Christmastime has arrived!

Friends, I've put up a few posts today to last the trip until I get home. Yes, tomorrow I am heading back to the old homeplace. There nothing quite like a Kentucky Christmas, and I will be enjoying the finest of all seasons with friends and family the best way I know how. I won't be returning to Japan until January 5th, and shortly after will be taking a trip to Hiroshima to see the peace memorial...and drink ji-beer!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas to all of you, beer lovers. Eat, drink and be merry--remember Jesus, family and friends, and relax. Enjoy a good brew with friends. Be thankful for what you have. Savor the flavor of life.

For us in KY that means eating bourbon balls, drinking bourbon spiked egg-nog, and of course--drinking Kentucky Ale, the best beer on the planet.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Bek Se Ju

It ain't beer, it ain't bourbon, and at $20 a bottle (small bottle at that) it ain't gonna be your everyday drink. However, it is good. You can't find it in many liquor stores, but if you do, give it a try. And then drink a beer.

Beer Circus

Great name and good beer. If you are in Nagoya and enjoy some good microbrews, you have to hit up Beer Circus. Beer Circus is one of the only places to drink Land Beer's Kinshachi Beer on tap, and it is the brewery's restaurant. Located extremely close to the Fuishimi subway stop and a short walk from both Sakae and Nagoya stations, Beer Circus is accessible and inviting.
Beer Circus has several of the Kinshachi beers on tap, and the rest you can buy by the bottle. I ordered a sampler set and a glass of their new limited edition American style Weizen. The sampler set consisted of a pilsner, an IPA, and and Alt. The pilsner and IPA were excellent, and the alt was just ordinary. The American style weizen was also very good, and reminded me of a Widmer from back home. I highly reccomend you trying them all! The Green Tea Lager and Okazaki Miso Lager were also available, but the Green Tea Lager sucks and you can buy the Okazaki Miso Lager across the street for 180 yen cheaper! (I bought one after we left!)
We didn't try any of the food, but the menu was the standard Japanese brewery fare: Sausages, pizza, and the like. I have heard that the cheese fondue is excellent, but we were saving our stomachs for Korean food. There is an excellent Korean place in Sakae named Kore-an (the an being in kanji) and it is excellent. After tasting the Kinshachi beers we ate some excellent Korean food (marinated raw steak!!) and drank some tasty Bek Se Ju.
Beer Circus is a MUST for anyone touring the Nagoya area and looking for beers. Loreley Beer can be skipped, but don't miss Beer Circus. It's in the middle of Sakae, and that means there is tons to do before and after you finish. Some of the other brewpubs we have visited are far removed from everything else, and make visiting difficult. Not this one!!

Grab a sampler at Beer Circus and enjoy the holidays. You won't be disappointed!

London Pub Towser

Saturday night in Nagoya. Sometimes there is nothing better! Last weekend Michi and I decided to meet up with Nick and Michelle for a night on the town at the London Pub Towser near JR Tsurmai station. I discovered the London Pub Towser last week on the net and to my knowledge (correct me if I am wrong!!!) it is the only bar in Nagoya that serves Yonayona Real Ale and Tokyo Black Real Ale from hand taps. They have 12 beers on tap, the most normal being Guiness and Stella Artois. They also have a Iwate IPA and Stout, Hakusekikan Vintage, and a few others. The place is really nice and the atmosphere is great.
The Iwate brews were amazing. I had the IPA and Nick had the stout, both were stellar. The London Pub Towser also serves proper London pints....big 20 oz brews!
The downside? A seating fee and 1000 yen per pint. When we saw the prices we decided we would head somewhere else for food--but what they had looked decent.
We ended up eating at an AMAZING Thai place near the station. Great green curry and Pad Thai.

If you are craving some ale from a tap, check out the Towser. However, bring your pocketbook. 2 beers, 2 margaritas (tiny ones!) and 2 martinis.....$95. Yes. Six drinks for $95 bucks. Now, if you want the ambiance and the atmosphere...spend away. But $95 bucks can buy a ton of Tokyo Black and Yona Yona Pale Ale that I can drink from the can!!!!!!****


**** I've since recanted on this and realized that the prices are not that bad AT ALL considering what you are getting and how much these pints cost in Tokyo. Towser is a great bar and should be a favorite of anyone who likes good beer in the Nagoya area.

