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!

From Oregon, with beer

I may have mentioned my fiancee once or twice on the blog, but indeed I am getting married very soon. To celebrate the occasion, my family is joining us in Japan, starting today with my brother and his wife and my mother and her husband. My brother Phil and his wife Julia are staying at my place, and they brought along many fine gifts, including these Oregon beers:

Although he was exhausted, my brother and I enjoyed a couple of these already, and it's nice to have a taste of home. Phil was wearing a matching sweatshirt:

I also got this T-shirt, which I'll proudly wear to an upcoming social function (not my wedding, though maybe the after party?):

Overall, I'm very happy to be with family. It's great that nice beer can be involved as well. I'll stop here, as I've got a long week ahead, and I still haven't finished buying beer for the after party.

Strong Scotch: Ise Kadoya's Highland Ale

Allow me to introduce Ise Kadoya's Highland Ale, a sort-of strong Scotch Ale that boasts 40 IBU and 7 percent alcohol. This seasonal, brewed by Masaya Sakakibara (part of the brewing/buying team), offers a sweet punch with caramel malts, backed up by a bitter finish via magnum hops. Although I'd say this ale veers on the sweeter side of the pallet, it's a pleasant and powerful drink.

Brewer Sakakibara was most recently behind last year's Rye Zen. His newest offering is a much bolder choice that is among the taps at his weekends-only craft beer bar near Ise Station. That bar, called Twelve, is open Saturdays and occasionally Fridays. Follow him on Twitter for info on his bar. Feel free to contact me for directions or other info on beer in Ise. 

Read about the Highland Ale (in Japanese) at Ise Kadoya's website here.

When I picked up the bottle today (900 yen) the staff reminded me of Biyagura's half-price beer days, which seem to fall twice a month on weekdays. The next one is February 28th. Check their homepage for updates each month, and you might catch a nice deal if you happen to be in town.

(I also picked up the newest Japan Beer Times, half of which I've already read online but it's so nice to have a print edition.) 

Further, they always offer a two-hour all-you-can-drink for less than 2,000 yen on the regular menu.

Has anyone tried the Highland Ale out at the beer bars?

Enjoy!

Ise Kadoya presents: the Nut's Brown Porter and the American Amber Ale

It's January in Japan, and the chocolate islands have sprung up at shopping malls, setting off a two-month love roller coaster that begins on Valentine's Day. On February 14th, ladies are supposed to give the guys they have eyes on some chocolate, and in a Japan-created twist, men are to reciprocate a month later on "White Day" (if they feel the love).

Not to be left out of the fun, many brewers large and small come out with chocolate beers around this time of year. Last year, Ise Kadoya released its seasonal Nut's Brown Porter, a sweet but not over-the-top offering meant to be paired with chocolate rather than be a replacement for it.

Well, it's time get get Nut's (sic) again!

First of all, the Nut's Brown Porter is meant to be a special treat, coming in at 1,000 yen instead of the usual 900 yen for Ise Kadoya 500ml bottles. That extra 100 yen, perhaps, goes toward the packaging, which makes the beer a ready-made gift for beer-loving man-friends.

After the unwrapping (tip for guys: re-use the red ribbon on White Day!), the beer pours a deep amber with little to no head. First taste: It's sweet. Probably because I just finished a much more bitter beverage. Deeper into the tasting I started to enjoy it more, remembering what I liked last year. Sure, it's a bit sweet compared to my usual top choices, but it's a pretty decent sweet.

I don't have any chocolate in the house to test out the pairing capabilities, but to be honest, this beer is sweet enough as it is. Give it a try, I advise, at your neighborhood craft bar.

And now on to the bitter beer that made the Nut's Brown seem so darn sweet: Ise Kadoya's American Amber Ale. I believe this to be the first time I've tried this seasonal, which I haven't seen bottled since I've been paying attention. A search online shows a few reviews from a couple years back but nothing recent. Although there's a nice balance, hops dominate, bringing something akin to a darker pale ale back in Oregon. This beer was nice, especially as it warmed up and let out its flavor. I'll definitely aim to try it again. Maybe I can drop some hints to my special person ahead of Valentine's Day: Skip the Nut's Brown Porter, and aim for hops.

Ise Kadoya Imperial Smoked Porter (2011)

And I have graduated to the capstone of the evening: the Ise Kadoya Imperial Smoked Porter. I live down the street from the brewery/restaurant but this is my first taste of the season. I'm reminded of how good a porter feels on a cold night. This also marks my first smoked style since I gambled on an Echigo Rauch, a mysterious beverage indeed. Needless to say the style is rescued here. It's bold, black and hoppy. And 7 percent alcohol.

Behold: 

Tomorrow me and the fiance are heading for Nagoya. Many things on the agenda but I'm sure I'll find room for some beer I can't find in Ise. Cheers!

Ise Kadoya Weizen Bock (2011 edition)

I'm home from my school's bounenkai (end-of-year-party / aka "forget the year party") and I'm sipping an Ise Kadoya Weizen Bock, a nice upgrade from the endless flow of Kirin lager supplied by the Ise City Hotel catering staff.


This is one of the styles I haven't had much experience with, but I'm enjoying the light character at the moment. That said, all I can think about is the Imperial Smoked Porter in the fridge. I haven't tried this one since the last release and I'm quite anxious to savor it.

Meanwhile, enjoy this photo of the 2011 Weizen Bock, compared with the previous model:

2011 edition

The slightly-more-Christmassy 2010

Post Irish day, an English IPA

I've been busy of late working on the launch of Mie Life Magazine, a free, online-only (for now) general interest magazine for this little prefecture I call home. Since the operation has nearly no money to spend, we're relying on volunteers. So far, a few people have been helping out a lot but we're looking to add several more people as we prepare to get going.

The magazine will be at the url mielifemagazine.com (for now it's just a parked domain). I'll update here on the blog when it's ready to roll. Naturally, besides generally editing the thing, I'll be writing about beer. I'm planning a monthly column on craft beer plus I'll try to spotlight the craft beer scene in Mie in larger features.

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Back to the beer.

This weekend featured Ise's annual St. Patrick's Day party, which happens every year in early March. It's part of a series of St. Patrick's Day events and parades around Japan. Ise's naturally, is pretty small, but it draws a decent crowd and this year that crowd included Ireland's ambassador to Japan, who made a speech and took part in the day's festivities.

I was along for the ride too, mostly taking photos but also chatting with people about beer and the magazine project and all kind of things. A few of us skipped the official after party and headed for the beer bar, where were had a couple of beers to add to the decently large total of parade beers (not many were drinking ... me, a crew of Irish guys, plus a few older guys).

Overall, the weekend left me feeling a bit ill. Too much Irish fun, perhaps.



But with Wednesday comes my first beer of the week, part of the recovery. And the bonus: These beers come from beyond my reach in Mie. They are omiyage from Yokohama, one being an English style IPA from Yokohama Brewery and the other being an Aooni English style IPA from Yaho Brewing (maker's of the more widely available Yona Yona Ale).

At the moment, I've cracked open the Aooni, which is a nice, subdued IPA. Much like when I tried the Tokyo Black at Keg Nagoya, I can trace the mainstay Yona Yona in the background, but the bitterness comes through nicely.

I'll save the Yokohama IPA for another time (read: in about 10 minutes).

Cheers to all ... and I hope your late winter / early spring transition treats you nicely.