Their main bar is a great long front bar. It goes on like one of those long bars that feature in Western movies. I just want to slide my pint down to the end...

Koichi san does a great job as usual in pouring the perfect pint.

Here is an example of the Thrash Zone pint. Almost no head. Filled to the brim.

Fantastic.

The bar also bends around to the right, at the far end. This offers up more bar space and leads to the toilets. Great bar.

Definitely recommended. They are still adding to the beer and it is nowhere near finished but go there and grab a pint and savour the atmosphere.

Map is here, on the website.

Thrash Zone

Click on the link at the centre of the box.

It's located right opposite the Lawsons, the other side from the main road. Look for the first floor glass sliding door and the small Thrash zone sign.

Sorry, that's all the info for now. Late for boozing! Will write more when I have time. Rock on!

New posts on the way!!

2011-11-13T19:14:00.001-08:00

Got lots to do.

Hope to post more stuff about events, beers I'm tasting at home, Beers I'm making at home and lots of other... ...stuff.

Will be getting off my ever fatter arse and will start posting soon.

It's been a while..again

2011-03-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

Many of you may know about the terrible devastation the earthquake and tsunami put on Northern Japan recently. The after effects are on going. People are without food or shelter.
The nuclear situation is also ongoing.

Many people have left Tokyo in fear of possible radiation and constant after shocks.

Me, I'll be leaving Tokyo soon, but for a different reason.
Beer.
Lots and lots of beer.
LOTS of beer.

It's actually got me concerned.

I'm leaving Japan in about 9 hours.
I'll first fly to Seattle.
1 day there. I'm aiming at hitting most of the best bars and breweries, if I can!
Then it's train to Portland and meeting up with Red, a friend who visits Japan regularly and likes his booze himself!
We'll be hitting most of the best spots on Portland!
Then it's fly to San Francisco and hit the Craft Brewers' conference!
I got in!
As a member of the press!!
I'll be covering the conference on behalf of the Japan Beer times.
I just gotta make sure I pay attention and not get shitfaced - too much.
I'll be hopefully attending the more technical lectures on brewing and brewing techniques.
I'll do my best to take some good pics and do a decent write up fo the conference.

This is a last chance shout out to you guys to give me any questions you'd like to ask anyone at the conference.
I'm hoping I'll meet Charlie Parmesan or Jamil the ZanyChef.

Looking forward to some kick ass beer and some really interesting people.
I'll be back in about 2 weeks.
Okay, gimme your questions!
I 'll try my best to get them answered.

Sneak preview of Chuck's meat!

2011-01-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

'Chuck', the BBQ pitmaster and manager of the new Yokohama Bashamichi Taproom, gave me permission to put up a pic of his meat.

Without further delicious ado, here is Chuck's meat in all it's succulent, mouthwatering glory:

I'm betting, come the grand opening of the new Taproom on Saturday (12pm-12am), there will be many a hungry fellow just dying to get Chuck's moist, succulent meat down their throats, accompanied by his special secret sweet & spicy hot sauce - just don't get any in your eyes.

I tried Chuck's meat and yes, it is very, very nice.

I love that sauce. I think there will be three special homemade sauces. for me, this one is my favourite. Sweet, spicy, warming.

As for the beer side of things, well, the kegs are in place and I've seen them and all I'll say is that the line up is looking good.

There should be a style and a beer for everyone's tastes.

If you don't know where it is, here is the google map I posted in my last post (it also includes the best craft choices in the Yokohama city area:

View Yokohama area craft beer (best of) in a larger map

In case some are wondering, based on my facebook, twitter and now these last 2 posts, no, this is NOT a paid for Baird advertisement or commercial.

It IS however, the ravings of a craft beer nut, who is really excited about this new bar.

REALLY EXCITED.

Maybe see you there this Saturday, 15th Jan. We can discuss any insanity over a 1.8L Chuwy pint (comes with a convenient handle on the side!).

p.s. don't forget also on 15th (7-10pm), Charcoal grill and bar Green will have it's 2nd anniversary. 2,000yen gets you a drink plus a special food box. 500yen drinks thereafter.

p.p.s. some people plan on staying the whole weekend and taking in the Yokohama sights - great idea. There is lots to see (and drink!) in Yokohama! Check out these ideas. The Red Brick Wharehouse (Akarenga is a short walk away, as is Minato Mirai - though some would prefer to take the MM line. Chinatown also not far off, as is Yamashita Park, where you can see the hikawa Maru, a lovely Altantic ocean liner that is docked there.

There is a hostel porto nearby that is cheap, nearby. 2,500yen beds. List of them here.

p.p.p.s. Here's a nice onsen that isn't far off (Minato Mirai area). The water is imported from Atami but it does look quite nice. It's open from 10 to 9am the following day, so I suppose to you sleep there!

Best beers in Yokohama map

2011-01-08T23:01:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that the new Baird Bashamichi Taproom is opening soon (Jan 15th, from 12!). This is gonna be a real pit BBQ craft beer bar/restaurant. featuring authentic pit BBQ, cooked in one monster pit BBQ oven! Lots of Baird craft beer will be on tap plus possibly 3 special beers for the opening. Possibility of guest beers, too (will confirm that once I know).
There's a lot of buzz about this new bar and a lot of friends are coming into Yokohama on this day to check it out.
However, a lot of people have asked me where it is!!
Well, recently the Baird website has given a map showing the location but that map isn't really perfect for non Japanese speakers - it's all in Japanese (I have a feeling it could be the back of the business card?).

I made a google map showing the exact location of the Taproom (it's in the old Mainichi Shinbun building).

I then went on to show the location of the nearby Pivovar Yokohama bar, as it's a great option and very close by.
I then went on to include the best bars in Yokohama, as why not? Yokohama is fast becoming one of the best cities to drink craft beer in. Yes, Tokyo has more bars, but higher prices too and more congestion.
Yokohama is more spread out and the Bashamichi area is close to Minato Mirai, the Red Brick Wharehouse (not whorehouse, so I gotta watch my typos there!), China Town, etc.

Well, here's the google map:

View Yokohama rea craft beer (best of) in a larger map

The new Taproom has it's opening party on the 15th, from 12.
It's gonna be packed and it should be a lot of fun.
Maybe see you there!!!!

\(>_<)/- doh!! I've since found out that there is a google maps link on the Baird brewers' English blog - I missed it!

Long time, no posts. Hope to start up again soon.

2010-12-04T21:32:00.000-08:00

Off to Maltan today.
3rd anniversary. Great event.
THE BEST BEER BAR EVENT is on again.
Maltan's 3rd anniversary. 5th December, 4-7:30pm
It's mental. 3,600 all you can drink.
Bring your own glass and food. Serve yourself. Once the barrel is gone, it's gone. Last year, I woke up next morning, covered in vomit, heavily hungover- in Gunma - fantastic!!!!
Read about it here.
The beer list includes:
Minoh imperial stout, handpump (very good)
Hidatakayama red bock
Onidentetsu pale ale
Shiroyama cassis lambic (girl's drink)
Fujisakura rauchbaock (good)
Fujisakura weizen (good)
Nagahama ale (good but very unique yeast flavor)
Minami Shinshu apple hop
Augus blanche
Oh!La!Ho! IPA
Iwate Kura barley wine (oak aged, real ale)
Coedo plus maybe more.

Check out my old link for more info.
Maybe see some of you there.

Too drunk to remember much

2010-09-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

Yokohama beer fest was a blast.
I wanted to go back today but woke up too late and got Sat and Mondays opening times mixed up. At 3pm, I figured I still had 2 hours or so drinking time left then realised the thing closed at 4 on Monday. Doh!!!
Should've woken up earlier.
Gonna look for a list of winners and post it online.
Don't remember much as I was a bit tipsy.
Met soooooooo many poeple, olod fends and new ones.
Here's a pic from the start.
This guy is either a cow or a tiger. One half of the famous UshiTora craft bar in Shimokitawa. Great guy. I always get confused as to which guy is the cow (Ushi) and which guy is the tiger (Tora)!

I do remember Yokohama got gold for their weizen, Nihonkai Ishikawa silver for their pilsner.

I also managed to pick up silver medal for the most annoying person in the festival!

"Woohoo!!!!"

Someone else must have got silver for something because I'm wearing their medal!
I just don't remember who...too smashed.

After the festival, a few people headed to the Nakameguro Taproom to meet up with the New Zealand brewers from Tuatara brewing. Had a great evening drinking, tasting and chatting with them (tasting their beers, not THEM).

This is one of the brews I remembered as being very good:
Here's a pic of a few of the guys from last night:
L-R: Ry Beville of Japan Beer Times, possibly the business guy/investor/brewer from one of the New Zealand breweries (sorry, I talked to you but I was very very plastered and can't remember!), Phred Kauffman (importer of Rogue, Mikkeller and many other fine beers as well as owner of Mugishutei craft bar in Sapporo), Dominic Kelly (manager of Hashigozake in Wellington, New Zealand and representative of the New Zealand brewers.
A good crowd turned up to taste and give feedback on the New Zealand beers.
The first time for them to come over here.
Look out for these beers in the near future!

It's been too long.

2010-09-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

Been off the blog for far too long.

Working my 'normal' job, doing other jobs, updating boozelist (even that hasn't been every day).

I managed to get in a short vacation, up in Hokkaido and northern Japan.
9 days, 12 breweries, many more bars, LOTS of beer.
Hopefully some pics, tales and info on Northern Japan's wonderful array of booze in an upcoming post.
Need to post about sooooo much.

Quick reminder for this weekend, the annual Great Japan Beer Festival is kicking off Sat, Sun & Monday.

Advance tickets for 4100yen or pay on the day for 4500yen.
From 2-6pm Saturday,
1-5pm Sunday and
12-4pm Monday.

The PDF flyer is available here.
It's probably the best of the festivals.
Hopefully beer quality will be good this year.
Expect a LOT of people.The list of participating Japanese breweries is here (in Japanese!).

Of these, I recommend trying Gotenba Kogen's weizen rauch, minami Shinshu oktoberfest, Hakone pilsner, Tazawako kolsch (best in Japan) & 8yr aged rauch
(might be getting too old now), Kuninocho marihana brown, Shiga Kogen Indian summer
saisson, Yamabushi saison1 & IPA harvest brew, Chateau Kamiya helles, Nihonkai pilsner, North Island coriander black (might be a bit strong), everything by Swan Lake, Harvestmoon schwarz, Minoh stout & DIPA.

There are a lot of imported beers going to be available too. Here is a list of those.

On top of this, there will be some special beers brought over from New Zealand, for tasting.

It looks like another good beer festival.

If you are going, why not take advantage of the great bars and breweries Yokohama has to offer?
Not far away is Pivovar Yokohama, the wonderful Czech styled small bar/brewpub, in the building housing the Yokohama Beer brewery. Recommended beers include the Anaconda wheat and the Scorpion Deathlock DIPA, if they have it.
Not far away but not so easy to get to is the cracking Czech bar, Pivo. On tap are Urquel, Bernard and a Bernard cerny dark lager as well as a semi dark Urquel master. Best value Urquel and best quality in Japan. The food is good, too.
Not too far away, near Kannai is the famous and impeccable Craft Beer Bar. A small bar but with about 10 Japanese craft beers on tap including usually Minoh, Shiga Kogen, Fujisakura, Swanlake, Baeren, North Island, Baird and others. Nearby is the British bar, 3 lions, with several craft beers on tap as well as some great home made food!
don't forget a newcomer to the craft scene, Bar Green Charcoal & Grill, on Motomachi street. They serve a few craft beers (now Isekadoya, Baird and Yokohama beer) was well as some crackingly fine food.

Heading back to Yokohama Station and we can find the excellent Thrash Zone (serving a few Japanese craft beers as well about half a dozen fantastic US imports at unbeatable prices and quality pours - 1 of my favourite bars) and Yokohama Cheers (was Belgian themed but is now embracing several Japanese craft beers and European beers).

Yessir, Yokohama has lots to offer, beer wise!

Beer in Japan iphone app new and improved!

2010-04-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yep. He's gone and done it again.

Mr.BeerinJapan has added a few more bars to his very useful and if you are new to Japan or don't-know-where-you-can-find-good-craft-beer necessary app for the iphone/ipod touch.

Download the app from itunes:

Beer in Japan iphone app.