Barrel House Distilling Company

I admit that I have been slacking this week. It is the last week of school and my mind has already gone home to Kentucky. Speaking of that, Nate is getting on a plane as we speak to go home to Kentucky, and I officially am declaring that I don't like him anymore-just for today.
I have also been slacking in the beer department. I haven't had a good brew since last weekend ( a sin in my opinion) and have been making do with some of the aforementioned Te-Ho-He Horaisen. Good stuff...but it just ain't a cold brew. Will remedy that as soon as I get to Toyohashi tonight!

Check out Barrel House Distilling Company. It is the first distillery in the soon to be world famous Lexington Distillery District and is unveiling its first product, Pure Blue Vodka, today. If you are in Lexington, head downtown for a tasting, and pick up a bottle!!! Nate will be attending as soon as he gets off the plane in Lexington. If there's anything I like more than KY, it's some spirits and brew made in KY. Pure Blue is the first vodka made in Lexington, and there is more to follow. Soon to come is Kentucky River Rum, Woodshed Wiskey, and Barrelhouse Bourbon. Sounds good to me.

Pure Blue is made using the best KY corn and cool crisp KY water...For those of you here in Japan...we will be bringing a bottle or two back when we come!!!

The most wonderful time...

The holidays call for a special beer.....or should we say....an Extra special beer????

Kinshachi Okazaki Miso Lager

So, you've tried Nagoya Land Beer's Kinshachi Red Miso Lager...but have you had the special addition Okazaki Hacchou Miso Lager? Keeping pace with their Green Tea Lager, Kinshachi is out to push the envelope when it comes to strange Japanese items finding their way into the brew.

Okazaki is known for some good miso, and I admit that it is a neat concept. Beer brewed in Aichi using something that a town in Aichi is famous for!

This brew is pricey at $5 a bottle, but worth it just to say you have tried it. The beer does have a good, interesting taste, but I struggle to say that it tastes like miso. Red Miso is usually a domintaing flavor in food, but in this beer it is not. They must not use much of it when they brew, although the beer does have a slight nutty taste at the end. I think it compares to some of the pecan lagers that I have had when traveling through The South. (Of course by The South I mean, THE SOUTH--or the land in America below the Ohio River and above the Florida state line)

This brew isn't outstanding, but it is good. I would drink it again, and would love to try it on tap. Unfortunately, when visiting Land Beer's tap room, Beer Circus, no miso lager is available on tap! Before I tried this bottle I had a sampler set from Beer Circus, and will post about that joint soon!!!!

For all of us in Aichi and proud of it, I say grab a bottle and toast everything that Aichi is famous for: Great seafood, melons, cabbage, red miso, tebasaki, and The Good Beer Country Boys!

Orion Beer

So one day you stumble into a store that is a purveyor of brewskis, and your eyes settle on an Orion Draft Beer. What is this? Why haven't I seen this beer before? What is Orion beer???

Orion is made in sunny Okinawa by Orion Brewing Ltd. It is the 5th largest brewer in Japan, yet it comprises only 1% of the Japanese beer market. That stat tells us that the Big 4 really are the Big 4, and that Ji-Biru joints really are in the hole here in Japan. However, in Okinawa, it is very popular thanks to "local" loyalty.

In 2002, Orion got tired of seeing all those folks on the mainland sucking down Asahis and Kirins, so they followed the old adage, and since they couldn't beat 'em, they joined 'em. They struck a deal with Asahi that would benefit both breweries. Orion started making Asahi products in Okinawa at their brewery, and Asahi started making Orion products at an Asahi brewery.

The 'only' difference between Orion on the mainland and Orion in Okinawa is that Orion on the mainland says "Asahi Orion Draft" on the can, where in Okinawa it is simply just Orion Draft.

Orion was started in 1957 and started brewing in 1959. They had limited success at first, until they started making "American style beer". If you remember your history, you will remember that after WWII, the good ole US of A kept Okinawa and stationed many of our fine soldiers there. Of course, those American boys didn't want good German style beer, they wanted American style-beer. So, as much as I hate to admit it sometimes, you have to cater to the customer. The rest is history.
Orion is an American style beer, and tastes like American beer. It is very drinkable, and is what I would call the Japanese Corona. Islandy type beer that you can drink in the summer, but doesn't have much taste or body to speak of. Like American beer, not much malt taste, or hop taste, but full of American beer taste. I really don't know what that means specifically.
The beer isn't bad, and if you are looking to down about 15, this is the ticket.

