A battle for the best IPA in Japan? That sounds like the kind of excitement we need right now. The Alpha Championship 2021 is open for submissions, offering breweries in Japan a chance to battle for the IPA crown. The deadline for entry registration is February 15th, and more than half the spots of a…

Home delivery services for beer had been gaining traction in Japan for a couple of years at least. Then the pandemic began and demand for such services surged all the more. Our guess is that even after we return to relative normal, the demand will remain steady. People have now become accustomed to the convenience…

Cardinal Trading is a relatively new importer focusing on craft beers from the Eastern United States, particularly Virginia, the home state of Cardinal’s founder, Grayson Shepard. The company also carries products from breweries such as Jackie O’s from Ohio and Westbrook from South Carolina. Cardinal has launched a bilingual online store to help customers get…

(photo c/o City of Munich) Throughout the world beer festivals have been postponed or cancelled due to the Coronavirus. In some countries organizers are now considering events in the summer on a limited scale, while in others, they are cautiously optimistic about sticking to their original plans. But some jaw-dropping news came in from Germany:…

Word from the Czech Republic is that its 500+ breweries (for a population of just 10 million!) are seeing such a drastic drop in sales that they are having to dump millions of liters of their delicious golden brew. The very thought of it makes us want to cry, and kindles in us the desire…