He's added listings for bars in the Yokohama area and even added info on one of the best beer stores in Japan, Tanakaya.
Included are very useful maps and info on opening times, atmosphere of the bar and overall quality of establishment. He also includes some helpful advice as well as special offers available to users of his application.
It really is a good application and it just gets better.
He is adding more and more bars to it.
One plus with this is that once you have downloaded the app, you don't necessarily need to be on-line to use it. You have access to info, phone numbers, maps, everything. Perfect for those without Japanese i-phones (visitors to Japan) and those with an ipod touch and have no access to wifi.
I myself have been to all the bars and more but even I have a use for this app as I sometimes forget a phone number or occasionally get lost (more like most of the time!).
I have used the app to get to the Cat & Cask pub in time for the ozenoyukidoke IPA event. I used it to find the Craft Beer Bar (a notoriously difficult place to find!).
I can even use the app to get 300yen off an order of food at the Aldgate (saves printing out the coupon of the Aldgate's website!)

Here are a few sneak preview shots from the updated version (out very soon!):

Main page:

Tokyo selection (includes Tanakaya):

Yokohama selection (as far as Fujisawa):

As an example, Craft Beer Bar:

Lists an off-line map you can use as well as the google maps online equivalent. Phone number & website at one easy touch of the screen.
Useful to have.

Recommended.

Check it out.
If you are coming to Japan, I recommend downloading it, for the maps and coupons alone, if not for the contacts, reviews and ideas for other bars.
I get nothing from recommending this app to you guys. It's just my personal recommendation.

p.s. if you are headed to Tokyo/Yokohama, be sure to let I or Mr.BeerinJapan know - we'll try and hook up for a pint!

DH (Kentucky's finest)

2010-04-14T19:22:00.001-07:00

Bourbon barrel aged - bottle matured.

Quite something else.

This is not a beer I'm talking about.
It's a person.

Well, more than a person, this guy has become a man legend -a megend.

Quite an achievement in such a short time over here.
Within a few years he has touched the hearts of many.
All who have met him have bore witness to his strength of character and purity of heart.
He is as honest as they come and one of the kindest, nicest man I've ever had the fortune to have met.

He is leaving soon. Tomorrow, in fact. Leaving to return to his homeland of Kentucky.
He will be missed.

For those who have never met him, they feel as if they have, just by reading his words on the very well known and widely read Good Beer and Country Boys blog.
He blogged about beer, about life, about almost anything.
It was always interesting, enjoyable and highly entertaining.

The only thing better than reading his wonderful accounts of life & beer was meeting the man himself.
I first had the privilege of doing that in Tokyo (think it was at the Bier de Garde beer festival, or was it in Bulldog?), then again & again & again in Numazu, at the Baird fishmarket Taproom.
DH makes no secret of his love of Baird Beer and everything Bryan and the team stands for.
He also makes no secret of his enjoyment of one particular brew - Angry Boy Brown ale.

I'm pretty sure that just his words alone encouraged many a drinker (myself among them) to order a pint of Angry Boy, just to try and experience the sheer joy that DH expressed in his online accounts.

He has been and I hope will continue to be an ambassador for beer, to those new to craft beer and to those already well versed in it's innumerable pleasures.

DH, dude, it was a pleasure to have met you and it's an honor and a privilege to consider you as my friend.
p.s. you can post the cheque to the following address...

Here are just a few pics of the man himself:
(I'll post more when I find them)

The new adventure awaits...

I'm not boozing weissen - it's serious research.

2010-03-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

Trust me. I'm a scientist.
Well, I used to be, anyway.

Some of you (i.e. the one person apart from my mother who possibly reads this blog) may know that I am now starting to brew my own beer.

Good lord, is there no stopping me?
Now, I will be able to get comfortably numb in my own living room.

Well, I'm thinking of brewing a weissen tomorrow.

Now, to be sure exactly what kind of flavor profiles I want and to fully understand the complexities that make up a good weissen, I have decided to perform some mature and responsible research in the form of a serious scientific experiment, involving the delicate deconstruction of the workings of 4 weissens that I just happen to have chilling in my fridge.

It's just pure coincidence that, by undertaking this arduos experimental undertaking, in the name of science, I will probably end up getting well and truly smashed.

I am prepared for such an eventuality.
The bed is but metres away.

Tonight's contenders will be (based on what was in my fridge):

Franziskaner hefe weissen
Weltenberger hefeweissen
Fujisakura hefeweisen
Gotenba Kogen hefe weissen

Looking good.
2 very nice German specimens, together with a pair of perhaps Japan's best weissens.
How will they fare, under the analytical analysis of a boozing boozer?
When I started drinking quality beer, wheat beers were my favourite style.
I would search them down in Japan and abroad.
I've been to Munich about 5 times, always after the fantastic Bavarian hefeweissens and also the lovely helles.
My favourite weissen bier has to be Schneider.
Man, that stuff is good.
In Japan, you can get it in the bottle at Baden Baden beer bar under the train tracks near Yurakucho for 950yen for 500ml. Best price I know of in Tokyo for a bar. It's sometimes on sale in Tanakaya beer store in Mejiro (best beer store in Japan).
Unfortunately, I don't have any in my fridge (boo hoo!) but the 4 I DO have are very good examples of the style - or are they?

We shall see...

Contender number one:
Gotenba Kogen weissen.

First impression was "wow, light color!".
Gentle, subtle amount of yeast in the bottle.
Slightly dry taste, though the banana and clove aroma so much the signature smell of a good hefeweizen is there.
Just a tiny bit bitter and dry tasting, this one.

5.5/10.

Not that bad but sorry, not that good.

(To be fair, the bottle was best before last October!)
I recommend popping by the Gotenba brewery restaurant near Fujioka station and taking advantage of their 3grand all u can drink and eat offer. It's a good one. You get at least 4 beers on tap: Weissen plus her sisters, the pils, schwarz and the seasonal cousin from out of town.

Contender number two:
Fujisakura weissen.

(Music stops).

What... ...the booze is going on?
This is NOT a hefeweizen.
Well, not any more, anyway.
To be fair, this beer was best before June, LAST YEAR.
Oops.

This is what it should look like:I took this at the lovely Sylvan's Fujisakura brewery/restaurant, on the gentle slopes of Mt.Fuji, near Kawaguchiko.

Well, slightly different, this one.
perhaps I got he black sheep of the 'weisse' family?

I decided that, as a scientist, I should go and give it a sip.
Urgh.
Skunked!

Disqualified.

Nuts.

I knew I should have drank this a long, long time ago.
This is what happens when you put off that special moment, whether it be drinking the nice beer in your fridge or telling that foxy lady across the bar that you just want to rip her clothes off and handle her handles (hey, she's not bad for an 80year old). Sometimes, in the right situation, it's actually okay to say these things. Just not right now.

So take it from me, guys, or girls (my mind is drifting now), don't think. Just do it.
Enjoy the moment.
Savor the flavor, the taste, the aroma.
Then, as you spend the next 2 to 5 in minimum security for sexual harassment, you'll have at least two wonderful mammaries to look back on and enjoy.

Someone's starting to show signs of C₂H₅OH adjusted behaviour... ...or are they?

Nuts.
This is not time to stop and think! I need another beer - fast!!!!

Contender number friggin' three:
Pansiskaner hefeweissen.Wow. Nice.

I know I can always count on this lovely baby from Munich to shine.
It's a great hefeweizen.

You can get this baby on tap in Japan, courtesy of Zato Trading. These are the guys that hold the annual Oktoberfests in Tokyo, Yokohama, Sendai and Fukuoka (I think).
They are also responsible for the hefty price. Perhaps due to this, a few bars that used to have it on tap or in bottle no longer do.
Zato does however have a number of restaurants that serve Franziskaner hefeweiss, hefeweiss dunkel, Spaaten helles, premium bock and the lovely 7.2% Spaaten Otimator dopplebock.

Well, this one wasn't skunked.
Although it was best before June 09, just like the Fujisakura.
Both bottles had spent the whole time in the same fridge, therefore at the same temperature.
BIG difference in how they turned out!

I'd like to show the head brewer of Fujisakura, Miyashita san, the photo of the skunked weissen. It'd be interesting to hear his thoughts on what happened.
I can't complain though, as it was clearly a long way past it's best before date.
no hate on Fujisakura.
I love those guys.
I go there about 5 or 6 times a year.
Good people, nice fried potatoes (cheapest thing on the menu!), decent beer.
ALWAYS get sh*tfaced hammered and leave the place smiling.
Nothing at all to do with beer farts.

Back to the Frannie.
She's handled herself well, despite her advanced age (oh lord, my mind is drifting again - sometimes it's a curse, having this imagination). Even though she's well past her prime, she still smells pretty good and tastes not half as bad as I'd imagine (gags).
Decent amount of yeast in her, seemingly without infection (where am I going with this?).
She gives really impressive head, considering her advanced age (hopefully that is the first and the last time I'll be typing that sentence).
Solid, creamy, long lasting.
Her body colour is nice and her body feels sufficiently silky and body weight is medium to a tiny bit thin.
There is a certain astringency that I put down to the old age - she has that 'old age' taste ( I certainly hope you don't know what I think you think I mean).
All things considered, this old girl didn't fare too badly, considering.

6.5/10

Not the best she's been and obviously past her prime, but I'd give here a go again, if that's all there was.

Contender number -hic!" - four:
Weltenberger - not cheeseburger - hefeweissen.

Well, what could possibly go wrong this time?
can't wait to find out...Diacytyl?
Got a pronounced buttery taste. Weird. It's not as I remember this beer.
Just 490yen at my local-ish supermarket, this is usually a great deal.
Brewed on the banks of a river in Germany since 1050, Weltenberger makes some nice beers.However, this bottle was a disappointment. Perhaps it wasn't transported very well. Perhaps I'm not in full control of my taste buds.
Hmm...

5/10.

Bit sweeter than usual. Is it me? Tastes a tad weird. Or am I?

Today's champion on a paultry 6.5/10 is the Frannie kanner!

Man, I kinda bumbed out on luck with these beers.
Two of them were clearly aged. One was not as good as I remembered. The other was drier than I remembered. A good point to remember about weissen is that fresh is best.
Once you get your hands on a lovely sweet German, flip the top off her and get your lips round her, fast!
You never know when suddenly she becomes too old to enjoy to the max!

The Home for Hopheads.

2010-02-10T03:10:00.000-08:00

What happens to all those beer experts who try one too many hoppy beers?

They end up in the Home for Hop Heads.

This place is a haven of sanctuary for all and any hop heads who have just burnt themselves out on hops. Believe me, it happens. Far more than people would like to admit.
These once proud men who drank by the UK pint, of anything that was brewed in this wide, wide world, no matter what the IBU was - they drank it.
And now they are paying the ultimate price.
They have become drooling, incoherent hop heads.

You may have noticed the apparent absence of the legends among foreign beer experts such as Mr.Scarrel, Mr.Choggins or Mr.Hambers (names altered to protect their identities)?
Well, perhaps they all succumbed to the hop or ended up at the Home for Hop Heads and that was were they spent their last hoppy moments in this wonderful world. Drooling after hops.

The latest batch of residents can bear witness to the awesome power of the hop.

Kids, pay attention: too much of the hop and this is what you will become.

I was granted rare permission to visit the reclusive Home for the Hopheads.
I was searched at the entrance for hidden hops and had to swear that I hadn't drank any hoppy brews for at least 48 hours previously (apparently, then can smell it).
Security was high. for good reason.
The last resident to 'escape' left the premises, disguised as a sailor and was last seen on the train to Yokosuka. Since then they have beefed up security precautions.

I am told it can take up to 6 months to rehabilitate hop heads back into the normal world of the pale ales and brown porters. Some never come back.

Here, in the Home for Hop Heads, I managed to get a brief glimpse of a few of these once great men, as they paraded about like drooling vegetables.
They are expertly cared for by the professionally trained Home for Hop Heads staff.

Just take a look at this poor bugger:He used to be a veritable encyclopaedia of information on almost any brewery or brewer in Japan. Now look at him.

I'm afraid it was just a case of one too many hoppy pints and now he doesn't even know who he is any more.
He had to be weened off the hops over a period of several months. Here he is, being spoon fed by the wonderfully patient staff.
It almost pains me to think about how such a well informed man could recduce himself to being spoon fed liquid soup, just to survive.

I joined a few of the recovering hopheads during their tea time break. I tried to interview this fellow but it was like talking to a raving lunatic.I couldn't make out anything he was saying. He kept muttering things like "Ay kannae ge nae aibeeeyeeeews!" and "gizza wee dram o aipeeeeyaaaay, yer sazzzarnakel yeh!", "och, ah miss maaaah chinook, so ah doooooo!". Total gibberish. The staff later informed me that this one was well into the advanced stages of Hopheadism.

The experts here try to use normal life routines and procedures to jaunt their memories and hopefully bring them back out of Hop Headism and into the real world once more.

Here the staff are trying to have a Christmas party:I don't think the poor Hophead above even knows what his name is (he kept muttering "I'm Chuwy..no, I'm Chris..no, It's Chuwy...or...Chris?..."), let alone that it is Christmas.