Available in Toyohashi for 270 yen at the international store near Marue and almost everywhere that sells a decent selection of beer in Nagoya...

Now if we can get ourselves to Okinawa and see what real Orion tastes like.....?!

Inuyama Loreley Beer

Another great weekend passes us by! This weekend I headed up to Nagoya and beyond to try and track down all of the Ji-Biru produced in Aichi. If you know of any place that makes it own beer that we haven't reviewed, let us know! As far as I know, DenBeer in Den Park is the only place that we haven't put up yet...and we will soon!!

Lorley Brewpub and Restaurant is located in Inuyama, about a 15 minute walk from Hagura station. There is a shuttle bus for parties of 12 or more, and it is worth it, becuase there is absolutely nothing around the brewery.

We arried at the Brewpub just after lunch and before dinner started. Thus, due to my poor planning, we didn't get to drink this beer on tap. We did partake from the bottle, and it was tasty! Back to the food...The lunch buffet is 1500 yen and for 1500 more yen you can have all you can drink. That is a mighty nice price for some good brew!

Michi started out with the pilsner and it was exactly what it said it was, a pilsner. I started out with a "Winter Ale" Loreley's seasonal. It didn't remind me much of a winter ale, but more of an IPA. It was however, excellent beer! I would for sure buy this beer by the bottle if I could find it somewhere close by! We finished up by drinking their weizen, a good super fruity brew that would have suited a summer day much better than a winter one. It was good, but didn't come close to Tengingura's Weizen. (Hamamatsu)

Overall, Loreley made some good brew, but I am not sure that I would make the trip all the way there just to taste it. If a lot of friends were going, it could be a fun place, but it is so far removed from everything else that I don't think it would be worth it. If you lived in Inuyama it would be worth hitting up a few times a month, but for those of us who have to commute to get there...not so much...

If you are in the area, it is worth checking out. But, take our word for it and just drink some Landbeer from Nagoya.....review coming soon!!!!!!!

SPACE BARLEY! (What a crock!)

I know I am going to take some flak for this, but you know what? Bring it on. I love many things about Japan and the Japanese, but there are some things about this place and these people that just leave me speechless. I don't claim to be an expert on Japanese culture or Japanese people, and anyone who does and is not Japanese is blowing smoke up your tailpipe. That being said, it's sound off time for The Good Beer Country Boys.

If you are into beer and Japanesie things, no doubt you have heard of Sapporo's SPACE BARLEY. It has just been unveiled and it's all over the internet. Now before you run out the door to try and find some of these galactic suds, stop. This beer is not going to be sold to the public and is available only to 30 couples who win a lottery and get to go to Tokyo to drink the stuff.

Here's the deal: A few years ago the cosmonauts started growing barley on the giant hunk of money sucking scrap floating around the earth which of course is called the International Space Station. The Russian Academy of Science and the Japanese (a university and Sapporo Brewing) teamed up and BAM! Space Barley was created! (Before I go on, I just want to point out that when I think of GOOD BEER the Russians and the Japanese are for sure the FIRST two names that come up. *)

So with barley decended from these "space grains", Sapporo has created a space brew using ONLY barley and yeast. One sight I read said that this beer will taste the same as regular Sapporo--but if the ingredients actually are just barley and yeast, there is no way that is possible. Anyways, we will wait for word on what this AMAZING** beer will taste like.***
OK, so what is the deal with the Japanese and things like this? Of course this beer will most likely taste like crap, and there's nothing spacey about it! The beer uses barley that was grown in space to make beer. This isn't space beer! This is like calling the baby of a man who has been in space a "Space Baby!" The beer wasn't made in space!

If you have been in Japan for any length of time, you know that the Japanese will pay STUPID amounts of money for crap that is A. a hoax or B. available cheaper everywhere else in the world. How can a single strawberry from Kyoto be worth $5? What about a square watermelon worth $120? Or how about the rock that you put in bath water that helps you lose weight? Only $20! Want to get in shape? How about buying Billy Blank's Tae-Bo workout tapes (Billy's Boot Camp) for about $200 a set? I think you can find these DVDs rotting in the $5 bin at every Wal-Mart in America. LA Dodgers hat? $25 bucks in any mall in the states. Japan-$60. Nuff said.

Sadly...this mindset has crept into beer as well. Space Barley? Please. Every major brewer's winter/fall/spring/summer beers? Please. Any beer that Yebisu makes? Please.

