Beer culture

I was eating my breakfast during a recent visit to Portland when I overheard some tourists at the next table ask the waitress if she could recommend a “must see” for Portland. The waitress couldn’t come up with anything but I was all too happy to help her out by answering the question.

“Don’t you know where you are?” I asked, “This is the craft beer capitol of America.” I went on to explain about the craft beer movement and gave them a bunch of information on the Oregon Brewer’s Festival and the Portland beer scene. The tourists, two gents from North Carolina, were very excited and thanked me, and the lord who brought me to them, before embarking on a tour of the city with a new purpose.

I told you that, so you’d understand this. Most people know Portland is a big craft beer town but a Mecca for craft spirits? I knew Rogue and a few others were micro-distilling craft spirits here, but I had no idea there was a community of eight micro-distillers plying their trade right here in River City! Obviously “I didn’t know where I was” and The 4th Annual Great American Distillers Festival really opened my eyes.

The Great American Distillers Festival is a gathering of small distilleries from across the country who come to Oregon, the “Mecca of craft distilling”, to share their products, their passion, and their expertise in hand-crafting spirits.

The event was held at the Gerding Theater, a very distinctive building originally built in 1891 to house the Portland Armory. The old historic building resembles a medieval fortress in the Brewery Blocks of the Portland Pearl District. The facilities renovation into a modern theater arts complex was completed in October 2006 and last year the Great American Distillers Festival found a home there.

Four days of peripheral Portland events led up to the first day of the festival. Starting with Monday’s opening reception at Rogue Ales Public House & Distillery with a keynote address by a man well known in the brewing world, Bill Owens, author and President of the American Distilling Institute. (Look up Alimony Ale, a beer whose bitterness could only be rivaled by the aftertaste of a bad divorce.) Bill presented a snapshot of the state of the craft distilling movement and his vision of its future. The forecast in a nutshell? Whiskey and other “brown spirits” are the coming trend.

Other events were the “Shot and a Beer” at the Horse Brass Pub , a tasting of barley-based whiskeys and beer at McMenamin’s, and two nights of cocktail events at participating bars pairing distillers with local bartenders. Distillers and members of local and national press were treated to a tour of several of the Portland area’s eight craft distilleries. All this led up to the official festival opening on Saturday, August 23rd.

When I arrived at the event that day the air was filled with excited chatter and the heady aroma of powerful spirits. 30 craft distillers from as far away as Maine were set up on the second floor with 50 varieties Rum, Vodka, Gin, and Whiskey with a sprinkling of Brandies. I made my way up and walked the floor checking out display after display of carefully, lovingly, handcrafted spirits. Listening to the distillers describe their products and processes, I felt an immediate kinship with the passion of the craft beer culture.

After working my way around the room I put the camera aside and I stepped up to the Bluecoat gin display, the first of many samples of the micro-distiller’s tastiest vodkas, rums, gins, whiskeys, brandies I planned to try.

Sampling straight spirits can be kind of rough on the ol’ taste buds, but it’s necessary to truly appreciate the finished product. You can still taste a difference between spirits when they’re combined with mixers, but a sample of the undiluted ambrosia logs the flavor into your sensory memory and allows you to search out and identify those flavors when combined in a drink later. At least that’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it.

I’m not overstating when I say I logged a lot of sensory memory on the second floor that day. By the time I was done I had alcohol breath that would rate a health hazard warning label in California, and a handful of new favorites and a list of others I plan to try in cocktails.

A couple straight favorites were:

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, an excellent American Whiskey started in and with the Flying Dog Brewery in Denver, Colorado. I first tried this Whiskey as an immature product at the distilling room in Denver during a tour of the Flying Dog Brewery two years ago. The oak-aged final product is surprisingly smooth and reminds me more of a good bourbon than a whiskey.

