On one of the international racks, what did I see staring me back in the face???? Why Baird's Angry Boy Brown Ale and Rising Sun Pale Ale of course!!* They also had a nice supply of Nest's XH aged in Shochu Casks. It was good to see Japan representing with some good brew.
While in the Cincinnati Area I also came across a beer festival, but my granny was with us so stopping was not an option....
I hope your summer days are filled with tons of great brews and relaxing with friends. If you don't know--I am in KY and Nate is still in Japan-terrorizing combinis and local grocery stores. We aren't posting as much, since the summer is the time for beer drinking outside with friends. In KY, we are filling the days by sitting by the creek/pool and planning on how to get a microbrewery off the ground. Don't worry--we will be "planning" for a while...
I'll continue to post random pics from my days here--hope you enjoy!!!
Now, time to head to church with the family, then cookout with the boys. Life. Is. Good.
* I am SO GLAD to see Baird making its way around the world. Bryan and Chris should be PUMPED. Their beers were displayed on the end of the aisle in full view of the hundreds who come in Jungle Jim's each day. I know that we promote Baird on this site often, and we WILL NOT make any apologies about it. As far as beer in Japan goes, Baird is at the forefront of the craft beer movement. For sure there are many other brewers doing great things in Japan--but right now--Baird is King.
* I am SO GLAD to see Baird making its way around the world. Bryan and Chris should be PUMPED. Their beers were displayed on the end of the aisle in full view of the hundreds who come in Jungle Jim's each day. I know that we promote Baird on this site often, and we WILL NOT make any apologies about it. As far as beer in Japan goes, Baird is at the forefront of the craft beer movement. For sure there are many other brewers doing great things in Japan--but right now--Baird is King.
10 comments:
Thanks for turning us on to Bairds, which we can find at a local shop in Kichijoji, Tokyo. They have a pretty good Bourbon selection as well, but I would like to hear your recommendations for great Bourbons that might be available in Japan.
Wataru, you are in luck! Some of the best bourbons from KY are readily available in Japan. There are several that are available in Japan that we can't even get here in KY!
Nate is an authority on bourbons and which ones to buy in Japan, I'll get his lazy tail to do a post about it soon.
Up front I can tell you that Blanton's is some excellent stuff that you can get for cheap in Japan. The regular (tan label) costs about $50 here in KY, but you can get it in Japan for about 3000 yen or less. They also have a silver, gold, and barrel proof edition available in Japan that we can't get here in KY.
In my opinion, Blanton's gold is AWESOME. It's some of the best bourbons bar none.
If you haven't checked out Baird's Nakameguro taproom in Tokyo--check it out. We talk about Baird beer a lot in Japan--and the reason is that they are great people making great beer. That, I don't mind promoting.
Glad to hear from you and keep coming back and commenting!
You came up to Cincy and didn't call me??? ;-)
Isn't Jungle Jim's wonderful? I love that place, although I think it can be a little overwhelming and I almost always spend way too much money but I love the selection from around the world.
Yeah, we spent way too much money!!!! I would have called you...but I was with the fam... when you coming down KY way?
Baird is imported into the U.S.A. by Shelton Brothers. I concur it is good to see it getting on more store shelves here.
Here is the pertinent shelf on which it sits (next to Hitachino Nest) at Sam's Wines And Liquors in Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL.
hope you are enjoying your trip.
In regards to Baird i have to polietly disagree. Good but not great is a general consensus with most people I've talked to. The regulars are decent to very good, but the seasonal lineup is so convoluted that it really is hit and miss. For every good seasonal I've had, I've drunk 3 or 4 mediocre to average beers.
Kudos to you for supporting them, but I feel it's a misnomer to say they are at the forefront of Japanese brewing. I rate Shiga Kogen, Yo Ho, Isekadoya and even Hakusekikan (at least the big beers) ahead of them. Not to mention the Nakameguro Taproom is not all it's cracked up to be. The Numazu place is good though.
Peace.
jonno, me thinks your opinion is being overly influenced by your dislike of Nakameguro Taproom. Show me another brewery that does nine regular beers (including the two Nide beers -- and soon to be expanded with three more regular beers) and 30-50 seasonal beers every year! Sure not every seasonal or special brew is going to appeal to you (or to me or to anyone), but at least we're trying to bring interesting and different styles of beer to people. Are we the best we can be? Hell no -- we're getting better every time we brew, every time we try something different, every time we find better ingredients or new hops. But, to deny that we're at the forefront (whether or not we're at the top is irrelevant) is to totally ignore what we're doing compared to any other brewery in Japan.
Of the other breweries you mentioned, I've had bad (as in contaminated/infected) beers from all of them, even sometimes being served proudly at festivals. To me, a brewery that knowingly foists bad beer on their customers doesn't deserve to be on any list of top-notch breweries.
And yes, my opinion is also influenced by the fact that I'm the lead brewer at Baird -- but I came to appreciate Baird Brewing and what they are doing long before I joined up.
Chris I agree wholeheartedly. I think Baird is pretty good. Maybe it doesn`t come across that way, but i do enjoy Baird. Just not at the Nakameguro taproom. ;p
Hi, DH, now that you are back in Japan...I'm still hoping for Nate's comments about bourbon.
wataru....coming shortly!
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