Breaking News: craft beer is everywhere!

OK, not so truthful news, actually, but it excites us to say it. Come on, say it! Bars and restaurants serving craft beer open in cities across Japan almost on a daily basis– yes, we said “daily.” Several new breweries are under construction or in planning phases. Festivals run just about every weekend somewhere now.

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again: we don’t like the phrase “craft beer boom.” This isn’t a temporary explosion of popularity; we truly believe we are in the midst of a changing paradigm in Japan where consumers want greater choice and more craftsman-like (not industrial) character in what they drink. But maybe Japan’s craft beer scene is getting a little ahead of itself. Are we headed for a nasty contraction like the late 1990s? We don’t think so, but let’s take a look at this past festival season. Got your beer ready? Sip and consider…

Most major cities in Japan held at least one. Several new cities were added to the festival map, too. In most cases, the festivals seemed populated with happy drinkers. We certainly aren’t complaining about greater opportunities for people to drink. We sense, however, a feeling of festival fatigue setting in. It’s like the movie Groundhog Day. Every day you wake up, you’re at the same beer festival!

Guests are losing excitement– we hear it– because the novelty of a festival is wearing off. Festivals have also grown from events lasting a few hours to much longer affairs lasting several days and, in some cases, even a week or more. Are longer festivals bringing in more guests and moving more beer, or just spreading the crowds thinner and requiring greater time commitment from breweries and their staff? Wait a second, what’s the point of a festival anyway?

Brewers, festival organizers and guests will probably give you different answers, but generating excitement about craft beer seems like it should be the most important goal. We’re not discounting financial concerns; we have them, too, when we attend festivals. We’re merely saying there needs to be a deeper conversation and more creative planning (with beer handy).

Why don’t we look at some of the highlights from the last few months? The All-Japan Craft Beer Festival in Ichinoseki had a genuine community feel, as always. Le Beau Mariage provided exquisite pairing opportunities. Craft Beer Festa in Hiroshima is building regional awareness about craft beer. BeerFes Yokohama featured enormous selection. World Craft Beer Tasting gave guests a taste of rare imports. Keyaki Hiroba Autumn Beer Festival created a family-friendly event. What will festivals of the future hold? Send us your ideas!

Competitions

Many brewers are ambivalent about competitions, seeing them as just one of those things that comes with the industry. Some rejoice when they win or, on the flipside, write-off a loss as merely a matter of the judges’ taste (sometimes that is the case, actually). We think competitions generally have a net positive effect, encouraging many brewers to strive for a better product. Competition results we share are based on blind tastings by a panel of experienced judges and are as fair as possible. Also, if judges think no beer is worthy of a medal, they are not obliged to award one. This isn’t elementary school sports where everyone wins!

There have been three notable competitions since our last publication: World Beer Awards, International Beer Competition, and Japan Craft Beer Selection. Japan once again had a very strong showing at WBA, with Tazawako Beer winning World’s Best Flavoured Beer for their rauch, and Minoh winning World’s Best Stout & Porter for their imperial stout. Many other Japanese breweries won in more specific categories and/or at the regional level. Check the WBA website for more details (www.worldbeerawards.com). Winners for IBC have also been announced on Japan’s “Craft Beer Association” website, with 252 beers entered from 16 countries around the world (http://www.beertaster.org). Founded in 1996, IBC continues to offer up-and-coming breweries in Asia a chance to compete closer to home, though it is open to entries from around the world. JCBS is a domestic competition supported by the Japan Beer Journalists Association, the Japan Craft Beer Pub Association, the Good Beer Club and this magazine. Lovers of Japanese craft beer will see more than a few familiar names among the results posted on their website (www.craftbeersupport.org). As for the award for the brewery with the most awards, we’ll let you do that tally for us.

