Land of the rising microbrew
Two Kentuckians hop on the Japanese craft beer trail
Daniel Harrison and Nathan Coppage were less than thrilled with the range of beer choices when they arrived in Japan from the United States to teach English. But instead of settling for run-of-the-mill offerings from Japan's “Big Four” beer companies, they have made it their mission to discover and drink the nation's best jibiiru: craft beer produced by microbreweries.The Kentucky natives are current Aichi residents and are chronicling their efforts on a website, www.jibeer.com (also dubbed "Good Beer and Country Boys”), which features reviews and commentary along with narrative accounts and photos of their beer-fueled travels across Japan. Individually or together, Harrison and Coppage have sampled brews from Hokkaido to Okinawa and many places in between.
The duo has found plenty to like in Japan where, prior to 1994, laws made it impossible for small breweries to operate. But in the last several years, microbreweries have popped up across the country; at present, just over 250 craft breweries are operating in Japan, according to the Japan Craft Beer Association.
Not all of the offerings go down smoothly. "There are a lot of breweries that simply are making bland beer," Harrison says. Coppage agrees: "Micro beer in Japan is being wonderfully crafted and improved by a select few, while others are still playing construction with their toy backhoe and dump truck in their sand box."
Naturally, the pair would like to see growth in the craft beer world, both in terms of quality and availability. "I hope that Japanese craft beer can catch on in the way that it has done back home," continues Harrison. "Once people realize that their local brewers are making a great product that they can be proud of, the sky is the limit."
One difficulty in finding new fans of craft beer among the local population is long-held ideas about what beer is, along with the growth in popularity of cheaper beer-like beverages known as happoshu, "I think many people here think beer should taste like Japanese light lager/pilsners… that's why many Japanese aren't familiar with craft beers. If you give someone a stout, bock, alt, marzen or anything darker than a Super Dry, most will call it 'Dark Beer' or 'Black Beer,' because the term ‘beer’ only refers to what they are used to."
But Harrison believes that ideas about beer in Japan can be easily changed: "I think it's only a matter of time before the craft beer movement here just explodes."
More important than the good and the bad, the pair uses the website to celebrate good beer as a way of life. "We are not a beer review site, but just a place to read good beer news in Japan," admits Harrison. "We use a little humor and our own experiences living here in Japan to hopefully entertain and enlighten."
The site has also served as a networking vehicle. "It has been crazy," says Coppage. "In four months we have made tons of friends all over Japan and have learned so much about beer in Japan."
Meanwhile, Coppage sees the site as an online community for unfiltered beer discussion. He notes that visitors can "agree, disagree, support, talk trash, drunk-type, or do anything they want in response."
Looking ahead, Harrison and Coppage want the site to become a primary source for information about craft beer in Japan. "What we are not and will not be is a blog covered in tacky ads in some crazy get-rich dream. We talk about beer, brewing, and our lives in Japan because we like it—not for money," says Harrison. "But if you see me out and want to buy me a beer, I'd take you up on the offer."
3 comments:
Interesting write up -- and pretty much right on. The thing that interests me (and pisses me off at the same time) is when people start talking about what beer Japanese will like -- or what beer Japanese women will like. I brought a whole bunch of my homebrew and Japanese craft beers to a graduation party in my university office a year or so back -- everyone told me that they liked Super Dry and that they didn't like dark or bitter or heavy beers. Well, the guys were drinking the lighter ales -- and the girls were drinking the IPAs and porters and stouts. Hell with the idea that women will only like lighter beers. Those ladies would have come back every day if they could have had "stronger" beers every time!
I guess my point is that brewers should make the beers THEY like and not worry about what "Japanese" will accept. People who don't accept anything but mass-produced beer will never order a craft beer, no matter it tastes like -- those aren't the customers we're going after. We're going after the customers who are more open-minded and are willing to try more flavorful beers -- those are the future of beer drinking in Japan (and the world)!
And you Country Boys are at the forefront of this movement. Brew On -- or at least Drink On.
Or rather, in some strange twist of logic, are you arguing that all craft brewers are really just after the ladies?
^-^
I better start homebrewing!
Yes, well done boys.
I'm glad to know ANIEL and Nathan.
Hah!!!!
Post a Comment