I feel so much better now... Ah. If you are out there and are tempted to pay a stupid amount of money for something clearly not worth it...remember what we have said here today. And if you do end up buying that $5 strawberry...just smile and say "OOIISHIIIIIIIII!!!!!!" like most Japanese do and pretend that it was worth it. You will fit right in.

* sarcasm added
**more sarcasm added
***But, if anyone from Sapporo is reading, I would like to taste the beer so please send me an invite--thanks.

Toei's own!

I know I complain about the place I live from time to time. There is no ji-biru to be found for miles, and other signature brews don't come to Toei. However, we do have some good sake. Sake is made all around me, and if we were the Good Sake Country Boys, we would have a ton to write about. Now, when it comes to sake, I know a little, and as Skynyrd says--I can guess the rest. I like the stuff, but it can't replace a good brew any day of the week.

So this is for all of you out there with good beer all around you. I bet your local liquor store doesn't have its own sake made especially for it...does it? Mine does! Tehohe sake. In Toei, the Hanamatsuri is the thing. It's a really famous mountain festival where they have Japanese demons dance around a pot of boiling water while everyone drinks sake. And then they dip broom like things in the hot water and throw it on everyone when they are drunk. No joke. Anyways, while everyone is waiting for the water flinging to begin, they dance around in a circle and chant: "Te-Ho-He-Te-Ho-He!" It's a sight to behold. In honor of this tradition, we have this shop and this sake. And it's good. And I am drinking it and you are not. SO THERE.

Even though we're broke we got a six pack of beer...

I'm not trying to say that we know everything there is to know about beer. I'm not trying to say that I have drank more different beers than you have. I'm not saying that I can drink more beer than you can, but I'm sure that my KY boys can, and I probably can too. Ok, I guess I was saying that one. All I am saying is that we love some good brew, and gall dang it we just love beer. If see these two boys about, just buy 'em a brew, or take cover.

Kirin's New Boys

Why do I bother? DH sent me the picture of the two new Kirin Anniversary brews at school today and told me they were yet to be tasted. I get all excited and stop by 7-11 on my way home. Sure enough, there they are.

I opened the pilsner first and it pours a nice light golden color as you can see in the picture. And the taste? It's Kirin Lager in a pretty new can. It has a little more hop maybe but the body is the same. Rather than enchancing the beer, it just makes it a little bitter. It is not a bad tasting beer, but it is still a Japanese light lager. The Pilsener Beer that is splayed across the front of the can means nothing to the Japanese drinker, but to us ex-pats, eeking out our existence in this light lager land, it is a ray of hope. A hope for Pilsener Urquell. Hell, a hope for some Bud Heavy. But, whatever. I should have learned my lesson by now.

I am halfway done with the pilsener now and I will say this. It is keeping its taste as it gets less cold. That tells me that it is well made. Some of these Happoshu's turn to piss water if you give them 10 minutes. The Pilsener can is nice to look at. It is gold and has the Kirin emblem made into a shield design. I guess it is a throwback to X number of years ago. They have added some green highlights to it that work visually. You have a gold can representing the beer and green highlights that represent the hops that you wish were there.

Next. Kirin's 120th Anniversary Lager Beer is better than the Pilsener. On the scale of all malt Japanese lagers, this is below Suntory's Premium Malts but way above the swill that is Yebisu. It pours a golden color, darker than the Pilsener, and has a body to match. A body that I enjoy experiencing with my tongue. In the dark world of Japanese beer, this new Kirin lager is a 40 watt light bulb. At 210 yen a can, I would drink it again. I know I said, "why do I bother?" but this beer makes me want to bother some more.

This is off topic but I was thinking about it just now. I was teaching the special class at Tobu Junior High school today. When I say 'special' I mean learning disability. I hate teaching that class because the students suck. Jennifer, who I team teach with, and I try to have fun games and activities for these students but they just bitch and complain. Well, only 3 of them do but that is enough to ruin a class of 9 kids. Today, one girl cried and threw her colored pencils on the floor for the sake of fuck-if-I-know. Another boy was yelling and trying to cut his finger with scissors. It made me want to drink beer. And that is what I am doing now.