Rogue Hazelnut Spiced Rum, which is made by distilling white rum with mulling spices and 20 pounds of hazelnuts, then blending it with Rogue aged rum. This rum has won several international gold medals and tops my favorites list. Rogue Spirits is a division of Rogue Ales and carries all the careful craftsmanship and outside of the box creativity Rogue is known for.

Sub Rosa Tarragon & Saffron infused Vodkas, two culinary inspired vodka’s that surprised and delighted me with their innovative use of herbs.

Festival events included a mixology competition, so after sampling the raw product, I made my way downstairs to attend the Mixology contest. The second annual Mixmaster Mixology Contest sponsored by Rogue Spirits and Imbibe Magazine gave attendees a taste of many of the featured spirits in cocktails designed by the distillers themselves and in cocktails created by some of Oregon’s most talented bartenders.

Twenty bartenders started the two-day competition, each mixing their own creations using any of the spirits featured in the festival. The top four mixologists made the finals, where they had to create a cocktail using a surprise ingredient – in this case one of four Loft Liqueurs. Jamie McBride of Portland’s Park Kitchen took the top prize of $1,000. Blair Roberts of Acadia claimed second place and a $500 check from Loft Liqueurs. Third-place bartender Chris Churilla of Cloud 9 in Corvallis did not walk away empty-handed, booze bloggers the Munat Brothers, pooled the cash they had leftover from the weekend and handed him a cash prize of $77.77.

Between the contest and the bar setups in the lobby I was able to try some incredible new tastes in cocktails, try a Hot Monkey Vodka Bloody Mary, fantastic! As I mentioned at the beginning, the Great American Distillers Festival really opened my eye’s to the wider scope of what the Portland Craft Beverage scene has going on, and a new list of places to visit on my next trip to Beervana. Maybe we need to update the name to Bev-vana. To see more pictures taken at GADF go to Flickr.

To visit micro distillers, a good starting point is House Spirits Distillery, several other small-craft distillers are nearby. Always make appointments for tours and tasting. Most small craft distilleries don’t have the staff to handle drop-ins.

Portland Micro Distillers:

Clear Creek Distillery, 2389 N.W. Wilson St., 503-248-9470 or clearcreekdistillery.com. Tours every Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or by appointment. Features eau de vie, grappa, single malt whiskey and a line of fruit liqueurs.

House Spirits Distillery, 2025 S.E. 7th Ave., 503-235-3174 or housespirits.com. Tours by appointment. Features Aviation Gin, Krogstad Aquavit, Medoyeff Vodka. Also a tasting venue for Ransom Spirits, ransomspirits.com. Features muscat grappa, gewürztraminer grappa and malt-based gin. Sub Rosa Spirits, subrosaspirits.com. Features saffron- and tarragon-flavored vodkas.

Rogue Spirits Portland, 1339 N.W. Flanders St. 503-222-5910 or roguespirits.com. Features hazelnut spice rum, dark rum, white rum. Tours by appointment. Rogue also has a distillery in Newport, Ore., where it makes vodka, gin and whiskey.

Integrity Spirits, 909 S.E. Yamhill St., shares facility with a restaurant, pub and, soon, a brewery. 503-517-2030 or www.integrityspirits.com. Tasting by appointment. Features vodkas (including Oregon hazelnut), gin and absinthe.

Highball Distillery, 610 S.E. 10th Ave. 503-803-3989 or highballdistillery.com. Tasting by appointment. Features organic vodka.

New Deal Distillery, 1311 S.E. 9th Ave. See newdealdistillery.com. Tours by appointment. Features its signature New Deal Vodka, Portland 88 vodka and infused vodkas: hot pepper, basil and chocolate.

Artisan Spirits, 1227 SE Stark St. 503-781-2357 artisan-spirits.com.

