(Carncross and Stockwell) Brewing trends in recent years have often revolved around delivering to consumers something new or, in some cases, extreme. Some of the creations that have arisen from the insanity have stuck, like the hazy IPA, while others have sunk in popularity as quickly as they appeared. Bucking these fads, Tokyo Aleworks brewers…
by Prof. Mark Meli Soralama is an Italian craft brewery located in the Susa Valley of the Piedmont region. They have been brewing for twenty years, yet their beers have just recently begun to be imported by Inpoint Japan. At present four beers under the Soralama brand and three more under the Bitrex brand…
(Photo: hop harvest; care of Crosby Hop Farm, LLC) This article was originally published in JBT #32, the autumn 2017 edition. If you’re drinking a Japanese wet hop ale as you read this, consider yourself one of the lucky few. They are quite uncommon in Japan, and the breweries making them do a very respectable…
A growing handful of Japan’s roughly 400 craft breweries are using locally grown or brewery-grown hops, albeit usually in quite limited amounts. Japan just isn’t a large producer of hops, with the vast majority being imported. There is no doubt that sourcing raw materials locally goes far in mobilizing residents around a brewery here. It’s…
(photos & text by Brian Kowalczyk) The island of Itsukushima is a special place. It’s wholly protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to what is likely the most well-known symbol of Japan after Mount Fuji: Itsukushima Shrine. Simply doing a photo search on Google for “Japan” will turn up multiple pictures of the…