Kirin 120th Anniversary Lagers

Thanks to some watchful eyes, new beers were spotted last night by New Zealand Steve. I got a text message about 12:30AM from Steve telling me that these two beers had appeared in his local conbini. Looks like Kirin is at it again with some clever marketing! Steve found this beer on its release date, as sources say it wasn't available to the public until December 10th, yesterday. Here is the press release from Kirin, but it's only available in Japanese!!

The two new beers are a Meiji Lager and Taisho Lager--exciting stuff! The people at Kirin say that these two beers are made using the original beer recipes from 120 years ago, meaning that they don't add rice and other starches to the brew--like they do to their Kirin Classic and Kirin Lager today. It's a pretty novel idea...Let's not add the stuff to the brew that isn't supposed to be in there anyways!

The Meigi Lager says "Lager" on the can but the Taisho Lager says "Pilsner". Interesting to say the least. I haven't had the chance to taste one of these yet. This beer probably won't arrive in Toei until the 200th anniversary of Kirin, so I will have to wait until Friday in Toyohashi to give it a try. Retro brews are the "in" thing--let's just hope that Kirin made some good beer to go inside that beautiful can...

Anyone who has given it a try...please let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Hida Takayama Brewing Agricultural Company

A few posts ago I told you about my weekend jaunt up to Takayama, a lovely little town in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture. If you haven't been before, I strongly recommend taking a trip in that direction as the views are beautiful, onsens are aplenty, snowboarding and skiing abounds, and there is good beer to be found. Check that. There is GREAT beer to be found.

I am going to say something that may sound a little presumptuous. Hida Takayama Brewing Agricultural Company is my new favorite micro brewer. I didn't say in Japan. I didn't say in America. Hida Takayama Brewing Agricultural Company is my new favorite micro brewer in the world. That's saying a lot people. I love my hometown Kentucky Ale. They don't come much better. I used to swear by Sam Adams in my youth, then others like Bell's came in to take my spot. Bell's still makes some great beer, but Hida Takayama literally is second to none.

Hida Takayama beer comes in sweet short stubby bottles that look like Red Stripe on steroids. They are heavier and fatter. They are half liter bottles and I like that, no messing around. They have sweet labels and designs, which don't distract you, but tell you straight up that they are holding some badass beer.

Hida Takayama makes a Stout, a Pilsner, a Dark Ale, a Pale Ale, a Weizen, an Extra Special Beer, and a Super Special World Beer Cup Winning Amazing Ale that I'm not sure of it's exact name. The latter of these beers is excellent. Taste out the wazoo, 10% alcohol, and I mean flavor and goodness abound. It is great beer. One of the best that I have had in quite a while. The downside to this beer is that it costs about $10 a bottle, but hey...for world class beer sometimes you have to pay a world class price. The Extra Speical Beer is a double fermented Red that is about 7% alcohol, and it is just as good. I also tried the Pilsner, which tasted like a good Pilsner. It was good, but not my favorite style of beer. The Pale Ale was tasty, but a close second to Yona-Yona. We drank a Stout for breakfast that was as good as I have ever had, and come on people, I've drank my fair share of breakfast beer.

I was going to wait to post this until I could upload the high quality pics, but you will just have to wait for the pics. I couldn't keep this info in any longer. I didn't get a chance to visit the brewery, so of course that means that we will be heading that way again. Soon. If you can find this beer around, buy it. We found cans of the Pale Ale in Nagoya, but no bottles that I know of. Beer spies, if you know where we can find this beer in Nagoya or Toyohashi...do tell!!

In closing, I know that I have said something big here. It's not something that I say lightly. This beer is good, and if you shell out the dough for one of the Specials, you won't be disappointed. As soon as I get the high quality pics, I'll put em up...but until then...GET YOUR SELF TO TAKAYAMA!

The End of an Era

So where do I begin a post like this? It is the end of an era. The reign of Suntory's The Premium Malts Black has come to an end. Now just to be fair, we didn't but the black up against some super vintage micro brew that it just couldn't compare to. No, we put it in a head to head match against Kirin's Muroka Beer Chocolate. And the Black Malts came in second. Beer Chocolate is good. Really good. Not to say that we won't keep drinking the fire out of the Black Malts...we sure will. Beer Chocolate is only going to be around for about three months, so get it while it lasts.

The Muroka Strikes Again!

I was in 7-11 before school yesterday morning and I saw something interesting. There was a new Kirin Muroka chilling in the fridge next to the original. I could tell this from a distance because of the white on the label. I took a closer look. Beer Chocolat. What? That is what it said and no, I did not mispell chocolate. Kirin is mixing the English 'Beer' with the French 'Chocolat' on the label. Wow.