Indio Spirits, Inc. (Tasting facility), 7110 SW Fir Loop STE 240, actual distilling occurs in Cottage Grove, Oregon. indiospirits.com 503.620.0313

Solo Distillery & Tapas Restaurant, 1300 NW Lovejoy St. (503) 220-0080

Nearby Distilleries:

Edgefield Distillery, 2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale, Ore. (east of Portland). 503-669-8610 or mcmenamins.com. Features whiskey, brandies, gin and coffee liqueur.

Dolmen Distillery, McMinnville, Oregon

Ransom Wines & Spirits, McMinnville, Oregon

More information on the festival and American craft distilleries can be found at www.distillersfestival.com.

Sponsors for the 4th Annual Great American Distillers Festival included: Rogue Spirits, Portland Center Stage, PDX Magazine, Imbibe Magazine, Portland Tribune and the Portland Development Commission. Festival partners included the Oregon Bartenders Guild and the Oregon Distillers Guild.

The air was heavy with the smells of harvest as I drove north through the Willamette Valley towards Independence Oregon. The hop crop estimate for 2008 was released on August 12th and the USDA estimates a whopping 27% increase for 2008. I wanted to take a gander for myself and the Alluvial Farm, headquarters of Rogue Farms, was close by and I’m on friendly terms with the people there. I’d been to the farm before and toured the facility. Today I hoped to see it in action as hops were harvested and processed into bails of green gold, destined to satisfy the taste buds of beer enthusiasts worldwide.

According to the report, the Northwest is in high Hops growing gear. “Hop production in Oregon is estimated at 10.4 million pounds for 2008, up 9 percent from last year. Washington is estimating a 27 percent production increase and Idaho is estimating a 57 percent increase.” The report also mentioned “Yields are expected to be up in Idaho, but down slightly in Oregon and Washington. Growers in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho expect to harvest 8,352 more acres in 2008.”

I wanted to see for myself what the harvest looked like and boy did I get an eye full. I’m no farmer so don’t take my word for it, but the yield looked very good on the acreage I saw and the trucks coming in were stuffed to the top with heavily coned hop vines.

I documented the harvest process in my Flickr gallery and it looks like 2008 will be a very good year for beer.

The 21st Annual Oregon Brewer’s Festival week started out for me on Monday with Fred’s 17th annual beer and cheese tasting at Rogue Ales Public House, and though the Brewer’s Dinner on Wednesday kinda gets the juices flowing, it really doesn’t feel FESTY until Thursday’s kickoff parade rattles the windows of downtown Portland.

This parade of gregarious guzzlers, sanctimonious sippers, and insolent imbibers began in 2005. It started as a brewers lunch followed by an organized little stroll down to the riverfront to tap the opening keg. Enthusiasts joined in that initial procession and by the time they reached the river the numbers had swelled from a group to a parade. In 2006, due to a serious misalignment of the cosmic continuum, the parade didn’t happen, so the guys at Rogue Ales decided to put their considerable skills in organizing and loud obnoxious behavior to work to make sure 2007 would be a parade to remember. It was a well documented success and this third opening parade was Widmer’s turn to shine.

You might remember last year the parade started at Rogue Ales Public house and I got a month’s worth of exercise photographing, running, photographing, running…you get the picture…all the way down to the opening ceremonies at the waterfront. This year my wife, Bonne, joined me at the festival, adding her considerable photographic talent, and innate ability to run very quickly for short distances, to the event coverage.

As I mentioned, the host for the brunch and the parade leader for 2008 was Widmer Brothers Brewing Company. Bonne and I planned to attend the brunch at PGE Park, then photograph the parade all the way to the waterfront. We were taking pictures at the entrance when Rogue Ales Boss, Brett Joyce of and his gang of Rogue Monks approached, “Hi Banjo! Are you going to cover the parade?”

“Yes, Bonne and I plan to take pictures along the route…”

“You should take pictures from inside the parade!”

“Well I don’t know if…”

“Here! Wear this!” he said and someone tossed me a bag.”

This is how I came to embrace my inner Monk and ended up documenting the parade from the inside…inside a Rogue Monk’s frock that is.

