Beer Festival Meeting and Drinking

Miyuki and I went to La Cachette Beer Bar where the Rhapongi "high class" beer festival meeting was going on. This meeting was for female volunteers that had worked with the Japan Beer Association before and were interested in planning a fourth festival. The organizers were looking for a fresh feminine point of view. Miyuki got me ok’ed to go because I am a gaijin and represented a masculine, but foreign view.

We ordered beer and the meeting started. This bar had about 6 Japanese microbrews on tap and any number of bottled beers from around the world. Beer number 1, 2, 4, and 5 for me were Shiga Kogen’s Miyama Blonde Pale Ale. This was the first time I had drank anything from Shiga Kogen and it did not disappoint. Shiga Kogen grows their own hops. And they make some damn fine beer. I also had a wheat beer of some sort, a Rauch (smoke) beer that was interesting, and an Anchor Liberty Ale out of the bottle that was delicious but was missing the freshness of the Japanese Microbrews. Truthfully, the Shiga Kogen was the only beer that mattered at the time. I didn’t pay much attention to the other brews. In fact, the Anchor Liberty would not have happened at all had the Shiga Kogen tap not run out.

Back to the meeting. Five minutes in a Japanese lady comes in late, sits next to me, and says, “as long as I’m here…” then starts translating everything that is being said in real time. She was amazing. I asked her later where she learned English. She said, “I’m a professional translator, it’s kind of my job.” The meeting went on for about an hour and 45 and was basically a brain storm session. The gist of it that they want to add a 4th Beer Festival in Rhapongi in Tokyo but make it high class and attract a different clientele. After the meeting, the drinking of good beer went on until almost midnight.

It was during the drinking that I got the chance to meet the two men responsible for pushing the microbrew into the Japanese spotlight. First was Ryoji Oda. I had met him twice before when I worked the Osaka and Yokohama Beer Festivals, respectively. The picture to the left is from Yokohama. This was the first time I had a real conversation with himand he speaks pretty good English. He told me that before he started promoting Japanese craft beer and organizing festivals, he had been a wine collector. But the Hanshin Earthquake had destroyed his wine cellar. Good beer drinkers of Japan should appreciate what the Hanshin Earthquake did for Mr. Oda, and what Mr. Oda now does for their palettes. I commented that he was the Charlie Papazian of Japan and he said, “Oh yeah, Charlie, we are good friends. I see him when I judge the International Beer Cup.” Mr. Oda is friends with the Master, enough said.

The other important Beer Festival man was Isao Tamura, a Brewing Consultant and Beer Designer, according to his business card. Before he got into beer, he worked in advertising for 30 years. He was responsible for Blanton’s Bourbon ads in the 80’s when the brand was first in Japan (I heart Blanton’s!), a Shochu jingle that Miyuki says is extremely famous, and…wait for it…the Japan Rail JR logo itself! We’re talking the major leagues here. This guy was straight up cool. He had to leave about 11 so I did him the honor of finishing off the half of Weizen he had left on the table.

This past weekend, DH, Miyuki and I brewed up some Christmas Ale and we were feeling the holiday spirit. The apartment smelled delicious and we all have our fingers crossed that beer will taste delicious when it is ready to be drank. Ho! Ho! Ho!