I didn't buy the beer until today on my way back from school. All of yesterday and this morning I fretted over what might be inside the bottle. The original Muroka is great, the Green label holds it's own, and the White Beer would be good if I didn't drink Ginga Kogen. I didn't want 'Beer Chocolat' dragging down this respected label. I have drank a chocolate beer in Japan before. I think it was from Swan Lake Brewing somewhere in the north. Tasted like they dumped a bunch of Hershey bars in the pot while making a pale ale. I did not drink that beer again.

Those fears were extinguished the moment the top was popped on this bottle. A malty wave washed into my Ol'factory organ and blackness clouded my vision through the Guinness glass. And the taste? Boom, black lager. Chalk one up for Kirin Muroka. This beer is good. Damn good. Being a Muroka, it is unfiltered and this fills out the taste that other dark beers in Japan lack. I don't want to get ahead of myself but Kirin's Muroka Beer Chocolat may be better than the Black Malts. I know, these are big words. Hell, they are fighting words that won't make DH too happy. Understand that I love the Black Malts but this beer is unfiltered and comes from a glass bottle, two points that the Black Malts lack. At first drink this beer is identical to the Black Malts. A creamy, coffee, chocolately tastes spreads through your mouth. But where the Black Malts ends, this beer continues and leaves a roast malt flavor in your mouth that is very pleasant.

The Black Malts finally has a worthy contender. This weekend, when DH comes down to Tahara, the Black Malts and Beer Chocolat will face off head to head (get it? beer head?) and one black beer will emerge victorious though we will definitely still drink both. The new Muroka may have a great taste but the Black Malts has already won the coolest name contest. Beer Chocolat? Gay as hell.

A stocking stuffer for a beer lover

DH introduced the very useless beer leg holster or whatever it is called. Well, it is not completely useless. The leg holster could be used for quick draw and chug contests. Though you would probably have to be drunk to drop the 30 bucks or so on it. There is something you are gonna regret when sober.

Now, let me introduce you to something that is not useless. The belt (beer) bottle opener. Whoever invented this thing needs an Emmy, a Grammy, two Golden Globes (cause they ain't worth shit), a Dove, and a Nobel peace prize. And yes, you can use it to open other pop top beverages. For example, a Winchester, KY made bottle of Ale-8. But everyone knows that this bad boy was made to open beer, preferably, cold beer.

So there you are, in Nagoya street drankin', and you get a bottle of beer that has a pop top. You check your pocket. Shit! You left your bottle opener in the kitchen. You check your keys for a key ring opener. Shit! Where are your keys! You look around for hard edge that you palm pop the top on. Shit! Only plastic and old rounded concrete. What are you gonna do?

If you are a Good Beer Country Boy then you knew what to do before you bought that beer. Beer in your left hand, you step out of the beer gettin' place. You plant your feet in a firm but laid back stance that says "get ready for IT." You hook your shirt with the thumb of your left hand, the one holding the beer. With the right hand, you pop the buckle open with a slight sweeping motion that says, "here IT comes." Move the beer to your right hand, then take your left and slide the buckle down the belt so it is loose in your hand. Twist the buckle up, position your beer under it and pop that top! BOOM! Did that just happen?

I reccomend the belt beer bottle opener to everyone. This ingenious inventions streamlines life as we know it. Are you tired of carrying that bulking opener in your pocket? Is your Budweiser keychain opener weighting your keys down? Is that metal card opener in your wallet making you pants sag? Say no more. The belt beer bottle opener does away with out-dated relics and actually weighs less than a belt of the same size. Why is that? There is a big piece of metal gone where the opener is!

DH says he got his belt beer bottle opener on accident. He was buying new snowboarding clothes and happily discovered that belt he had purchased featured this beer opening device. Once he discovered how to use it, he set his eyes on the new day and never looked back. My procurement of a belt beer bottle opener was a little bit different. My younger brother Jordan had a party at my family's lake cabin and invited many douche bag friends. These douche bag friends left the cabin a mess and committed an unspeakable horror. One of them had opened a Flying Dog Snake Dog IPA that I left in the fridge. If they had drank this beer, OK. I would have understood. It is delicious beer from my favorite American beer company. But no, they did not drink it. I found the beer, open, sitting on the deck railing. It had been open for three days, just waiting for someone to... I'm sorry, I have to stop.