As a writer, I enjoy a certain amount of anonymity as I stand off to the side, scribbling observations in my notebook, and snapping pictures here and there. Donning the Rogue robes opened the door to another kind of anonymity, the kind you experience when you lose yourself in a character. Though still recognizable as Banjo, mild mannered beer correspondent for Realbeer.com, a few yards of cheap brown polyester transformed me into Rogue Monk, “watch out folks, even I don’t know what I might do.”

All 300 brunch tickets had sold out weeks before the event so there was a pretty good crowd waiting as our brown mass of monks took the field, many approached us to have pictures taken. It was a blast, and the parade hadn’t even begun yet. There were other costumed crusaders in the crowd, Widmer’s lemon wedge and glass of Hefeweizen scurried back and forth and the rest of their crew had on wrestling masks and capes, think Mexican pro wrestling. This is the team that would lead the procession, followed by the Monks. Their look actually meshed very well with ours. It was sort of like a promotional event for the Jack Black movie Nacho Libre and I was waiting for them to start yelling his signature war cry of “Nachoooooooooooooooooo!”

The breakfast was your typical egg, bacon, and sausage affair with plenty of Widmer Hefeweizen and Broken Halo IPA on tap. I’d barely finished when the drummers began to play and Art Larrance started yelling instructions. We formed up to start the procession and followed Art, the Widmer Brothers, and the Mayor of Beertown, Tom Potter, out of the stadium and onto the streets of Portland where the rest of the marchers joined the party.

Somehow I ended up at the forefront of the parade, right behind the Widmer team and the cask. I was sandwiched between Rogue Nation members “The Bishop” and “Doc”. Doc and the Bishop had obviously thought long and hard about the visual statement they wanted to make during the parade. They’d created custom cat-o-nine-cap floggers with leather and beer caps for the purpose of stylized self flagellation on the parade route. What could be more natural than a little self flagellation during my religious pilgrimage to the heart of Beervana? Since I hadn’t brought my own personal flogger, I had to improvise.

The monk robe came with a rope belt, but that alone would not be harsh enough for a Rogue Monk, I attached my OBF sample mug to the end and gave myself a smack on the back. Oh yeah, that’s the ticket. I was joined by The Bishop and Doc and we slapped ourselves with the tempo of the drumming. I’m sure we made quite a picture for the smiling citizens of Portland as they filled the windows and doorways to cheer us on.

The parade was supposed to stay on the sidewalk, but, like the explosive growth of the Oregon Brewer’s Festival itself, boundaries couldn’t contain us and we spilled out onto the street to wave to the people of Portland and invite them to come see what real craft beer is all about. The Widmer masked marauders abandoned the sidewalk as well and brought the cask to the forefront of the group. The parade route distance between PGE Park and the River was quickly devoured by our eager feet as we walked towards Tom McCall Park and the official tapping of an inaugural keg of Widmer Broken Halo IPA and the opening of the 21st annual Oregon Brewers Festival where the ceremonial mallet was passed to another Oregon iconic brewery, Full Sail Ale, for the honors in 2009.

The Oregon Brewer’s Festival, founded by Portland’s earliest microbrew pioneers, Art Larrance (cofounder of Portland Brewery, now of Raccoon Lodge Brewpub), Dick and Nancy Ponzi (founders of Bridgeport brewery) and Kurt and Rob Widmer (duh!) has grown exponentially since its modest beginnings in 1988 with offerings of 16 beers from 13 breweries. That first year they expected 5000 attendee’s and received three times that. This year the OBF featured 72 breweries from all across the nation and drew a record crowd of 70,000 for 4 wonderfully mild days of beer quaffing.

OBF served 73 different craft beers from 18 states during the festival. The first keg to run dry from high demand was Cascade Brewing’s Raspberry Wheat. 21st Amendment Brewery’s Hell or High Watermelon Wheat wasn’t far behind. Widmer’s Full Nelson, an Imperial IPA brewed especially for OBF was also very popular.

