Fukuta-san, who’s been working at Yokohama Brewery for a year and a half, casually guided me past their twelve fermentation and four conditioning tanks. Currently they produce about 100KL of beer per year, but that number could soon increase. When I asked him what he found most rewarding about his work, he replied, “The process of making beer in itself is fun. Watching beer reach its peak condition makes me happy.”

I highly recommend their Bohemian Pilsner and award winning Hefeweizen, both are available either at their on-site restaurant, Umaya-no-Shokutaku, or at their online shop. Why not visit yourself and support one of the first microbreweries established in Japan, a Yokohama original!

Yokohama Brewery
TEL: 045-641-9901

P.S. A very special THANK YOU! to Hisashi Taguchi, the Director at Yokohama Brewery, for the oustanding service and making the night a memorable one. ごちそうさまでした。ありがとうございました！

Subway somehow
wrong way right now
lost myself in the crowd.

Do what they do
chaotic queue
push your weight to get ahead.

Look the other way,
but don’t turn the other cheek;
so what if you’re not strong,
just don’t let them see you’re weak.

But then I can’t speak
and I freak out,
drowning in a tidal wave
of a brutal rush hour crowd.

Such a struggle to get through,
and it hurts, how do you do?
Silence as they go by, goodbye – shout.

But there’s nothing in their faces,
just the look of going places,
like a mask that’s pasted on to keep me out.

Essentially, the Nippon Craft Beer Festival and the Tokyo Real Ale Festival have been merged into one event to be held on Sunday, the 8th of April, at Akiba Square in Akihabara, Tokyo.

Tickets aren’t available yet, but they will be soon (online orders and at select craft beer bars); be sure to check out their website for details: http://www.craftbeerfestival.org

Also, a last call and reminder regarding next Sunday’s Advanced Brewing Homebrewers Meeting in Asagaya, Tokyo. This month’s get together is going to be packed! So come on out and meet both Western and Japanese homebrewers and their beers! I’ll be there, hope you will, too.

It was a frigid -3°C when we arrived at Sakuradai Station, snow and ice blanketed a bleak and quiet view. After convincing our taxi driver we were looking for a brewery and not a pachinko parlour, in less than twenty minutes we were there. Their facility was modest in size; a simple, uncoloured building that could have easily been mistaken for a warehouse – a far cry from the glamour and glitz of corporate breweries I’ve previously toured.

Taguchi-san welcomed us inside. The first thing I noticed, besides Taguchi-san’s bigness, was the unpretentious tasting bar in the entrance. Several shelves adorned another wall, lined with glasses and t-shirts for sale, as well as an impressive display of awards. After exchanging hellos and the customary pleasantries, we were led upstairs to their meeting room.

Once the interview started, I watched and listened as Ide-san answered Ry’s questions with sincerity and verve. He talked about the history of Yo-Ho Brewing, its brewers, and its line of regular and seasonal beers. He spoke candidly of the many years it took and the difficulties they faced while establishing their business. I was particularly surprised when Ide-san, asked if Yona Yona had ever experienced a failed beer recipe or brew, responded no but then admitted that their initial attempts at canning had met with far less than success.

And then, as if by luck, Ide-san told us they were in the middle of canning and wished to give us a full tour. Full tour of the brewery? Full tour of the brewery? (That’s the giddy squeal of delight by my homebrewer’s inner geek you hear.) So we put on hair nets and rubber boots and followed Taguchi-san into the brewery.

We walked past giant mash tuns, which didn’t strike me as impressive until I realized they were two stories tall, down a narrow flight of steps into the shivery confines of jacketed conditioning tanks. They were in the process of chilling, visibly obvious by the numerous iced pipes we saw. With every step we took, a delicious aroma of Centennial and Cascade hops lingered in the air.

When we finally entered the canning room, I was immediately astonished by its sheer size and the amount of work going on. A seemingly endless row of cans of Belgian Dark Ale were being pushed along upside down and cleaned, then turned right-side up, only to wind up at the end of the line in six-packs ready to be boxed.

Afterwards we were shown their fermentation tanks and pilot system, as well their grain mill (and the largest hopper I’ve ever seen). Then we were taken out back to sneak a peek at the next day’s grains – bags and bags of pale ale and caramel malt all lined up and ready to go!

