The MaxValu down the street sold Yona Yona before I knew what it was. I tried it one evening during my first year here in Ise. While I thought it was good, I took it for granted, only scooping it up once in a while, on those days when the Main Grocery List was light and there was room for beer in the My Bag.
But then one day it was gone. On the shelf instead was a wider array of non-beer, the "happoshu" that beer lovers scorn with a passion. To live up to the standard of a major supermarket chain, the beer cooler still peddles Bud Light and Heineken. Sad.
Fortunately, walk down the street in the other direction and you hit Biyagura, the brewpub of the Ise Kadoya company, where quality jibeers are available on tap almost every day of the year. The Brown Ale kicks ass. The Stout is fine too. The signature Shinto Beer offers a nice change of pace (but be warned, it may scare off PBR-loving relatives back in Oregon).
Two Wednesdays a month, the pub hosts a special night, on which the Ise Kadoya beers are joined by signatures like Ebsiu and The Premium Malts, as well as micros from emerging brew-makers around Japan. Try all 10, in glasses ranging for mini-sampler to daijyoki. Stumble home, but first, remember to pay. Only 1000 yen an hour, all you can drink (that second hour? Just 900 yen).
Or check in on any other day, and order the 2-hour nomihoudai for under 2000 yen. Drinking steadily for that long, you might want some food. Karaage and fries go well with the beer, but be bold and try the Ise Kadoya Miso Pizza. This company has been making miso paste for more than 400 years. You can trust them putting it on a pizza just as much as you can trust them making you a fine beer.
Meanwhile, look around and enjoy the Bigger Picture. The beer culture in this country is changing.
On a recent nomihoudai Wednesday, a man in front of us in line for a refill overhead a friend badmouthing the Japanese for their collective lack of beer appreciation. He turned around and smirked. "I think he understands," I said to my friend in a low tone. He turned back again, "Yes, I understand."
Since we had insulted him and his culture, I decided it was best to strike up a conversation. He was from Tokyo, and a client of his had taken him to Biyagura. He was impressed that a small town like Ise could be a microbrew powerhouse.
Beer mugs in hand, we went back to our respective parties. But I felt better about where things are going in Japan. It will take time, public education, and tax reform. Patience, of course, can be comforted. Specifically, by the Brown Ale.