He looks too far gone. Better for everyones sakes if they just take him out the back and shoot him.

They have had some limited success in the 'outings for Hop Heads' programme.
This sponsored program takes hop heads that are deeemed low security risks on little day trips, so stimulating their mental systems and hopefully snapping them out of their hop like trances.
Here little Jimmy HopHead (for the sake of anonymity) is still beaming, after returning from a day trip to Disneyland:

Update: Unfortunately, staff later discovered his ear-to-ear smile was due to the bottle of Harvestmoon IPA he had somehow smuggled out of Mickey Mouse's Magical Kingdom.

So there you have it, a never before seen glimpse into the limbo that is life after hops.
Once you hop, you can't stop.

Kids, be careful how you handle those hops.
Don't become a hop head.
It'll be the ruination of you.

Czech this out - PUB CRAWL!

2010-01-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, Jiří Kotýnek is in town.
Jiri is Czech. He is a brewer.
He brews for the Nihon Kai lub in Ishikawa.
He likes beer.He asked me to take him to some interesting bars and have some good beer.
I do like a challenge!

PUB CRAWL!!!!He gets off work today at 1:30. Then it's on!

I'm hoping to have already started, in the Nakameguro Taproom.I'll be drinking Baird beer and probably 2 of the 4 beers Nagano Trading have on at that place.
I'll be trying the Stone Arrogant Bastard and the Ballast Point big eye IPA.
Lovely beers!

I’m　hoping Jiri can meet me there and we can have a few warm up drinks.Then we go to Yokohama and Pivovar Yokohama, where we hope to meet the chief brewer, Suzuki san. Suzuki san worked breifly in Prague at the famous brewpub Ur fleku and met Jiri, so it should be a nice reunion - with lots of beer!

I want to try the Apache Scream IPA!

Then we go to the Thrash Zone, to meet Tim Maloney and maybe one or two others (Chuck?).I'll also try a Big EYE IPA there and compare it with the Taproom quality.
I'll also recommend Jiri try a Nagahama ale and maybe Shinano, as well as Minoh beers.

Then it's off on the Toyoko line to Shibuya and maybe a brief food stopthen to the Aldgate, where we are hoping to meet up with a few home brewing friends who may want to meet Jiri and 'pump him' for information.After a few beers there, we rush to Towers and Bulldog and Nagano Sake miura if we have time.
If not, we go straight to Popeyes, and the last bar of the day.
It's a tiny bar, with just SEVENTY beers on tap.It's gotta end at Popeyes.
Not sure if I can manage all 70 beers, but I'm gonna try and see how far I go.Once you get there, you're not going anywhere else.

Hoping we can last the night.
If you feel like coming out, why don't you join us?

Come on, it's Friday!

Just take care not to drink too much, or you never know how the evening may turn out.

Wahatever you do, have a great weekend.

Happy New Year!!!! Grrrr!!!!!

2010-01-01T22:40:00.000-08:00

New, year, new decade.

The year of the TIGER!I hope you all have a great 2010.
I'm off to the Craft Beer Bar, in Kannai, one of the few remaining bars to be open during this time.

They have a great line up of quality Japanese craft beer:

Minoh English bitter (hand pump)
Baird Teikoku IPA
Fujisakura weissen
Shiga Kogen pale ale
Swan Lake Belgian IPA
Swan Lake IPA
Iwate Kura pale ale (handpump, latest batch)
Hakusekikan doux marriage
Baeren schwarz
Harvestmoon New Year pilsner

The perfect way to usher in the New Year!
If you fancy it, pop down and join me for a few!

Just be careful not to drink too much, or you may find yourself waking up next to a big fat pig.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Here's to my birthday and the end of the world!

2009-12-20T23:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Yes, I said 'Happy New Year'.
Well, today is Winter Solstice, after all.
The darkest day of the year. When darkness ruled the earth and a crazy, barely human, mostly beastly being came into this world - me!

"Grrrr!"

From now, winter is in retreat and the spring is coming.
This is really the end of the year/start of the next.
The day which was meant for Christmas, to coincide/take over from the pagan festival at that time.
Also, just 3 years left, until the end of the world!

What more reasons do you need, to reach for a brew?

Me, I'm helping myself to a nice birthday Sculpin IPA and celebrating in all it's wonderfully hoppy madness!Cheers!

"We're all gonna die!"

'tis the season to pimp your IPA: A Yuzu challenge

2009-12-20T04:42:00.000-08:00

Today is the 21st December, Winter Solstice, Darkest Day of the year, Chuwy's Birthday. It's also the time of the year that Japanese put a yuzu in their bathwater.
Yuzu is kind of a strange Japanese citrus fruit that's very lemony, grapefruity, zesty, zingy and looks like this:Well, I do like yuzu and remember drinking a yuzu ale, made by Harvest Moon and finding it very nice.
Another time, whilst I was drinking (and being very drunk) Suruga Bay DIPA in the Numazu Taproom, I happened upon some strange fruit. It was a little like yuzu, so I squeezed some into my beer. Wow! It really gave the beer a fresh zing.

I thought why not try dry hopping beer with yuzu?

People do dry hop with fruit, so I decided to do a small, simple, controlled experiment, using my balls.

I had 3 glasses. I used my IPintheA as a control beer.Glass 1 had nothing in it, so was just the beer.
The next glass help a mesh filter that had the yuzu flesh and some squeezed juice in the glass.
The third glass held one of my little balls, with yuzu peel cut up very small, inside.
I tried not to get any white pith in there, as the pith is bitter.

I then poured equal amounts into the 3 glasses.
The results may not be surprising.

The first glass tasted normal (as 'normal' as Chuwy's beer can taste).
The second glass with the flesh and juice was very aromatic but overwhelmingly bitter and sour tasting, from the juice and pith and flesh. This may be why Japanese mostly use the zest, for cooking and flavouring.
The third glass was nicely aromatic and just a tad to bitter.
I was hoping for a fresh zingy taste but just got bitterness, primarily.
One thing I did try next was to take my ball and dip it gently and briefly into my IPintheA.
The aroma was subtle but present.
The flavour bitter but not overly so.
The zest was still smelling fantastic and zingy fresh, hours later after being taken out of the beer.
I think the best thing to do would be to dry hop a beer using just the zest and with as little white pith as possible. Then leave that gently soak for a few days, for the zesty zing to soak into the beer.
I didn't have a few days, so this experiment was quite limited.
Hey, you never know until you try, right?

Has anyone out there tried this, in one of their home brews?
I may try it out soon, seeing as this is the season for it.

It's the season of renewal, it's the season for yuzu.
Why not try it yourself?
I'm sure YULE like it!

"Bakayaro!!!!"

2009-12-17T21:04:00.000-08:00

This was how I was greeted, one time last year, as soon as I walked into Maltan bar in Kanda, Tokyo.
A largish group of Japanese beer lovers were gathered at the bar with the owner and saw me and suddenly got into a group huddle, then they all turned in unison and shouted at me

"Bakayaro!!!!"

In Japanese, this means something like "You f*cking idiot!" or "Motherf*cker!".

Bakayaro! Itsumo, itsumo osoku made nondeiru. kesa, moo juuji sugita, okinakatta kara shigoto de kubi wo kiru hazu ja nai ka?

Dumb butt! Always, ALWAYS you are drinking until it's late. Then this morning it's already past ten o'clock and because you didn't get up, shouldn't they fire you at work.

Well, I didn't know quite how to react.
WTF have I done, now?
I must have met them before and done something terrible, whilst drunk - not again!
I almost pleaded with them "I'm sorry, I swear your sisters/daughters told me they were 18 and I never knew the other woman was your wife and I'm sure with a little effort, those stains will come out of those curtains & ok, I'll buy you another flat scren TV!", but it was then that I realised - they think I'm Chris Poel.

I've been confused with another person before.
A certain bar owner had for a long time been more than little cold with me and I found out later from a similar looking 'friend' that it was he who in fact had walked in on said bar owner's wife, whilst she was in full flow, in an unlocked toilet. That helps to explain why said bar owner insists that I 'scared' his wife.

Well, my name is Chris.
Chris Poel's name is... ...Chris.

Chris Poel is famous for being a home brewing champion and for making some excellent beer and being an all round great guy to get to know.
I am notorious for being the weird guy who sits by himself, taking pictures of his beers and drinking like a thirsty camel with a hole in its stomach.
Well, two plus two equalled twelfty and they assumed I was he, the Bakayaro creator himself.
Bakayaro is the creation of Chris Pole and he made his 'ode to he Stone Arrogant Bastard, American strong ale' at Baird Beer.
It was that very beer that had just won the Japanese Beer award for best beer (I think Bryan Baird came in second, interestingly enough!), so it wasn't too difficult to work out why they shouted out what they did.

In hindsight, I should have just winged it and grabbed a few congratualatory free pints then mention that there was a problem batch with Baird beer and I am there to recall all the barrels and then proceed to do that at every bar in Tokyo.
Damn you, hindsight!!!

Well, Bakayaro (IBU's: 90, Alcohol Percentage: 8% OG 1.080, double dry-hopped with Centennial) is being released to day, starting at the Harajuku Taproom, from 5pm.
Chris Pole himself will be tapping the first keg and will be in the Harajuku Taprom until around 8:30pm or so.

Here's a good interview of Chris, from the Good Beer Country Boys, after he won best beer at the Real Ale Festival.

Later on, he'll be at the Naka Meguro Taproom, along with Bryan Baird and Sayuri Baird, to send off Yokota-chan, who is the current manager and will be moving back to his native Shizuoka to start his own business.

I'll be the in in the Harajuku Taproom around 5, with an eyepatch and a cork on his thumb - just in case (long story, that has tended to repeat itself).
I'll also be looking weird, sitting by myself and be taking pictures of my beer.

Please don't hesitate to shout out "Bakayaro!"

Hop Rod Rye: So far, 3 out of 4 off.

2009-12-16T08:34:00.000-08:00

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye.

Off (just a tad - or is it?).

What's going on?
Won a 4 pack at a beer event and 3 of them are off.
not badly, but not as good as I KNOW they can be.
There is a chance that I am assuming this is off.
At least I didn't pay for them.
These beers must have been laying around in the summer sun or something.
They are all off in the same weird way( the hop rod being the least affected and best of the bunch, though).
Tart and sour tasting and sharp.

I've had hop rod rye on tap and in bottles before and I like it.
Just check out the ratebeer rating.
This does smell quite like it and tastes ok (better than the prohibition and the calico did) but still, something is wrong with this movie.

Dammit.

I've got a fair bit of sediment floating around in my hop rod.
more than the way I carefully poured it warranted.
however, upon reading reviews of this beer, I find others get this tot and it is from the yeast and the unfiltered nature of the beer in the bottle, so maybe nothing is amiss there.
It is the hop rod and it does taste good but something tastes, well, off.
Just a tad off but it's that which is annoying.
It's so subtly off that many people would assume this is the way the beer tastes.
I know it's better than this.
I thought to save this for last but I'm glad I didn't.
I opened it as I didn't appreciate the taste from my calico and wanted something I knew I would like.
Damn.

It's not far off, though but I do detect a teeny tiny amount of skunk.

Hop Rod Rye - 6/10
To be fair, as I finished the pint, the beer got better but the grapefruit taste - which is normal for this beer, along with the peppery spicy rye still held a tartness to it which matched the previous 2.

Please, don't let my ranting put you off thee otherwise fine brews.
I KNOW them to be good ad well made beers.
Just click on the ratebeer links to see what beer enthusiasts make of them.
Great beers.
Outstanding beers.
Just not the 3 bottles I opened today and yesterday.

Where are the good bottles?
Must I undertake a quest, to seek out the good beer, from the bad?
The good booze shops from the bad?
The ones who look after their beers and the ones (like mylocal - grrr!) who put the Super Dry in the refridgerators and leave the Unibrue, Stone and SChlenkerla in the summer sun or under the boiling hot winter AC?

Well, I shall accept this challenge and undertake this quest.
I shall out the bad and praise the good!
Starting as soon as I can get out of these tights...

Calico amber ale - I guess I'm just not an amber kind of man

2009-12-16T07:23:00.001-08:00

Ballast Point Calico Amber ale.

Looks lovely, doesn't she?