Taguchi-san, by the way, was a homebrewer before turning pro and eventually head brewer; which didn’t happen right away, he was turned downed several times. I asked him what had been the hardest transition to make, expecting him to say something about water to grist ratios or efficiency calculations. His answer? “The mash paddle is a lot bigger.” Funny bloke, no joke!

It was an amazing tour and invaluable experience, thanks to everyone who made it possible, including Kentaro Hara of Yo-Ho Brewing’s marketing unit, who not only sent us off with Yona Yona souvenirs, but also drove us into town for lunch.　ありがとうございました！お疲れ様でした！

A personal thanks to Ry Beville for the invitation and back-to-Tokyo drinks at Popeye Beer Club with the big man and proprietor himself, Tatsuo Aoki. Cheers!

It was bad, and I was suffering: fantasizing about bathing in beer throughout the day; having nightmares of being chased by trub-spewing wort zombies. I read and re-read brewsheets, cleaned and re-cleaned Erlenmeyer flasks. I checked and double-checked inventory, and took refractometer readings of anything with sugar in it.

And then a brew brother told me about the ginger beer he was making, which brought back memories of drinking it in Scotland. Out of curiosity, I searched the internet for quick how-to, and knew I’d found my panacea.

Ginger beer is a refreshing, effervescent soft drink made from lemons, ginger, sugar, and yeast. It’s terribly easy to make, and only takes three or four days to ferment and be ready to serve. If you’ve ever thought about making beer but have been put off by the time and gear required, ginger beer, which is more akin to ginger ale than any beer, could be just for you.

I’m not posting a recipe or instructions this time, but if you’re interested, let me know with a comment and I’ll gladly show you how you can make your own with a standard 1.5L PET bottle and a few simple ingredients.

P.S. After tasting how delicious my first two batches turned out, I decided to make my third a pomegranate cider! That was last Wednesday, bottled this morning!

Join the community, have fun, and do it all for a good cause! Participating venues: Yokohama International School Tanner Auditorium, St. Maur International School Auditorium, KKR Porthill Hotel, British House & more.

2012年2月4日（土）＆5日（日）の二日間にわたって、国内外の素晴らしいブルース・バンドが山手エリアの会場で演奏するブルース・フェスティバルを、横浜シーサイダーマガジンが主催します。チケット販売による全ての利益は、東北で精力的に活動しているNPO団体へ寄付されます。

コミュニティに参加し、楽しみましょう！ 会場：横浜インターナショナルスクール（タナー・オーディトリウム）、サンモール・インターナショナルスクール（オーディトリウム）、KKRポートヒル横浜、イギリス館など

For details, click the image below | 詳しくは、下の画像をクリックして

There’s still one more day of celebration, so get out there today if you can! Live Texas Blues starts this afternoon with The Sparky Trio; show times begin: 13:30, 14:30, 16:30, and 17:30.

Note: If you do make it out, make sure to order yourself a Midnight Oil Export Stout!

I am a ghost.

Haunted by and keep haunting myself.
I am feared and afraid;
lonely in hiding…

…trying to make myself go and stay away.

In silence
invisible
daylight shade
nightmare custody
I am here,
and then nowhere at all at once.

Like that, no more.

No more,
ever still.

Not only were they sehr schmackhaft (very tasty), but they were also easy and quick to make. I used Brad Smith’s Soft Pretzel Recipe from his BeerSmith blog:
Click the link above for instructions

The very next day, using the same recipe, I baked these – pretzel bread!

Aye, my tummy is content for now. Is yours? Give Bavarian pretzels a go and let me know!

On Sunday, I bottled 12L of AbrewcadaBroon, my Northern English Brown Ale. I spent Monday milling grains and getting ready for Tuesday, when I somehow managed to brew four batches of beer in a single day. The original plan was brew batches over the course of a week, but due to complications (i.e. dates with the in-laws), I decided to get it all over and done with in one go.

In retrospect, a very bad idea. I started at six in the morning, finished just after midnight, with nary a break – and a lot of scrambling – in between batches. If I may, here’s priceless advice: when planning your brew days, always account for unplanned mishaps and mayhem.

The good news is: I’ve now four 10L batches of beer (two Munich Helles and two Oktoberfests) lagering at a controlled 12.2°C degrees. They’ll stay like that until the end of January, bottling day is slated for the 29th; they’ll be ready to drink at the end of February. 楽しみしています！

Now all I have to do is make it through to 2012! Hyper holidays and Happy New Year!