Needless to say, I flew into a rage. My brother Jordan received a barrage of insults. I realize now that it's not his fault. he is great a musician and he needs douche bags doing douche baggy things so he can write great songs. Seriously though, check him and his band, Adrian Grey, out at www.myspace.com/adriangreytheband. That's him behind the mic and keyboard in the picture. He runs the show. Back to the story. I found a brand new pair of Billabong swim trunks and a cloth American Eage belt in the mess at the cabin. Since I spent over an hour cleaning the mess up and my poor beer was sacrificed, I declared these items mine. Come to find out, the American Eagle belt had a built in beer opener. Since then the quality of my life has increased exponentially. I can open beer bottles with my belt. Enough said.

My email to Santa...using the provided template of course...

Toei, Japan

Dear Santa-san,

My name is Daniel. I am a boy and I am already 27 years old!! I live in the great city of Toei. Of course, that's in Japan, but I'll bet you knew that!! This year I've been so good that, well, ok, maybe my halo has been to the repair shop a few times this year.

Santa, some things I might like for Christmas this year are:
- New Butt;
- cure for herpes; and,
- 10 pound sack of paper money.

Love, Daniel

For the guy that has everything...

If you are wondering what to get the guy that has everything, get him this. Every man needs one of these! For those times when you are grilling and can’t find anywhere to sit your beer down…like the side of the grill…or on a table…or on the ground…or any flat surface… Ok let’s face it. This thing isn’t practical and no one would actually wear this thing around, except for the novelty of wearing a beer holster. You would probably forget that you were wearing it and spill beer all over your self anyway. This is waste of money. If you really want to have a beer holster, just cut two slits in a rubber koozie and run your belt through the slits. Ta da! A beer holster! See, we just saved you the $20 you were gonna pay some sucker to buy this piece of junk.

Oh, and if you are grilling and don't have any place to sit your beer down…and it's hard to imagine a scenario where that is a possibility…just chug the thing and throw the can/bottle in the grass…

Weekend update...and Kinshachi Red label

So it’s been five days since we have posted some beer related info…and if you are like me, that is far too long to go without having, reading, or writing about beer. The boys have been busy here though, don’t think we just have been sitting around on our duffs. Last Friday night saw a DH, Nate, Nick, Rwandan, and Zimbabwean gathering outside the Toyohashi station that was second to none. There was an outdoor concert, however we were the only folk in attendance. The music was surprisingly good, and a few of The Premium Malt’s Black started the night with a bang!
This weekend also saw the commencement of Christmas shopping, which sucks. Stores are crowded, things are expensive, and even though I like people, I would rather spend time hanging out with them than buying presents for them. That’s just the way I feel! This weekend also was a good weekend for buying beer, because I found some excellent Maredsous Belgian Tripples on sale for only 300 yen at the international store in Toyohashi! Being the good friend that I am, I called Nate to inform him of the sale! Only by the time he arrived, the price on the beers had dropped from 300 yen to only 105 yen. So, he ended up getting the brews 200 yen cheaper than I did, and I officially don't like him anymore.
And I didn't drink it last weekend, but I realized that I never reviewed the Kinshachi Red Label Beer. I think I tried to forget about this beer even existing, because a few weekends ago Nate, I and the girls tried to go to Beer Circus to drink Land Beer on tap, and it was closed do to a wedding reception. I hope they get divorced.
Anyways, now it is time to write an in-depth review of this beer. If you recall, we stated in an earlier post that the Blue Label Kinshachi Beer from Nagoya is an excellent pilsner style beer and has great taste, but isn’t really worth its $5 price tag. I remember that beer well. What I don't remember—is anything at all about the Red Label Beer. We drank it after we had the Blue Label (and about 5 other beers) and honestly I can’t remember one thing about it. I think it was kinda pale, kinda amber, kinda nothing special. In fact, if I can’t remember anything about it, it must not have been that good. And at the same time, it must not have been that bad either. Anyway, it is not worth how much it costs, and when it comes to Land Beer Brewing and Kinshachi Beers, stick to the Miso Beer just for the novelty and buy a Green Tea Beer for someone you don’t like because it tastes like tea-pee.
Well, there you have it. I just taught six classes today and I am plum wore out. I think I am going to high tail it back to the apartment and relax with a Belgian beer in my apartment. I deserve it.