If you read my previous post, you'll know I'm not an amber kind of man.
Never did care much for the style.
Some may say it's because I haven't had the right amber ales. I usually ask them "Which ones should I have? - then I answer that I've tried most of them and haven't been impressed.
I must stress I'm not finding fault with the beers. It's just that I don't really care for the style.
Don't really like the sweet, tart caramel malt flavours. For me it's re@pellant and disgusting.
I'm weird like that.
The only 'amber ale' I can drink and will and indeed do pay for is the Greenflash Hop Head Red, but that is kind of a special beer. Similar to the calico in that it's a kind of amber/red ale hybrid.
I do prefer the hop head red.
Well, Calico is a well made amber ale.
In peak condition, I can drink this.
This calico,however, rather like the prohibition amber I had last night, tastes too tart and little off?
Don't particularly care for it and my first impression was 'urgh'.
Now, I find the glass is almost gone!
I drank it so fast.
Still, the end is so tart.
I have to think this isn't in perfect condition. On-line, I occasionally read references to a tartness.
Maybe it is meant to be there?
If so, I don't care for it. Almost sour, in smell and flavour. Not overwhelmingly but it's there.
I won 4 bottles at a beer event and I dread to open the other 2.
At least I didn't have to pay for them.

Calico Amber Ale 5.5/10.

Maybe this bottle was off, too. I swear the first time I had this, it was 7.5/10.
I think it's better than the prohibition but I wouldn't pay for one unless there was little other option at the bar. In defence of the Calico though, I had a lovely glass of it at one of Andrew Balmouth's functions and Real good. It's what persuaded me to buy a bottle.
The 1st bottle I ever had was really good.
The 2nd was nice.
The 3rd was nasty, really nasty.
A friend also had a bad bottle of this and another friend had a bad pint in a bar but that may well have been to the bar not cleaning their pipes correctly.
I have to assume that the occasional bottle of this goes bad, so be careful when you buy it in bottles.
Check whether the shop keeps them refrigerated.

I think I come across as an anti amber ale kind of guy.
Yes, I don't particularly care for Amber ales but I have nothing against them, personally.

I'm no beer racist, I'm just a simple kind of man.

Can't get this song out of my head: Kids.

2009-12-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

The video is interesting, too.

The same thing happens to me, when I go out drinking.
Just remember, not everything is what you think it is.
You all have a good day.

Speakeasy Prohibition amber ale - but I don't like ambers

2009-12-15T08:29:00.001-08:00

Speakeasy Prohibition amber ale is imported by a good friend of mine, Andrew Balmuth, of Nagano Trading. They also bring in a load of other high quality American craft beers, including Stone, southern Tier, Greenflash, Great Divide, Maui and many more.

I must admit, I'm no fan of amber ales.
The reason I have it is because I managed to win a prize of 4 assorted beers from a raffle draw on the recent Nagano Trading December to Remember beer party.
I find it nicely made but again it's an amber ale and I don't care for the style.
It has a fair bit of life in it but I just don't like the caramelly taste and flavour. Its not my cup of tea.
I'm liking it less as I drink it but that is not the beer's fault - it's mine.
I can tell this is a good beer. A lot of carbonation and a fair bit of caramel in the flavour.
It's a lively, hoppy beer. A tad bit sour in the taste (yeast at work?). Astringently lemony grapefruit hop zested flavour on the tongue.
I prefer the Big Daddy IPA to this, but then again that is because I don't really like - yes, you've guessed it - amber ales.
Well, I tried it, as it was free.
I also have another amber ale in the assorted 4 pack (sigh).
The Ballast Point Callico Amber ale.
I'll give that one a go tomorrow, perhaps.
Right now, I've had enough amber ales for one night.

Prohibition Amber Ale - 5/10

A bit too sour and I don't care for the style but not a badly made beer.
Hey, if you like ambers and aren't as 'beer racist' as I seem to be, you may well enjoy this!
A gassy, spritzy, zesty, light bodied, full of life amber ale.

Nagano Sake Village - where the h*ll is it?

2009-12-15T02:18:00.000-08:00

It's not in Nagano, that's for sure.
Although if you drink there and get REAL drunk, you may think for a second that you are.

Nagano Sake Village.

It's actually at Shimbashi, Tokyo and quite close to the station.

View Craft Beer Bars in Tokyo & Yokohama in a larger map
Take the Shiodome Exit.
You should see a large square with a pedestrian overpass and underpass.
You'll also see the Shimbashi Eki No Mae Building, at the other side of the square:Exit from the Shiodome exit and go across the square, to the Shimbashi Eki no Mae building. It's just across the street.

It's in there, first floor.Just keep walking around until you find it.
It's a small place.
This is what it looks like:The place is a standing bar/shop that sells Nagano products (mainly alcohol and some snacks from small jars). The place will accomodate about 15 or so people.
2 men staff the place and they've always given me great service. They don't really speak English, so have patience.
This is the view of the are inside the main window (bear in mind that this equals about half the entire place!):
As you can see, there are no tables and chairs (not any more!) but there are small standing tables that will accomodate a few bottles, glasses or small dishes:
As you can see, they stock Shiga Kogen beer.
They also have Yaho beer (yona yaon, ooni, etc), Minami Shinshu beer, Shinshu beer and Oh!La!Ho! beer, as well as LOADS of sake!

The prices match retail prices! That's fantastic.
If you are there, I highly recommend getting one or more of their small appetizer dishes.
They get them from the various jars, on display in the store.
They cost from around 150yen so are very reasonably priced. My favourite is the ninniku gyouza (garlic segments prepared in a special way and are delicious!)
Also try the sake selection. The staff can assist you in choosing the sake best suited for you.
You can do what I did and ask for a variety.
This is one place where 'hush hush' you can get dogoroko, or the locally made 'illegal' strong sake.
Watch out, though, a friend had some of this and soon after took out some of the furniture in splendid fashion!
When you are there, you may meet up with one or more of the salary men who frequent the place.
You may even be treated to a drunen song! This is aplce for slarymen and also to meet and make friends with interesting Japanese. I've always had good experiences here. Just be courteous to others and they will do the same to you.
I highly recommend trying the sake, as well as the great craft beer.
A great experience and chance to learn and experience something really Japanese!

Here is a strange angle, looking to the back end of the store. Shiga Kogen porter is delicious and bargain at 380yen!

Nagano Sake Village museum and Store: 7-8/10

Just magic, every time.

Closed Sundays, National Holidays, 2nd 3rd Saturdays.

p.s. Watch out for the racoon with the big testicles:That one's for you, HopJuice!

What to give for Christmas - how about a handjob?

2009-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

"Thaaaaanks, Uncle Greg!"

Maltan 3rd and WTF happened that night?

2009-12-07T05:24:00.000-08:00

Maltan's 3rd anniversary was last Sunday.
Man, that was something.
I'm STILL recovering!
Itt ook me just 40 minutes to get to Maltan but 20 hours to get back!
More on that, later.

If you checked my post about last years Maltan Anniversary, then you may realise that I was expecting a bit of a wild time.
This year, although not as busy as the last, was... ...well, you check out some of the pics I took (as well as a couple from other people):

I arrived on time, this year. A couple of friendly Good Beer guys were already there and we were all patiently waiting for the orgy of beer to begin...
And then we were off and running!
The good beer couple (you may see them at most other beer events - great people) were among the first to go behind the bar and pour themselves a pint.
There were quite a few beers on offer, inlcuding Hakusekikan's super Vintage (around 14%) & Hurricane (15%), as well as Southern Tier Unearthly DIPA (around 10%) and many, many others.
These included a special cask conditioned yona yona pale ale.
Well, it wasn't long before the crowds began to develop and the place was packed.
The deal was, you pay 3,600yen to get in and it was serve yourself, as much as you could handle.
You could bring your own food and you were only given a plastic glass but you were allowed to bring your own glass.
I was ready.
I had my big Duvel glass for high alcohol numbers and my Ruination 'ode to the hops' pint glass for 'normal' beers.
Here they are.It's Hakusekikan Super Vintage (good but needs to warm up to release all the flavour) and Southern Tier unearthly DIPA (was in very good condition) to start me off.
2 pints of double figure alcohol Winter warmness!

Here's Tim M, raising a celebratory glass to a good evening.Here's a very ghostly looking punter. Scary stuff. Phantom of the Beer House?
Luckily, he didn't break out into song - or did he?

Poor Capa, he's merely smelled the beer and he's already off his scary baby face!
Pouring his first beer, before passing out, delirious on the floor, a huge Joker like smile on his cheeks.

Well, the booze was flowing and people were loosening up and having a good time.

Haven't seen these guys for ages.

These guys make a lovely couple.

Although I do suspect that she's got him by the balls (especially when you look at this photo):

This was about the point where I lost my memory.It's probably about 5pm.

A kitty kat, a cute wabbit, one cop and a zombie:

Arest me, officer, becasue I'm thinking it's wabbit hunting season!

At some point in the evening, Rei chan turned up!
Here she is, with just two of her boyfreinds (Sunday and Monday).

"Shhh...be vewy, vewy quiet...I'm hunting wabbits..."

These three were celebrating their birthdays:

Unfortunately, the tradition of being granted a birthday kiss didn't go down so well amongst one of the trio:

"Argh! Get off!!!!"

Things seemed to be going well - I don't remember.

Well, this picture says it all:

This one says bit too much:

Some people just can't last the pace.

Others - they just keep on going (even if their brain has by now stopped functioning and stopped recording memories):

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!"

Man, I wish I was in my right mind when half of this was going on.

Hello, ladies. Here's an idea, I wonder if you would...

...yes, you would! Why can't I remember any of this?!!!!

It seems everyone was enoying the show.

It was even done to music.
I wish I'd remembered this too. Rei was playing the violin!
And guitar! This isn't Rei, it's another friend. Great guy. I reckon he must have rocked the place. Unfortunately, I don't rememeber.

"I'll give you 100 million smackaroonies, for one night with your husband."

Well, the night ended too early, as always. This photo perhaps sums the evening up.
A lot happened and some of us as always, ended up doing things we would later regret:
At least one person had a great time.
Chuck, the king among men.

For me, the night had only just began.
As you may realise, I have no memory of any of this, but from witness reports, for some stupid reason I was trying to argue/fight big Tim, then was all happy and I was carrying him around the bar (also carried Capa and Rei around the bar - this is with a broken back), then they all lost me, near the station.

All I know is that I woke up around 1:30am, still on a stationary train and well, Dorothy wasn't in Kansas any more.
I did some stumbling around and found a 7-11 and through my drunken rantings, managed to understand that there was no manga cafe in the area and the only option in the cold lonely night was a business hotel.
I somehow managed to check myself in and woke up in the morning in what I assumed had to be Chiba.
At about 3pm, I eventually got back home from GUNMA and collapsed, into bed.
I had gone to the border of Gunma and Saitama in my drunken sleep. Then I had to go all the way into Gunma to pick up my bag, which I'd left on the train.
I washed as much vomit off my clothes and bag (it apparently had been a very eventful evening) and with a terrible hangover, pretended to sleep on the 3 hour train ride back to Tokyo and Yokohama.
I also had what I suspected was a broken forearm and cut up hand, although the pain was not too intense. The swelling was not so good though.
Here is a simple google map, retracing my drunken steps, that fateful Sunday evening:

View Results of Maltan 2nd anniversary drunkenness in a larger map

Man, that was a wild night.
I'm still feeling it (my back is certainly feeling it - like I'm still being crushed).
See you at Andy's event today!

Thrashed an arrogant bastard & bloody simcoe!

2009-12-04T19:03:00.000-08:00

Last night, I eventually managed to escape the evil clutches of my old, slow, demanding computer and headed off to the Thrash Zone, one of my favourite bars.
When I got there, around 9pm, it was already packed. Standing room only, gentlemen.There were a few guys from the Yokosuka base drinking and being merry with their ladies, some Japanese salarymen, an American regular, a new regular from Greece and a few other Japanese regular customers. The usual suspects.
First up was a Simcoe Bloody Simcoe, a brew made as a collaboration between Koichi san of the Thrash zone and Atsugi beer, also in Kanagawa prefecture. At 105 IBUsand 7% alcohol, it's no cute kitten, more a snarling tiger of a brew.
Atsugi have been improving recently, bringing out a very good Belgian triple strong ale at the first Grande Bier beer festival in Roppongi that won itself many new fans. I remember visiting their brewpub a few years ago and not being impressed much by the uninspiring beers. It's good to see them improving. They have also made Yokohama honey ale, the Kanda Schwarz on tap at the JHA bar in Kanda and a collaboration beer for Cheers, in Yokohama - a Belgian yeast beer called The Joker.

This baby was available in a total of 4 combinations:

Simcoe bloody simcoe original version
Simcoe bloody simcoe simcoe dry hopped
Simcoe bloody simceo amarillo dry hopped
Simcoe bloody simcoe amarillo & simcoe dry hopped

These were on tap, one at a time.
My favourite was the simcoe dry hopped.
Tonight, the last 20 litres of this lovely brew were on offer.
Thrash was also serving Stone Arrogant Bastard, on tap.
An amazing beer and one of my and many others' favourites.

