by Ry Beville In early December of 2012, a group of brewers from several countries in Europe came to Japan to participate in Hop Revolution, a craft beer party and seminar series hosted in Shibuya by Whisk-e Limited. Before the festivities I sat down with six of the participants for a roundtable discussion. Despite differing…

by Kumagai Jinya After last year’s inaugural hosting of Snow Monkey Beer Live, showcasing craft beer and good music, Shigakogen is doing it again this March. But how many have actually encountered one of those snow monkeys? During the winter when the snow falls, the hot springs must look rather inviting and those monkeys inevitably…

Robert Yellin gives careful thought to what he drinks from. If you’re going to drink craft beer, why not drink from a craft vessel? The owner of an internationally famous Japanese pottery gallery in Kyoto with clients ranging from prestigious museums to world celebrities, Yellin has been conducting hands-on research of yakimono for three decades.…

by Kumagai Jinya The great appeal of brewpubs, where beer and food is made on the premises, is without a doubt that you can get beer freshly made right there. There are actually quite a few brewers that serve their own beer, and asking them about brewing techniques and beer condition is fun, too. Brewpubs…

by Lee Reeve “How do you know how much alcohol’s in the beer when you make it?” is one of the most frequently asked questions I got as a homebrewer. The answer is, of course, gravity. No, not Sir Isaac Newton’s mutual attraction between any two bodies in the universe gravity; but rather, the term…