I tried about half the beers offered at the fest over 3 days. (Hey I’ve only got a limited number of brain cells left to kill.) Here are some interesting brews I found.

Caldera Ginger Ale by Caldera Brewing Co. – Very light so the organic ginger spices and caramel malt come through. Nice summer beer.

Foggy Goggle White by Fifty Fifty Brewing Co. – Another interesting beer from Todd Ashman. A Belgian Wit that was a little tart, a little sour and all good. Clean and very drinkable

Calypso Ale by Roots Organic Brewing Co. – This self described “Hybrid” is brewed with organic red wheat, lightly hopped with German Hallertaur and inoculated with locally grown apricot and scotch bonnet peppers. Starts off as a delicious fruit ale, but beware, the hot pepper sensation comes on slowly and builds at the back of the throat. I would have enjoyed it more with the right food. I look forward to trying it again with some Mexican food soon.

Plinty the Elder Double IPA by Russian River Brewing Co. – Voted best beer by hand count at the media tasting and the beer I heard talked about the most at the fest. One of the most balanced double IPAs I’ve ever tasted. Plinty the Elder has a wonderful aroma that matches an exceptionally complex taste. Excellent balance of malt sweetness and hop bitterness….neither dominated the other…but both are apparent.

Coffee Bender by Surly Brewing Co. – A favorite of everyone I spoke to and a gold medal winner at last years GABF. Eye opening and delicious, if you like the taste of good coffee you’ll love this American brown ale.

Well, a week of excellent weather matched with a fantastic lineup of beers chalks another one up in the win column for OBF. Of course great beer is always around in Portland, but nothing matches the ridiculous pageantry and just plain fun atmosphere in Beervana during the little fest we Oregonians think is best…The Oregon Brewer’s Festival.

For more fest info check www.oregonbrewfest.com
To see all of the pictures from this year’s event, see my Flickr gallery.

As usual, I was a little lost and a little late as I hammered the accelerator from light to light. I’d been to Portland’s infamous Horse Brass Pub before and count Don “The Caveman” Younger a Beerdom buddy. But I’d neglected to bring a map or even the address of the pub along with me. I knew it was next to Belmont Station on Belmont St., (at least where Belmont Station used to be, turns out Belmont Station’s 4 blocks away on Stark now.) and by god I was going to find it (Thank god my wife wasn’t with me. She’d want me to do something crazy like ask for directions.)

I was supposed to be at Horse Brass Pub at 2pm to join in the celebration of SNOBs 2000th membership. SNOB stands for Supporters of Native Oregon Beer. They’re the Enthusiast Members of the Oregon Brewers Guild. The Oregon Brewers Guild was founded in 1992 and is one of the nation’s oldest craft brewers associations. OBG describes their SNOBs as “an integral link in the ‘beer chain’ that connects suppliers, brewers, retailers and consumers. Being a SNOB shows off your impeccable taste in beer and gets you a backstage pass to see what’s going on behind the scenes in Oregon’s craft brewing industry.”
The Horse Brass Pub, established waaaay back in 1976, is on every beer geek’s life list and its owner, Don Younger has, through enthusiastic promotion of craft beer, become something of an industry icon himself. Rogue Brewery even named a couple beers after him, Younger’s Special Bitter (YSB) and Imperial YSB.

What better place to celebrate Oregon’s 2000th SNOB? The place was packed with SNOBs when I rushed in to capture the moment. Luckily, other than a few lottery drawings and consumption of a nice spread of sausage and Oregon Craft Beer, not much had occurred. I’m not sure if Brian was waiting for me or I just timed it perfectly. After shooting a handful of pictures I sat down to enjoy a Pittock Wee Heavy Ale by Mt. Hood brewing. Ummmmmm perfection.