Well, my first beer was the
Simcoe Bloody Simcoe simcoe dry hopped:

From memory, I knew I was in for something special. I wasn't dissappointed.
Well, maybe a little.
This didn't seem to pack the fresh hop punch that the first one I had did. It still packed quite a whallop, mind you! The balance between dry hopping flavour, aroma and the beer's own flavour seemed a bit out. I think the dry hopping came through too strongly.
Overpowering the original beer's voice a bit too much. They seemed to compete, rather than compliment. I've read that with freshly dry hopped beers, the sooner can sometimes be the better, in terms of getting the max from the dry hopping. It reminds me of a cup of tea, where the tea bag has been left steeping a bit to long. You can taste it. Whilst not being it's best, this beer is still quite nice and very drinkable, bearing in mind it's 7% and 105 IBUs of hops!
I'd give this one 5.6-6/10. It used to be an easy 7-7.5, but the flavour has changed. Not for the better, in my opinion.
Still this is a good beer and a special one. The last 18 litres or so are going fast, so if you want to try it, head to Thrash zone soon.

My second pint for the night was to give Minoh's W-IPA (DIPA) another chance:

Minoh make some good beer. They are based in Osaka. The father and daughters brew the stuff and have won several awards (including being voted the world's best dry stout in the World Beer Awards 09 - WTF?).
Their most famous brew is their WIPA. 'W ' often being pronounced as 'double' among the Japanese, hence the DIPA being written as WIPA.
Their 9% DIPA used to really kick ass, a few years ago. However, the last couple of years, the flavour has gone from being an outstanding beer, to just a very good one or at times, mediocre and dissappointing. I'm not sure if this is due to a change in recipe or ingredients, but there has been a noticeable change. It's not just me who has noticed this and those beer fans who are not just obsessed Minoh lovers (Most breweries here have them - fans who loyally will stick by their brewery/team/tribe, regardless of whether the beer is still good or not.) will also accept this.
I do hope the W-IPA will regain it's place as possibly the best DIPA in Japan. So far, it hasn't.
Well, I decided to give it another go. The last one I had was just too malty sweet. Their DIPA has always been quite sweet, due to the higher malt profile and possibly more than a little unfermentable/unfermented sugars in the beer.
My first impression was that the colour looked very nice indeed.
The pouring as always in Thrash was first class. Temperature perhaps a little cold for the style but not super chilled and better than a lot of other bars in Japan (places here quite often serve the beer at almost Bud/Heinken/SuperDry serving cold temps, regardless of style).
The aroma was definitely dry hopped.
Way, way over dry hopped, in my opinion.
I smelled and tasted flowers, plain and simple.
My first sip was 'Oh no.'.
Is this now becoming a trend, among craft brewers in Japan?

Beers used to be based on the old German style - the lagers, pilsners, alts, weissens and schwarzes or dunkles.
Then the pale ales came on the scene.
Then the barley wines took off.
Then it was the American IPAs.
Now it seems everything has to be dry hopped and aggressively so.
I think this is going too far.

The Simcoe and Minoh were way too strongly dry hopped.
It was not easy to discern the original beer's flavour profile, the hops were just too strong.
I did not enjoy this beer that much.
It did get better, the more I drank it but maybe that was because my tastes buds were adjusting.
I was really hoping for some nice fresh, not too strong hop flavour and aroma, to balance out the sweetness from the malts.
I was dissapointed. Instead of the malts dominating, the dry hopping overpowered everything.

However, don't get me wrong, I'm not attacking the beer itself as horrbile. It wasn't a horrible beer and was very drinkable. The Americans near me loved it and referred to it as 'nose candy'. They had had quite a few beers before that, though - including a big bottle or the 2006 Double Bastard and a bottle of Rasputin Imperial Stout.

I thought it was too aggressively dry hopped. Too much flower aromas, almost perfume like.
If you like that, then maybe this is the beer for you.
It wasn't the beer for me.
Minoh DIPA still dissappoints.
Maybe I say that not because I think it's bad, just more because I know it can be better.

Minoh DIPA 5.5/10

The Minoh DIPA dry hopped is on tap across Tokyo now. Search it out. Let me know what you think. If you agree or disagree, I'd love to hear from you.

Finally, I went for a tried and tested favourite:

The Stone Arrogant Bastard.

Here again, Koichi san demonstrates the attention he gives to every pint poured - he even pricks the bubbles on the head for you!

The Arrogant Bastard!

Just kidding. This beer is lovely. One of my all time favourites.
It was served in great condition and poured very well, as always. One thing I thought wasn't perfect was the serving temperature.
Whilst the owner tries his best to serve every beer at the best possible temp, there is only so much he can do, when he has to store them all in the same refridgerator.
This is why the Arrogant bastard comes out a bit too cold. Just give it some time, if you can and as the beer warms, the flavours and aromas will be released and the beer will just get better, with every sip.
My problem is I can't drink slowly. I've tried, but that crafty beer always finds a way to slide down my throat.

Verdict?

The Bastard rocks!
I do love the Arrogant Bastard.
Stone Arrogant Bastard 8/10
(Just a bit too cold & I was too eager/thirsty to fully appreciate it's kick ass qualities.)

"Bow to your sensei!"

Beer of the night: Arrogant Bastard.

Merry Christmas, you lush!!

2009-12-02T17:42:00.001-08:00

Well, it's the season to be jolly.

For this kat, that means getting hammered.There's no season like Christmas to disguise/excuse/blame the fact that you are 3 sheets to the wind, every chance you get.

December brings with it a multitude of opportunities to end up in the Emergency ward of your nearest hospital.

The biggest and best of those are the Maltan 3rd Anniversarry insanity event and the Nagano Trading December to Remember strong beer party

Beer in Japan mentioned these events and so will I!

I was 1 of only 2 foreigners who made it to Maltan's anniverary last year and boy, was that one crazy party!

Lots of beer, lots of friends, lots of fun!

Basically, the owner/manager gets in about 15 or so special beers and just stands back and watches, whilst the customers fight for control of the taps and pour themselves pints of anything they fancy, from weissens, to lagers, to Barley wines.It's nuts.

I arrived just 15 minutes late last year and already a barrel of Hakuskeikan barley wine was gone! I'm talking a whole barrel of 15% alc in 15 minutes.

Holy schmoly!

The deal is you pay 3,600yen and you bring your own glass and help yourself.

Simple. Effective. Fun.

He has 2 handpumps and a lot of other taps.

He rotates the barrels and beers around and once the barrel is gone, it's gone.

He opens from around 3 and stays open until the beer is finished.

Fantastic.

Having just enjoyed the also great Gambrinus all-u-can-drink-&-eat 2nd Anniversary, this one is the sh*t, the bomb, the dog's bollocks, as it were, for getting almighty blotto at.
This year's beer include Shiroyama mikan white, Hakusekikan super vintage and hurricane, Yona Yona cask conditioned, Nagahama ale, Daisen weissen, Iwate Kura oyster stout, Minoh WIPA, Ginga Kogen weissen and maybe more!

I love that it's self service. I love that you bring your own glass of choice.

I love that you can bring in your own food.

I love that the choice is bloody good (lots of beer styles to please everyone and good choices, too).

I love that it's just 3,600yen.

Gotta love it.

I just don't love that it's on a Sunday.

Oh, well.

See you there.
_____________________________________________

p.s. Here are some pics from last year.
Warning: some pics may disturb you, whilst some may make you want to get to Maltan, this Sunday.
I think you'll agree, they need little describing!

Go on, come and have a drink or twelve with me at Maltan.

Pssst...want some prime American green?

2009-11-30T05:54:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of my very own 'Mr.Miyage of hops', BrewedinJapan, I managed to pick up some good old green, the other night.
I managed to get me some chinook, cascade and US goldings at a fraction of the price that stuff costs over here, in Japan.
Looking forward to brewing with that stuff, soon.
I was a bit worried, carrying the stuff back on the train. The smell was fantastic but what if someone mistook my aromatic green for 'something else'? Would the Japanese police buy my story that I am just a budding home brewer, and not an entrepreneurial drug dealer?

Well, I had the stuff out on display, in a desperate effort to be caught (isn't that what all criminals secretly desire?), but I arrived home without incident.

I put the bags in the freezer and just today separated them out into approximately 1 ounce (about 28-30g) sized freezer bagged portions.

Here's the Goldings bag, just before splitting it up into 1 ounce portions:

The job took some time but man, it smelled glorious!
I think my favourite hops, aroma wise of the three were the chinook. This surprised me, as they have the highest alpha acids and are often used as a bittering hop (you can use less of these, boiled at 60 minutes or so, to produce a certain level of background bitterness than with the lower alpha acid hops - less usually means cheaper!) but the aroma was lovely, seemingly balanced and smooth.

So, now I have my freezer section of my beer fridge occupied by the odd one or two hops.

Horror upon horrors, there now may not be any room for ice cream.

Crossing over to the 'otherside' - the world of homebrewing

2009-11-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

Well, this ol' fool finally took the plunge and dived head first into the fantastical world of brewing your own beer!

A new and now very good friend of mine, BrewedinJapan, invited myself and another newcomer to, BeerKat, to his home to watch and help out with his latest batch of 'approximately 1% alcohol' homebrew.

Well, I made the best of starts by being about 2 or 3 hours late.
No suprises there.

When I finally got there, he and Beerkat had already steeped the malt and the wort was boiling away.

Incidentally, if you want to know more about brewng beer, I highly recommend this free online book How To Brew, by John Palmer. This text is very famous and quite well written. The online version is free but there is a newer 3rd edition available via the website. Highly recommended and a very interesting read.

Back to the plot.
I got to BrewinJapan's (BIJ) place and this is what I saw:You can see the huge boiling pot on the big ass stove.
I think it holds about 7 gallons or so (around 25-30litres or more).
He is boiling the wort and getting ready to add the bittering and flavoring hops and any other ingredients to the boiling wort [if you boil hops for a short time, the bitterness and aromas and flavors are kept. However, if you boil for more than say, 15 minutes, then any aromatic properties can be boiled away. Boil for about 30 minutes or more and you start losing the flavor profiles, being left more and more with just the bitterness from the hops. This is why brewers talk about bittering hops (boiled for around 60 minutes or so), flavoring hops (boiled for around 15 to 30 minutes) and aroma hops (boiled for a very short time or even sometimes added to the wort as you end the boil).].

When you boil the wort (A kind of 'unmade beer juice' - basically the sugars and starches gotten from the malt - usually barley), you should be careful of something called the boil over, especially if the volume of wort is close to the maximum capacity of your pot. A boil over is when you get large boiling mass of foam which, if left unattended, is in danger of boiling over the top of the pot. A simple method of spraying with a small 100yen water spray device tends to collapse the foam and avoid the potentially nasty boil over.

The boil over is avoided at the hot break and the mixture has now developed a steady rolling boil.
Time to add the first stage of hops - the bittering hops.
In they go!
Meanwhile, whilst all this is boiling away, it was time to get ready for bottling the previous batch!

We rinse out the empty bottles (it wasn't me who drank all that Super Dry!). You can see the wort chiller to the right. This is basically a large coil of copper piping which is put into the pot and cold water from the tap ran through it, thus extracting thermal energy from the hot wort and cooling it down quickly.

One of the most important points in brewing beer is sanitation. This is also probably why I didn't start brewing earlier. I just thought it was too much hassle.
Well, it isn't.
It's not that hard to maintain a sanitary environment.
Here BrewedinJapan has a large container, filled with a mixture or water and sanitising solution. You can use iodine or bleach solution or other chemicals but this stuff he is using doesn't need to be rinsed away, so it is very easy to use.

You can see BeerKat rinsing out the bottles. The large white bucket is the bottling bucket, to be used later on, for bottling the beer. It, like everything else that comes into contact with the beer, is sanitized.
Can you see the nifty little bottle tree?

This allows the sanitised bottles to hand upside down and drip dry.

Right. Below, you can see the top large bucket is the fermentation vessel. This is where the beer has been fermenting and maturing.
Can you see the weird thing sticking out of the top?
That is a simple airlock. using some water or sanitizing solution, this keeps a barrier to stop any unwanted bacteria entering the bucket and spoiling the beer. At the same time, any extra CO2 produced by the yeast can safely escape the bucket.
The sanitized bottling bucket is below, ready to receive the beer to be bottled.

There is however, one problem.

After the initial fermentation, after the yeast has used the oxygen in the air and the young beer to multiply, it then gets to work changing the sugars in the wort to alcohol and produces lots of CO2. However, by this stage, if the yeast comes into contact with Oxygen, this can be very bad for the beer.
So, we don't the beer being oxygenated.
Before we started, we wanted lots of oxygen in the fresh wort. Then we left it alone to ferment. However, now we don't want oxygen in the picture. From now on, oxygen is bad. So how to proceed?
We can't just empty the beer into the bottom bucket. That would oxygenate the beer and spoil it. We can't splash it either, for the same reason.

