West of the tower, south of the park

After hearing two weeks ago about a liquor store in Susukino (the nightlife area of Sapporo) that stocks some imported craft beer, I remembered the name of the place but not the address the next morning. Tonight, I stumbled across Momoya and left with some cans of Caldera beer (from Ashland, Oregon).

From Caldera, I went for the IPA and the Amber Ale. To mix things up, I grabbed a Modus Hoperandi IPA from Ska Brewing, which I had never tried (until moments go / it is good). 

The S is missing

It's nice to find a liquor store in town that stocks some variety. They don't carry in Japanese craft beer, but I'll be glad to stop in once in while to pick up something from the states (even if it's more of what I grabbed tonight). 

Momoya is at the corner of Minami 5 and West 5. Wait! Fortunately you don't need any map software to find places in Sapporo. You just need these two numbers (I'm talking only in the downtown area of course). Minami means south, so Minami 5 means 5 blocks south of Odori Park, the several-blocks-long park that spans a huge east-west chunk of the city center. Nishi means west, and the count starts from the brightly lit TV tower at the west end of the park. So Minami 5 Nishi 5 means five blocks west of the TV tower and five blocks south of Odori Park. Trust me, it's easy once you get to know the place a bit.

What makes this night even better was that I was on the way home from Higurashi, the only other craft beer bar in town that I'd yet to visit. More on that in another post.

See you at 5-5!

A detailed report on Sapporo's craft beer scene (is not found in this post)

I've officially been living in Sapporo for one month, but I feel like I've hardly explored the city. This is in part because I feel no sense of rush now that I live here — everything can wait, dammit! This attitude is not sustainable, however, in the long term. Another reason is budget. Moving is expensive, I don't work many hours so far, and doing beer-related things generally costs money. I do expect to eventually check out more of the craft beer establishments in the city, including a bar in a nearby neighborhood that allegedly serves Yona Yona Real Ale. 

I did recently get in to Adanonki, a used book store / craft beer bar which isn't far from where I work. I went along with a colleague who has lived in Sapporo for many years but hadn't heard of the place. We were both somewhat giddy with hops after trying a Mikkeller Koppi Coffee IPA (also, perhaps, we were giddy with booze). 

Elsewhere, after being alerted via the Japan Beer Times Twitter account that certain Lawson's would be stocking Yona Yona Ale, I scouted my neighborhood locations, only to be disappointed. But it seems that the closer you get to the city center, the better chance you have of finding a participating Lawson. I am, in fact, consuming a Lawsonated ale right now. Here she is: 

Stay tuned as I hopefully ventur further in the craft beer scene here in Sapporo and beyond. 

Cans on the Radio

My homestate public radio station back in Oregon just did a report on craft beer in cans. Not only is it fun to read the text of the story and pretend you're a radio reporter (just me?), it's a good look at the changing attitudes on the topic.

On my most recent trip to Portland for my brother's wedding, the stigma was alive and well with one of the groomsmen, who said he felt that craft in cans was simply not right.

In the article, a pub owner points this out: 

"As of this week, there are 131 craft brewers nationwide that are either canning, or in the late stages of canning. Yeah, it’s a trend, I would say the biggest trend in craft-brewing right now"

It further lists reasons for accepting cans:

-Keeps the beer fresher

-Lighter, easier to transport

-Easier to recycle

Any downside? Besides the stigma, the article notes that it is more expensive to run a canning line, which may make it difficult to the smaller of the small brewers.

Here in Japan, we have seen a few brewers produce cans. Yona Yona was on the shelves in cans when I got here in 2007, and they are definitely among the leaders. I have recently seen Coedo and Echigo beers in cans even out here in Inaka Mie. It would be great to see more Japanese brewers follow suit, especially the other mainstays leading the field already in quality and availability.

In Japan, the stigma issue is probably larger than back in the states. Already, craft beer is seen as foreign, exotic, and essentially "not beer-like." That's because the image of "beer" is a light lager, golden in color, with 30 percent head for good measure. Many craft producers here treat their product like it's some sort of holy nectar, adorning their cans with colorful foil toppings (I'm looking at you, Kinshachi).

Of course, I balance my bite here with general respect toward the still-maturing industry. I'll accept anything that's good, in a glass or a bottle or a can.