Pilgrimages

We received much positive response for the long interview with Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery last issue. As many know, Garrett also visited Japan for a whirlwind tour of speeches and beer. Lots of beer. He kicked off his schedule with a brewers’ party at Kiuchi Brewery, which contract brews Brooklyn Lager draft in Japan. We’re hoping Kiuchi gets the green light to brew more of the Brooklyn lineup soon. And, can we say this? We will say this: an exciting collaboration brew may be on the horizon. The next night, Japan Beer Times hosted an intimate pairing dinner at an upscale sushi restaurant in Tokyo. Think sushi and beer don’t mix? Well, lucky guests were asking us to do it again before the night was over. The next afternoon, the G-team steamed to Yokohama for bar visits before a lively party at Bashamichi Green, where the chefs put creative twists on traditional Japanese dishes for a phenomenal pairing dinner. And since you can’t have enough great pairing dinners, dammit, there was another the next night at Café 104.5 in Tokyo. It’s good to see chefs think very carefully about what will match complex beers– it probably stimulates their creativity, too.

In September, the brewing team from Coronado Brewing Company made the voyage from San Diego to its sister city, Yokohama, to participate in some events, including BeerFes Yokohama. They also worked on a collaboration brew with, yep, you know it already, Coedo Beer. Readers may remember Coedo and Ballast Point, another San Diego brewery imported by Nagano Trading, did a collaboration brew back in the Spring. Babel Bayside Kitchen in Bay Quarter, Yokohama, hosted a brunch before BeerFes Yokohama that saw really good attendance. Say, why aren’t there more brunches like this in Japan? They’re an important part of beer culture elsewhere in the world. We think the time is ripe in Japan. Restaurants, start considering it (at least once a month, pleeeease).

Craft Beer Media Madness

Ample media support is good for the health of our industry. The Japan Beer Times is not the only player, and we never should be. We salute those trying to spread the good word.

We were pleased to hear that Fujiwara Hiroyuki has been working on a new magazine publication, to be called (in Japanese) “Beer Kingdom.” For his tireless efforts in the kingdom, this guy should be knighted soon.

Beer and Pub Magazine (Japanese) is releasing their autumn edition as we write. It is beautifully designed and available from bookstores and Amazon for a reasonable ¥1000.

Down in Osaka, Maek Post and his beer tribe released their second edition of “Beer Zen: journal for craft beer” (limited circulation, English magazine). More localized ‘zine efforts like this are a good sign of vibrant craft beer culture.

On the Japanese side, there’s a similar small-scale publication by passionate craft beer fans called Kurabii (a shortening of “craft” & “beer”). Anime and manga fans will definitely want to check this one out, as the visuals tap that rich culture.

The Good Beer Club, which helps spread information about craft beer (in Japanese), also has a small Japanese newsletter called “Good Beer Times”, most easily obtained at Popeye. Check out their online presence as well.

Overseas media is picking up on Japanese craft beer momentum, too. U.S.-based magazine Beer Connoisseur, with 45,000 subscribers, is publishing a “Traveling Connoisseur” feature on Japan, which will no doubt bring thirsty travelers to our shores. This big, beautiful beer magazine is available for single-issue purchase or by subscription. In addition to print copies, they offer a range of digital edition purchase options on their website (www.beerconnoisseur.com).

As most readers know, Professor Mark Meli’s landmark publication, “Craft Beer in Japan: the essential guide” was released in September to much fanfare. The world’s first English-language guidebook to craft beer in Japan, the book will likely have a Japanese translation coming out early next year.
In the blogosphere, Transporter and Craft Beer Tokyo continue to pump out information to craft beer lovers rabid for all the latest information and chatter. Take a peak if you haven’t yet. One that really caught our eye recently, however, is Biiru Joshi (“beer girl”), an attractive website written for and by women (http://beergirl.net)

In the realm of video, brewfilm.jp is doing some really important work. Do give them a gander, too, if you haven’t yet. We think video is going to be a vital part of craft beer culture in Japan moving forward.

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This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.