So BrewedinJapan uses dry ice (CO2) to create a CO2 layer in the bottom of the bottling bucket (CO2 is heavier than air or oxygen) and carefully draws the beer out of the top bucket, using a plastic tube to avoid splashing.

Here's the dry ice, bubbling away. He got it from Baskin Robbins (the ice cream place).
Adding it to the bottling bucket created a protective layer of CO2.
Here BrewedinJapan is adding a solution of corn sugar to the bucket (this has already been boiled, to sanitize it).
The sugar is the priming solution, with which the dormant yeast will re awaken and convert to CO2, thus making the beer carbonated. As the beer fills the bottom bucket, it will mix evenly with this mixture.
Then it was just carefully transfer the beer.
Great. Now the beer is in the bottling bucket, we can sling (not really) the top bucket and carefully put the bottling bucket up on the table.

Then we can use a special bottling rod/tube to fill the bottles.
This is just a plastic or glass tube with a spring valve on the bottom. When you put this into a bottle and press up on the valve with the bottom of the bottle, the beer is released. When you remove the upward pressure, the valve closes and the beer flow stops.
One of these items is not compulsory but it makes the bottling job easier.
Here's the bottle with the bottling rod inside, about to be connected to the tap.
I then open the tap and put pressure up on the rod using the bottom of the bottle it is inside.
Wahey! We have a controllable flow of beer! Fill each bottle to within and inch or two of the top.
Put a cap gently on top of the bottle when it is full, again to avoid oxygen or nasty things getting into contact with the beer.

Here, you can see BeerKat is busy, filling bottles:Without using a piece of silicone or rubber hose, it is not so easy to keep the contact between the tap and the bottle filler leak proof! Oops!
This is why brewing with friends is a good idea!
Oh, BeerKat! I hope that's beer on the floor...
Then they let the monkey have a go.
When all bottles are filled, it's time to put those caps on properly!

Here, BrewedinJapan is showing BeerKat how to use the bottle capping machine:

"Go on, Beerkat! Grrrr!!!!!"

The monkey joined in, too.
Here's two caps I screwed up (Hey, even monkeys make mistakes!):
Finally, all the bottles have been filled and capped!
Here is what was left of the two buckets. The sediment of yeast and sludge that shouldn't go into the bottles.

Lovely!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

..the wort has been boiling away and the hops have been added at intervals for bitterness, flavour and aroma.

It's time to hydrate the yeast.
BrewedinJapan took some yeast and added it to some water (which had been boiled, to sanitize it and allowed to cool) . This meant the yeast could waken up or at least get hydrate and hopefully get to work a little faster. This is left for a while, to hydrate.
It is covered and left alone.
For this particular brew, BrewedinJapan added some coriander seeds.
Brewers often add various ingredients to their beers. e.g. cocoa, vanilla beans, coffee beans, tea bags, fruit, coconut, young puppy dogs (just kidding), etc.
Right, the boil is over and it's time to cool the wort - fast!
WE want to cool it as fast as possible to avoid any off flavours developing in the beer. Can you see the wort chiller I talked about earlier? Well, this baby cooled about 20l of wort from about 90C to around 24C in about 20 minutes - not bad!

The beer is now at the right temperature to transfer to the primary fermenter.
In this case, it is a glass carboy. This is quite a popular choice for home brewers. You can see what's going on, inside and the glass doesn't leak oxygen into the beer and is impervious to the acidic beer. some may think it tastes 'cleaner'.
I'm not so sure. any people otherwise use plastic buckets, like the one mentioned before, which are a lot cheaper.

To transfer the beer, we cyphon it, using a length of hose.

Here it doesn't matter so much if the beer splashes. We actually want oxygen in it. sometimes, boiling liquids removes the oxygen. We want as much oxygen as we can, to allow the yeast to do it's stuff.
This wort is now more or less finished, in terms of ingredients. only dry hopping or the addition of yeast is left to do.
This is when we take an initial gravity reading.
The gravity of the liquid is more or less a measure of it's density.
We use a special device (hydrometer) which is just a graduated tube which sinks into a measure of the liquid beer. The rod/instrument will sink to different levels, depending on the density of the liquid. eg. Water has a specific gravity of more or less 1.0000. Adding anything to the water can increase the density and so the reading rises and the instrument floats, slightly. This is basically why we can float, in the Dead Sea. The salt solution is so dense that we pop up to the surface like corks. Big fat, sunburned, rich, touristy corks.
As you can see, the initial gravity or Original Gravity (O.G.) reading is about 1.052
Comparing this to the final gravity gives us a measure of how much material has been converted by the yeast to alcohol. This in turn tells us the alcohol content of the beer.

Now we need more oxygen in the beer, if the yeast is to stand a good chance.
To get even more oxygen in there, we can shake the container or use an air pump. BeerinJapan uses a fish tank aquarium air pump to oxygenate his beer.

Here it is, being modelled:Silent air. That name made me laugh (and carefully sniff test the air).
Here is the air being pumped into the beer, oxygenating it in the process.

The beer is all nice and bubbly. Now is the time when BeerinJapan dry hops his beer. Another way to add aroma and a little extra flavour is to add hops after the boil is finished and directly into the fermenter. For normal dry hopping, it is usually better to wait until the primary fermentation has finished. Then the lovely flavors and aromas of the hops aren't evaporated away by the action of the fermenting young beer.
Don't forget that yeast!
The wee yeasties have awoken and are raring to go!
We add the yeast and then put the top on the fermentor.
The airlock is in place and now it is time to leave it alone for a few weeks.

Now, it's time to sit back and get pisshhhhd!!!!
BrewedinJapan opened up a Stone 13th Anniversary ale - nice!

Then he gave us some gorgeous brisket!

Plus home made potato salad. This guy is a great cook!
We had a few more quality brews, courtesy of us all. Good times!
Man, great food!
Great food, great beer.
It was then watch BrewedinJapan clean up, then off to Thrashzone for more quality booze!
BrewedinJapan, BeerKat, it was a pleasure to lose my brewing virginity with you guys.

This adventure was only the start...

p.s. want to know how that beer we bottled turned out?

Just lovely!

Beer, friends & a fantastic 3 day weekend.

2009-11-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Just got back from Numazu.
Saturday to Monday with nothing but friends and beer.
Lots of both!

Big shout out to DH & Chris Poel.
You guys rock.

Good times.

More info in upcoming posts, with pics and tales of adventure that will no doubt bore you stupid.

Kanpachi.

Enjoying my time in 'Tha Zu'!

2009-11-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Numazu, to be more precise.

FINALLY made it there after multiple delays on the Tokkaido line.

Arrived to find DH, his lovely other half (not Nate- not that Nate isn't lovely! Not that I think Nate is lovely. Lord,where am I going here? Not that I'm confused with my sexualiuty. I'm doing it again. not being confused, well ,yes, just not sexually.I'll stop now.), Chris Poel, Bryan Baird and Nevitt Reagan enjoying a few beers.

It was good to finally meet Mr.Reagan.

I'll have to hook up with he and his freind who I know but for the life of me I can't remeber his name (I'm a faces guy - not saying that in a disgusting Japanese adult orientation in terms of where a 'certain act' finishes, rather I remember faces - urgh. Often, I say too much).

Here they are: It was good to finally meet the man/men.

The beer last night was nice. Alas, some beers I wanted to drink had been drunk and finished by DH.
Grrrr! The Chuwy curse struck again!

The imperial IPA was nice. The 6x2 was gone, as were the simcoe, centennial and others.

I had the rye, the imperial pils, the imperial IPA, the yabaiyabai scotch ale, the kurofune and some Kentucky ale.

Nice!

I forgot to bring my silver balls, so I did an alternative. I took a small mikan/yuzu/lemon(?) with which I had previously tried to impress the barmaid by juggling and dropping on the floor and squeezed it into my DIPA.

The aroma was nice but the flavor didn't infuse.

Still either way it was a nice beer. Had a few of those last night! DIPAs, not mikans.

Played some kind of game DH brought. Not sure how, but I built up the winning score. Must have been drunk.

Gotta post now. My time in the internet cafe is up! Out in the sun for breakfast and adventures!

Beers4Books today!

Dry hop, in your pint!! - The hop-no-kin-tama!

2009-11-20T20:53:00.000-08:00

Man, I looooooove thee hops!!!!

(this pic was taken from the BrewRepublic website. Not a bad read.)

A thought occured to me.
Just one.
I didn't want to overdo it.

It wasn't "Where are all the baby pigeons?"

It was, " Why can't I dry hop any beer I like, any time I want to?"

I am a hop head, you see.

Many beers I can get in Japan already have sh*tloads of hops in them. Take Sculpin, 13th Anniversary, Idiot, Ruination, West Coast IPA, etc...

However, sometimes I get a beer and I just want it to have a bigger hop aroma and flavor profile.
What can I do about that?

Well, after years of painstaking research in the labs, I came up with this idea:

I call it the ~~tea infuser~~ hop-no-kin-tama.

Kin-tama is Japanese for silver ball (it also means testicles).
So, just like your testicles, you never want to leave home without them!

Just dip your balls into your beer, any time you feel like it.
It doesn't even to be in the privacy of your own home or in a speciality bar any more.

Now, you can feel confident that you can be anywhere and just take out your balls and drop them into your pint glass. Let them infuse for a few minutes then pick them up, let them drip dry, wipe them off with a soft cloth or paper tissue, then put them back in your pocket.

You can experiment with your balls in public.
Watch people gasp as you take out your balls and drop them in a glass of beer - a cup of coffee (warning: using freshly boiled coffee may result in scalded balls) - even a juice or fruit shake!

You can leave your balls in the beer for as long as you feel comfortable.
This could be about 5 seconds in a hot cup of coffee or up to 5 minutes or more, in a nice, cool beer.

For best results, I recommend dangling your balls and swirling them around for a while, to get that 'extra flavour'.

Don't believe this works?

Well, why not try it on a friend!
The next time your best friend gets up and goes to the toilet, why not take out your balls and dunk them in his beer!
Swirl them around in the beer for a few minutes, the take them out and put them back in your pocket.
Just wait and see the look on your friend's face, when he takes a sip of his beer.
I guarantee you, he will want to get his hands on your balls.
He'll be begging you to put your balls in his beer, every time!!

The hop-no-kin-tama - put your balls in your beer!

Right then, time for another brew, isn't it!

2009-11-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

I bottled my first ever beer, my IPintheA, last Tuesday.
I'll blog on how that all went, from start to finish, soon.

Now, I jsut have a few hours, so I think I may brew up something interesting.
I am using the simple beer kits found at Tokyu Hands and other online stores.

I use the Black Rock kits, from New Zealand:
They seem basic but not too nasty.
My first one was using the East India Pale Ale.
I didn't know it but I think that that beer is not really an IPA, rather a weak pale ale of sorts.
I used separate ale yeast to make a better fermentation.
I added crap loads of fuggles hops as well as pride of ringwood and cascade to the beer.
The batch size was only about 2 gallons - very small!
So far, multiple taste tests mean it tastes a little weak bodied and strange.
No problem.
My second beer may turn out even worse!

The one thing my beers have going for them is that they contain 'approximately' 1% alcohol.
I say approximately, as that's the the limit the law allows, for home brewing.
So, when I say it's approximately 1%, you may understand how flexible my definition of approximately may or may not be.

My 2nd batch is going to be based on the Black Rock Miners' Stout kit:

I'm going to ump up the ante and add in a bit of dry malt extract, both light and medium color/roast. I'm also going to add coffee, cocoa, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper.

The onlyproblem is the yeast.
I've read that we shouldnt use the kit yeast, for best results.
Well, I spent over 2.5 hours, rusing from Tokyu Hands in Yokohama to teh one in Lalaport, to the Kawsaki one and no yeast!
I'll just have to use the packet from this one and the packet from the East India Pale Ale that I still have, in my fridge.
Hope it ferments ok.
Let's see what THAT ends up like!

This will be my first ever stout. A miners' stout, too!
I come from Wales and we are proud of our mining heritage.

Here's a couple of boyos from the valleys:

Look at them! Perfect specimens - and they're only 12!

Right, the time for talk is over.
Unless it gets too hot, it's time I got back in that kitchen.
Wish me luck...

Guy Fawke's Night in Aldgate - it was fireworks!

2009-11-16T03:14:00.000-08:00

Literally.You need proof?

I had a great night.

A GREAT night.

