Grande Biere Festival in Tokyo

It's true, Nate, I and our ladies are going to work the Salon de Grande Beer* at Tokyo Midtown Square this weekend. In fact, I think Nate is in Tokyo or is on the way there even as I type this at school. He is a bastard.

If you haven't checked out this post, do so and make sure you read the comments--They are full of some juicy gossip and good info and opinions.

We are volunteering to work the festival this weekend because we like beer, and if we volunteer, we can get in for free. No bones about it, that's the truth. We started this blog only a few months ago to talk about jibeer in Japan, and quickly we have made a lot of friends, and we have noticed that not always do all of these friends play nice. In fact, we have noticed that there seem to be two different groups (at least) when you really start talking about the craft beer movement in Japan.

The Good Beer Country Boys have the luxury (stupidity?) to straddle the fence and play dumb. We like beer, and we like others that do. Yes, we have heard that a certain someone has a nice car that was paid for with "craft beer money." That same person may be interested in trying to market beer as a boutique item at a festival this weekend. I'll tell you how it goes.

The fact is this: Beer will never (and should never) be a luxury item drank by the high society and mucky-muck crowd. (That's what we call them.) Beer is the drink of the common man. Work is the curse of the drinking class, my friends. Your Average Joe 6-pack The Plumber relaxes with a cold one, nothing else. Beer is not wine and never will be. You shouldn't use fancy words when talking about beer. Don't act like you are better than other beer drinkers and that you can tase "the essence of rose hips" in your beer. Beer falls into two categories, good and bad. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. We love GOOD beer, but we also love beer. I grew up on PBR and High Life and still drink em when I can get em. I drink Lone Star. 'Nuff Said. I am not a beer snob. The truth is this, sexist as it may sound. (I don't think any girls read this site anyway) Beer will be the drink of common men, like it always has been. The future of the craft beer industry (all beer for that matter) will be with the testosterone having, ball scratching, booger pickin', beer drinking men. I am one of them.

While I don't think the Grande Biere festival is the direction that beer in Japan needs to be going (chocolate beer, fruity beer, girly beer included), I will be going.

Becuase the most Country thing in the world is finding a way to be around drink good beer for free while you make some friends.

And my friends, we are Country.


Just to avoid all doubt, I'm gonna show you how Country I am.

I don't know about you, but I feel validated.

Have a good weekend, Beer lovers.

* As a side note, the webiste for the festival looks like it was designed in 1995.