(photo care of Sankt Gallen) Japanese craft breweries like Sankt Gallen have been making fruit beers for years. They’re about to get competition from the country’s industrial breweries. On April 1st the tax laws relating to beer in Japan will change, and several additives which were previously prohibited in “beer” will become acceptable. Until now,…

Beer House Ken celebrates 25 years of operation on March 25th with a collaboration beer brewed by Baird Beer. Outside the western Tokyo suburbs where this small bottle shop is located, few people besides beer geeks probably know about the establishment. It has played an understated role in the appreciation of imported premium beer and…

Sankt Gallen Releases Rum Barrel-Aged Imperial Chocolate Stout “Nine Lives” Sankt Gallen has produced what is claimed to be the first rum barrel-aged beer in Japan. A year ago, they filled a barrel with their Valentine seasonal-release Imperial Chocolate Stout (8.5% abv) and are now preparing the aged version of it for keg-only release at…