I got there late. Around 9:30 - 10pm. The free food started being served from 9.
I knew big English Tim was there, plus a few other 'hunter gatherers', so I was worried that there would be no food left for little hungry me.
Never mind.
At least no food means nothing in my stomach to compete with my old nemesis, Mr.Al(cohol).

Mr.Al and I go back a long, long way.
Always competing for dominance and overall control of the elusive 'Chuwy mind'.
Some say it exits.
Some say it doesn't.
Some say they've even seen it in action.
Others put it down to a fortunate, otherwise random series of events and lucky choices, made by a deranged lunatic.
Both Mr.Al and myself believe the Chuwymind does indeed exist and we strive to get control of it first, before it's gone.

Who knows who will get there, in the end?
Who knows even if the Chuwymind will still be there, by then?

So, I got to the Aldgate and it was nicely packed full of all kinds of people.
Japanese boys, Japanese girls, English men, Candians, Americans, Scots, Jamaicans, Siberians, Lesser pandas (ok, so I may have made the last 3 up - but they could have been there), anyone who was anyone (and most people are, let's face it).

I made my way through the throngs of thongs and was immediately accosted by a fellow drunk, the Russian looking 'Oblamov'.
I think he had grown a beard and wore his trademark furry sweater, in an attempt to not look like Bruce Springsteen.
Nice try, Oblamov, but you can't fool me.

Here is a photo of Oblamov, taken after he removed his sweater and proceeded to get ready to use the toilet: As you can see, he does look a little bit like Bruce Springsteen.Please do tell him that, if you see him. He so much likes being reminded of that.

I got past the advances of 'The Boss' and made my way to the back of the bar.
I found friends in abundance!
It's awesome, being the last to turn up to a bar when others are drunk and waiting.
Everyone turned and shouted out 'CHUWY!!'
Man, I felt like a rockstar.
Oblamov, it must be awesome to be you.

All my good new friends were there and some older ones. It was so good to see so many familiar faces in one place.

The beers were coming thick and fast. The mian beer of choice for the evening was undoubtedly the Ballast Point Sculpin IPA. It was very, very good.

With your first pint, you got a sparkler stuck on the end of it. It was a nice idea for Guy Fawkes night.

Some of my friends, however were not content to just drink ONE pint at a time!
I think this particular person took his t-shirt too literally!

One skull splitter, coming up!

The beer was flowing and the live music was playing. It really was a good night. There had to be at least 50 people in there. It was more or less packed. Good business. With each pint you bought, you got a 150yen off token for the next time you visited The Aldgate.
Business was so good, in fact, that they later ran out of said coupons and had to instead offer 100yen off the price of each pint - not so bad!

Even Oblamov was happy.

I brought some of my not near ready homebrew to give my friends a taste. A lot of people there were very knowledgeable about beer so I valued their opinion.
I think I brought my first ever beer before it was anywhere near ready. It hadn't even finished fermenting yet! Some friends were brutally honest. Others were very kind in their feedback. It's my first batch. No worries. It's my first baby and I love it, no matter what.
I've recently bottled the stuff and after 5 days dry hopping and almost 3 weeks in the primary fermentor, it definitely has some alcohol (aproximately 1%! Wink wink), so at the very least, it will get me blotto!

Just like this wild man:

Showing The Boss how to rock and roll!

My first beer was a Gallowsgate IPA (Swan lake IPA). Nice but still too malty sweet. Not very balanced with the hops.
I decided I wanted to try the Murphy's Irish Stout next.
She came out very creamy:
I didn't mind. Something smooth to slow me down. Very nice she was, too.

A nice, happy beer.

It was around then that I met up with a new friend. Tim.
He told me he read the Boozelist. After that intial shock set in, he thanked me and offered to buy me a pint. It took him a long, long time to finally wear down my resistance to that idea and about 5 seconds later, he ordered me a Rogue Hazelnut Brown ale.

Thanks, Tim!

The weird thing was that the first friend who walked by was also called Tim.
I introduced them to each other and then the next guy who walked past was called...

...can you guess?

Yep, Tim!

So weird, that the two beer friends I wanted to meet my new friend, Tim, were both Tim!
That weirdness, coupled with the fact that someone had just bought me a pint, led me to believe that I must be in some strange dream.
I wasn't.

I decided I need another pint. I went for the Sankt Gallen stout.
What a weird, freaky stout she was, too!
Jeez. Check out that freaky head! She tasted a tad strange. Not horrible, but strange. Sankt Gallen have never been known for their consistency. Occasionally they make great beer, but they also can give you something awful.

After talking, chatting and having a great time with friends my last beer for the night was to be the much talked about Ballast Point Sculpin IPA.At 1500yen a pint, I could only afford the one and decided to have it last, to savor it.
She was a beauty.
lovely. Big hop flavor and aroma. Tropical fruits and mangos. Good gently malt backbone to it and she goes down nice. As you drink more and more, you like it more and more. Towards the end, you just want another. It was very good.

It was almost time to go. Just time for a quick shot of the 3 Tims, posing after the famous 3 monkeys image:
Good drinking with you, Tim, Tim & Tim!
I'm not sure when anyone will see such a congregation of Tims again. Possibly not in our lifetimes. I feel fortunate.

Here's some of the gang, as we left for our last trains:

The guy on the right, in glasses is the guvnor. Great guy. Great pub. Great beer.
Great evening.

Maybe see you guys next Guy Fawkes.

Until then, have a blast!

Guy Fawke's Night tonight at Aldgate!

2009-11-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna be there, with bells on!

Maybe see you there.

At The Aldgate tonight:

Special handpumped Guy Fawkes beer - Sankt Gallen stout
Murphy's Irish stout
Loads of other great beers including the rare and gorgeous sculpin IPA and others!
Free food from 9pm!
Each pint you buy, you'll get a discount coupon for money off your beer the next time you come to Adlgate!

Chuwy will be there, with loads of great beer loving friends.

What other reasons do you need to go?

p.s. My first ever homebrew beer is coming along nicely.
I have to do a write up of how I made it and what I used.

Check out upcoming posts!

Now, it's back to work - sigh.

It was quite a weissen evening

2009-10-29T09:15:00.001-07:00

More on the homebrewing saga soon.
Promise.
It is developing into a wonderful new hobby.
I was out and about, this evening, looking for fermentors and possible conditioning tanks today.

This evening, after I finally got home, I decided to kick back and enjoy a fine pair of weissen beers:

First up was Weltenberger hefe weissen. 500yen at my local supermarket.Lovely weissen, this one. slight but not overly sweet. Good, unfiltered body. Medium body to this one. good soft mouthfeel too. Aromatic, juicy, solid.
Lovely. Brewed at a monastery on the banks of a German river. My friend visited here after I told him about teh aplce. Swine. So jealous.
Weltenberger has been on tap at a few places in Tokyo.
Anno 1050 was on tap recently. I reccomend that, the barok helles, this weissen, the assam bock and possibly the pilsner and dunkle wiessen. they used to be sold at Yamaya but that may have changed now.

The next beer is a meal in a glass and one of may favourites. The Schlenkerla weissen. A gorgeous smoked weissen, from Bamburg. If you are hungry AND thirsty, just kill two birds with one pint and order this. It's like a weissen mixed in with liquidised smoked sausage. Gorgeous.
I really want to go to Bamburg.
The Schlenkerla range includes this weissen, a marzen, a bock, a helles (possible sold out now - I didn't get one either!) and an old cellared version or something likethat. They are all smoked and all very good beers.
The schlenkerla has been on tap at a few places this year.
I hope it comes back again soon.
Heavy and strongly flavored, this beer may not appeal to those of a sensitive palette.
me, I love the stuff!

Porky pig's liquidised smoking bacon rind.

"Bedebebdeeep! That's all , folks!"

What's got 2 thumbs and is about to start homebrewing?

2009-10-26T03:24:00.000-07:00

THIS GUY!!!!

T, minus 30 minutes...

More posts, to come...

13th, Skulpin - the big boys are in town!

2009-10-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted here in ages. Apologies

Yes, Stone's 13th Anniversary ale and Ballast Poitn Skulpin IPA are now on sale in Japan.
I picked up a few bottles, tonight for a private danc-tasting in my own home.

The dancer-big boy beers on offer tonight are:

Maui Big Swell IPA.
Ballast Point Skulpin IPA.
Stone 13th Anniversary Ale.
Greenflash West Coast IPA

Maui Big Swell IPA:

From a can.

Pours gassy and a light, almost cloudy white head. A transluscent, pale colored body. Very clear.
Smell is very nice and hoppy with a generous malt nose.
Tastes quite nicely made.
Not too heavy. Malt dominates then hop bitterness, then hop flavor then malts gain but not overly sweet like some other brews.
Not a bad beer but not my favorite. It just seems to lack real character.
Real oomph factor.
Still, a nice choice to start off on, tonight.
As it goes down, it gets more malty hoppy, if that makes sense.
The body gets heavier and thicker tasting.
What started as crisp and clean is now a tad cloying.
Not my fav IPA but not a terrible job.
It just seems they are trying to hard with this one.
There is a lot of hype around Maui Brewing at the moment .
Nagano Trading (the importers of Stone, Greenflash, Speakeasy, Coronado, Southern Tier, Great Divide, etc.) held a Maui opening event at Drydock recently, for a select few.
I couldn't make it (was homebrewing!). They had on tap a few very, very special beers that would not be available even in the US, so it was a special event indeed.
I must say, this IPA is good but nothing fantastic.

6.5/10

Not bad 'for a can', although there may be argument over whether a can is indeed better than a bottle. I'm not going there.
Where am I going?

I need some music.
I need some more beer.
The Big Swell has now swollen and burst and not I'm just left with some rancid, insepid raw sewage at the bottom of my pint glass. Not even close. It's still very good.
It's also about to be consumed.

Sedimental fool that I am, I bid farewell to the last of the Maui and look forward to the next imbication.

Ballast Point Sculpin IPA.

I heard a lot about this beer, most of it from Andrew Balmouth, the guy who imports the stuff over at Nagano Trading.

He's a great guy and a man who apreciates a good beer or seven, rather like myself.
He told me this is the one we need to drink together.
He promised we would go out to the bar where he 'may' have a keg of this limited released beer and get ourselves into a 'happy state'.

Great review in Beer Advocate by BuckeyeNation. I actually agree with almost everything there.
Great beer. Started with a nice pouring, light, almost off white clouds head, with an almost transluscent body. I could easily see thru the other side and the body appears...damn, I just drank my pint - lucky I have the large bottle and can refill... ...the body now re appears and it is - don't take this the wrong way but it appears a light, almost tangerine urine colour. Not such a nice image but an interesting color and suggestively clear body suggestion for this IPA.
The smell is bloody hell!
It's great. Fruits, tropical, sensual, inviting. They seem to scream "Oi!! Stop smelling me and get me down your bloody throat!" It's likely this very beer is made of attractonium (a rare element indeed, only previoulsy found in my big baggy grey sweater, that resulted in numerous ladies being 'attracted' to an otherwise uninteresting specimen - namely myself), as the very moment you go in for a sniff, the beer itself seems to drag you in and you find yourself losing your balance and before you know it, you've downed half the pint! The sneaky bastard!
I'm now on my second glass and it just gets better.
My goodness.
It started out as a simple interest, grew into attraction, now it seems it's developing out of control into pure obsession.
As it warms, it just gets better.
A truly enjoyable session beer here?
Sessionable, perhaps, but not for the faint at heart.
This baby comes at a price. After this, anything you drink just won't be the same. AMAZING flavors smack me across both sets of cheeks.
The lacing left on the glass is perfection and very sexy, almost like a set of lace stockings, inviting, alluring, with no cross dressing hairy legs inside to suddenly send you gagging but instead the promise of riches and pleasures untold. feminine and in control. Complete, hypnotic, undeniable control.
Don't fight it. go with it. Drink some more...

Wow.
This is one of the best IPAs I've ever had.
It didn't start that way, but now I feel a spell has been cast.
Lovely.
Just lovely.

Still, the colour looks a tad light but the flavours are fantastic. I think the low malt profile and perhaps good filtration is the reason why this colour is like it is. Almost thin but not quite.

A very good IPA.
I do like Pliny the Elder and a few others, including Stone IPA.
This is a unique fruity hoppy IPA that isn't as malty as a Big Eye but is just as flavorful.
Lovely.

8.5/10.

The smell could perhaps be too overpowering.
The body too thin and light in appearance.
Initial flavour could lack body but give her time.
She will grow on you.
Damn.
Apologies to religious peole but DAMN! A fine beer.
Now, if only they made the Victory at Sea with less vanilla, then there would be 2 amazing beers.

Andrew, if u have a fresh keg of this stuff, consider ourselves very, very drunk!
- as long as it's not at Craftheads.

