The craft beer world can be fickle at times. Trends that seemed sure to grow are suddenly displaced by new, unexpected ones. Even industry veterans find themselves surprised on occasion. Conversely, sometimes they see the change before it turns the corner. This was a topic of conversation during our long interview earlier this year with…
Brooklyn Brewery’s Defender IPA first caught our eye about three years ago because of its interesting packaging. As we reported in our Japan Beer Times #27 Postcards column, where we featured a picture of the case, the illustration of brewmaster Garrett Oliver was by acclaimed comic book artist Khary Randolph. Earlier this year when we…
Just as awareness of Japan’s diverse food styles grows around the world, so too is Japan familiarizing itself with regional varieties of the world’s staples, especially pizza. Several years ago, we wrote a three-part series about Japan’s emerging pizza and craft beer scene. As we noted, Pizzakaya concentrates on California pizza, Devilcraft on Chicago-style pizza,…
(photo: Ise Kadoya brewery) According to surveys undertaken by Tokyo Shoko Research, sales of beer by major craft breweries in the first eight months of 2018 rose by 1.0% compared to the same period a year before. This was based upon the figures of 77 breweries that reported (out of more than 300 in Japan).…
Sour beers have become an exalted category of the craft beer world. It’s easy to understand why. They are complex and yet somehow refreshing and easy to drink. Their uniqueness gives them enduring appeal. Japan is only recently discovering the pleasures of sour beer, as importers increasingly bring them in and domestic craft brewers, too,…