Next up is

Stone 13th anniversary ale:

I must admit, I've already tried the 13th, in BrewedinJapan's home, whilst actually helping to brew a batch of beer! Yes, That's right, Chuwy has stepped across the threshold and is now entering the exciting and fantastical world of home brewing! More on that in a future post.
The Japan homebrewing world shudders.
For good reason.
I'll probably poison us all.

Stone 13th Anniversary Ale

Stats available here.
I kind of agree wiht the top reviewer for Beer Advocate.
Yes, very Arrogant Bastard like.
Considering they've 'used more pounds of hops per barrel than any beer' they've ever , made, I too was slightly dissapointed.
Slightly.
It's still a glorious beer. Just not quite as hops dominated as I was lead to expect.
Esxcuse me...gotta pee (this review is typed in real time)......aah, that's better.

Where was I?

Well good golly, miss Molly... (great song playing now by CCR)

I have now poured the remainder into my (US) pint glass and it is slightly more hoppy. I even turned off the music, in case sensory deprivation played a part in overall sensual sensitivity, in terms of aquiring an overall beer sense.
Slightly more hoppy this time but not as apparently hoppy as the first time I tried this at a friend's home, just a week earlier.
Then it seemed lovely and very hoppy and flavorful. now, it appears to be a younger, more lively version of Arrogant Bastard.
At least I guessed the style right, at being a kind of Imperial Red Pale Ale.
I think it would have been better without the confusing chocolate malts.
Never mind. A good beer but not what I was expecting or Peter Pan/Santa Claus/Disney/nobody gets gang raped and publicly executed in Africa hoping for.

Stone 13th Anniversary Ale: 6.5-7/10

Good, but simply not good enough to live up to the hype.

West Coast IPA

More 'normal' body colour. Slighty darker, slightly more solid head. Slightly less hop head, almost gone but still there. The smell is even crisp and clean hops.

Quite a bit pf grapfruits there.
Tastes clean and brisk. Not as fullfilling as sculpin. Man, now im really addicted to trying more of that stuff
It's weird, Sculpin's malt profile was there but not evident obviously and the taste, West Coast seems not there but its evident in the mouthtaste. It's purer and dryer in hops but denies u the malts balance. Man, its pure hops. Wow! Nice stuff but occasionally I need me sum malts. Great label design matches the hops profile nicely. Very green and fresh

7.5-8/10

Now I gotta pass out. Listening now to Long as I can see the light by CCR. Great song.
It's now 2:01am and it's getting mighty late.

G'night, y'all.

Man, I've got those travellin' bones....
Better run thru the jungle... ...whoa, don't look back, you see...

While you're waiting, here's a young boy dancing

2009-09-09T00:22:00.000-07:00

I' m working on a few posts, updating the bozelist, fixing my bike, etc...
Meanwhile, here's a young boy, pulling off some pretty cool moves:

Day 2 at Towers eventually became my ruination

2009-09-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

First tonight, I went to The Aldgate in Shibuya, to try the wonderful Ozenoyukidoke IPA back to back with the Ballast Point Big EYE IPA.
Some British guy had just drank the last Ozeno IPA.
What made it worse was that he apparently ordered it at random, from the guest beer list.

Nuts!
Denied!

Damn, if the Chuwy curse hadn't struck again!Well, at least I had one of the last Ballast Point IPAs, in a nice quiet, almost empty Aldgate:

A few friends commented that it seemed more sour than usual.

Well, this pint was from the bottom of the barrel and yes, it was a tad on the sour/sweet side.
Strange, that.

Usually Big Eye is gorgeously fruity and hoppy and not too sour. Perhaps this barrel was a sour one. I had an awesome Big Eye at Thrash zone. It was a while back, probably from a previous shipment from the States. That one was dry hopped and boy, was she good! Best beer of the night for everyone.

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA- 6.5/10 (usually 8)

On bottles, Big Eye is possibly my favourite West Coast IPA, along with West Coast IPA (go figure), Stone IPA and Pliny the Elder. Big Eye is just so full of flavour and life. Lovely.
This one wasn't bad, and at 1200yen, was a reasonable if not good price for a Tokyo bar for this premium imported product. I just wish I had Ozenoyukidoke to compare it to.
Here's the list of guest beers (don't forget they always have some seriously good beers on tap - Harly porter, Aldgate ale, etc) that were still on last night:
Next up was a new one for me, a smoked imperial porter from Isekadoya, in Mie prefecture.
At about 7% , this imperial porter was actually lower in alcohol than the Big Eye IPA (something I often forget is the overall strength of the beers Andrew Balmouth brings over from the States, via his Nagano Trading company).
First thing I noticed was the wonderful smoked aroma. Prefect. Not too strong but definitely there. Bordering towards comfortably medium smoked, from delicate. Just right.
The taste - well, a tad on the sweet, malty side. Probably from the malt level used to bump up the alc (?). I got some lovely chocolate malts shining through. Great chocolatey flavours prevaded, along with the background sweetness (just a touch too sweet) and the smoked flavor blended expertly in the background flavours. Quite a good beer, this one.
Something for after the session, perhaps as a dessert beer with apple pie?
It is however a tad on the sweet side.
Not as chocolatey, I think and deliciously sweet as Young's Double Chocolate stout, though. Now THAT is a great dessert/choc tasting beer!
Still, quite an interesting drink.

Isekadoya smoked imperial porter 6/10

As I was finishing my porter, I called my frend Mark who was drinking in Towers.
I checked what they had on tap and how the quality was, seeing as Towers was day 4 into their 5 day 5th anniversary event. Mark told me the Ozenoyukidoke IPA (yes!) that was now on hand pump was not the same barrel as the CO2 one from yesterday. Cool. He also said it was better than yesterdays.
I told him I'd be there ASAP.

I got there to discover that Ruination was wating to go on tap!
They just needed someone to drink the last pint of Red Rocket first.
That was something, curiously, no one seemed willing to do.
I'd had one the day before and though it was in good quality, it wasn't really my cup of tea. Not a huge fan of caramel malts.
So we waited...
In the mean time, I had an Ozenoyukidoke IPA from handpump.
Talking about 'in the meantime', here's the song, from Spacehog:

Spacehog- In the Meantime
Uploaded by Tunashaker. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

The ozeno, she was nice. A tad different from the night before. First thing was that the glass was warmer, the eber too. Not being chilled through the CO2 pump and chiller, it was almost room temperature and perhaps a bit too warm. The head was perfect. The taste very, very nice. It just needed a tad more oomph to it.

Ozenoyukidoke IPA handpump 6.5-7/10 - just too warm to be 7 or8.

It was about then that a Japanese fellow, after listening to our Ruination predicament took pity on us and ordered the last pint of Red Rocket.
Then we spied the master grabbing another barrel of something that looked like...Wahey!!!!

Ruination is going on!

Everyone was grateful to the Red Rocket, for making way for the Ruination:

Hang on. That picture above isn't right. That's not Red Rocket! It's an imposter!
This is the red rocket. Apologies.

The first lucky person to order a ruination was a ghandi, hari krishna style character, who praised and made blessings to his god upon revieving the first ruination.

Weird guy.

Here's my ruination:

Stone Ruination DIPA - 7-8/10

In the back, you can see the sound system.
My friends rather unwisely asked him to change it from the Rolling Stones channel.
He did - to the teeny -bop teenager love rock ballads boy band channel from hell.
Jeez, that was hard to listen to.
Then we got him to change it again - to the hip hop channel.
None of this music suited the bar.
FINALLY, he went back to the Rolling Stones channel and our sanity was saved. The ironic thing was tha the guy who asked him to change channels in the first place actually liked the Rolling Stones channel when it was brought back.

Meanwhile, the ruination was being a tad difficult.

Here you can see how hard it was for the master to pour a good pint. He did a good job.

1200yen for ruination for a US pint is not a bad price for tokyo. The otherwise good bar Bulldog up the road would have charged 1400 or 1500 for the same beer.
Bear in mind the 5th pint is free and you can theoretically drink Ruination for 960yen a pint. Not bad.

Day 2 was good. I left early at 10:30 but intend to go back today.
ruination is on the menu, along wiht a special oak casked Hakusekikan Super vintage.

Stay classy.

Towers 5th anniversary - free beer!

2009-09-02T19:04:00.000-07:00

From 1st September until Sat, 5th, Towers standing bar is celebrating it's 5th anniversary.

Wow, 5 years already!
Congratulations!!

To celebrate, they are putting on some good beer and have a special week long stamp card system. If you buy any 4 pints, your 5th pint is free! I think that's a great idea (as I can easily get thru 5 pints).Not only that, but if you can't manage the 5 pints in one sitting, you can keep on using the card for the whole week! This means that, say on Tuesday, you buy 2 pints. You go back on say, Thursday and buy another 2 pints - that means you've reached 4 pints on your stamp card- the next one's free! Nice.

I started things off wiht the Towers specially dry hopped Ozenoyukidoke IPA. This i probably my favourite IPA in Japan. Gorgeous, she is! This time, the IPA was dry hopped with cascade hops. Towers was pretty busy (usually fits about a dozen in there, all standing close together), but not as busy as it was on the Tuesday. Then, the people were spilling out in the street.

I went ont the Wednesday. I met quite a few freinds and people connected with the craft beer community.

Here is the manager, barman, chef & friend from the Harajuku Taproom:One of the Yokohama beer brewers also came in for a few drinks and to say congratulations on Towers being 5 years old. Good times.

My second beer was another Ozenoyukidoke IPA. Lovely!

Ozenoyukidoke IPA Towers Special 7.5/10

For my third beer, I thought about a Sankt Gallen Shonan Gold, but it ran out (the Chuwy curse?). So instead, the manager put on some special Sankt Gallen XPA which had been dry hopped, so it was extra hoppy. I decided to get me sum of that.
The XPA is on the left, my nextbeer which was an Ozenoyukidoke IPA is on the right.
The XPA was very hoppy and very dry tasting. Not too much malt base or swetness in there. A tad on the thin side, mouthfeel wise. Good and hoppy. So hoppy that I should have had this first, ebfore the wonderful hoppy fruitniness of the Ozeno. It took me a while to get used to the dry hoppiness of this beer. Towards the end, it started to be a pleasure to drink.

Sankt Gallen dry hopped XPA 6/10

I decided against another of these dry beasts and went back to my favourite Ozenoyukidoe IPa. And very good she was, yet again!

Now I had drank 4 beers, so my next one was free.
I had these to choose from:
Minoh DIPA (handpump) 1000yen
Minmi Shinshu dunkle weissen
Bear Republic Red Rocket ale 1000yen
Yokohama hanabi ale
Baird Teikoku IPA

Normally, I may have gone for the handpump DIPA but this year, Minoh has dissapointed me, DIPA wise. It used to tbe their best beer. Now it's just malt and littl e hop flavor. too sweet.
I decided to try the Minami Shinshu (from Nagano) dunkle weissen. I'd heard good things about it and seeing as it was 'free' I gave it a shot.

The Chuwy curse struck again.
Barely a quarter of a pint was served and it ran out. Typical. At elast I got this little bit of beer for free. And it was horrid. Really, really bad. Burnt malts or wheat. Tasted really bad. I'm glad I didnt get a pint of this. I've had the dunkle weissen before, a few years aback and it was in n way this bad, so I figure this was something to do with coming from teh bottom of the barrel. Either too much sediment got mixed in there or something was very wrong.

I thought about the Yokohama Hanabi ale, but I looked at a friend's hanabi ale and it just looked too weak. It was a pale ale. I asked him how it tasted and he replied 'nomi yasui' - easy to drink.
Okay, maybe not what I was after.
Anyway, I ended up going with a Red Rocket Ale instead:
It's not my favourite Bear Republic but I hadn't tried it for a while and it would normally cost 1000 a US pint, so I took advantage of the free beer situation. Not bad. Not my favourite style but not bad. 6/10.
Just then my good friend Rei came in. She had an Ozeno IPA too.
We chatted and then moved on to the Bulldog bar, hopefully for some Ruination DIPA.
I should have known.
The Chuwy curse struck for a third time that night.
The Ruination had just finished.
Instead, I had a bourbon barrel aged Ballast Point porter, in respect for the National Bourbon Heritage Month which was going on in the States (there you go, DH).
She was a bit wild coming out of the tap, but the manager did a great job of keping my head small (not meant to sound dirty). The beer was quite sfot and easy to drink. The bourbon flavor was very, very gentle.
Quite nice and not the bourbon flavor attack I was dreading.
6/10.

Then I got the last train home, after chatting to a German and an Irishman.

The end...

If you have the chance, check out Towers. There will be more interesting beer on tap soon, including Hakusekikan Super Vintage and another barrel of Ozenoyukidoke IPA!

And don't forget that Bulldog is just a short stroll away, too.