I’d just reached the bottom of my pint glass when Brian Butenschoen, of the Oregon Brewer’s Guild, made the announcement. Through a twist of fate involving black holes, crossed dormant dwarf stars, and a parallel universe, there ended up being two 2000th members. TJ Barlow and Bill Matara will share the honor and the loot attached to being the 2000th members to enlist in the SNOB ranks. Long may they tip their glasses in support of Oregon Craft Beer!

For more information on the Oregon Brewer’s Guild or becoming a SNOB go to www.oregonbeer.com.

With talk about the new TV show “I Survived a Japanese Gameshow” burning up the internet I couldn’t have planned a better time to discuss my recent adventures in Japan. Initially I planned on titling this article “How to get arrested in Japan without really trying” because the hot topic of our gathering of friends and family was my recent sort-of-arrest by the local beat cop. It wasn’t my fault, Ma! I was just minding my own business, sitting on a curb in Kawasaki, Japan at 6am. I was focused on my laptop screen, checking my email with a little Wi-Fi mooched from the local grade school when a shadow passed over me, hesitated, returned and cleared its throat.

Looking up, I locked eyes with a frowning policeman. “ここで何やってるのですか？” he said as my brain seized in panic. I knew what he wanted to know. Who am I? What was I up to in the wee hours of the morning, sitting on a curb with my laptop? I was a deer in the headlights. My limited grasp of the Japanese language went into hiding as I searched my brain for a response.

“Email! Email!” I blurted out as I scrambled up and turned my laptop towards him, figuring everyone knows the word email. My 6’2”, 210lb. frame towering over him like a redwood didn’t work in my favor, and he jumped back grasping the handle of his nightstick.

Long story short, I ended up getting perp-walked back to the family home. The Neighborhood stopped what they were doing and leaned out their doorways to witness the spectacle. They whispered to one another as we passed. “We knew there was something strange about that man, always saying hello and smiling at people…I wonder who he killed? At the family home the policeman agreed to wait at the gate while I went in and woke someone to verify I was not a mass murderer. The neighbor, a woman I had viciously “good morninged” and bared my teeth at many times was talking to the policeman in hushed tones as I went in.

When I came out a few minutes later with my very sleepy sister-in-law he was gone. I guess I’d been cleared by the neighbor or some other major villain had struck in the area and drawn him away. This is how the seeds of great family stories are germinated. I am now “he-who-was-brought-home-by-the-police,” a family badge I will wear with honor as I perpetuate and expand on the story until the movie comes out in a theater near you.

After everyone at the party had finished laughing about my unfortunate encounter I announced I’d like them to participate in a tasting of a handful of American Northwest Craft Beers I’d brought for just this purpose. I had a captive audience, and lots of food; it was too perfect an opportunity to waste.

I explained, as those who spoke English translated, that we would sample small quantities of the beers with and without food and then discuss how they taste and if we like them or not. Seemed simple enough and the Japanese, as a culture, are well versed in the art of food and beverage evaluation.

The beers I’d brought were: Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Ninkasi Tricerihops, Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Alaskan Smoked Porter, Rogue Chocolate Stout, Tracktown Honey Orange Wheat, and Rogue Brewer’s Ale. I know what you’re thinking. I went a little heavy on the Rogue. During the selection process I chose beers that I felt would be more interesting to my audience and the Rogue styles seemed to jump out at me. Also, Rogue is available in the Tokyo area so they could buy more if they liked it.

Japan, more so than anywhere I’ve ever been, is a food culture and the Japanese seem keen on trying and evaluating anything and everything. Japanese travel agencies use food and beverage as one of the main engines of international travel. Whereas America is famous for food consumption, Japan is famous for savoring and evaluating each and every element of the meal. Watch one day of Japanese television and you’ll get an idea of how prevalent matters of the palette are.

My research says TV food shows account for an estimated 35 to 40 percent of domestic programming. Talk shows seem to take up a large chunk of the rest and those programs all seem to have a cooking segment or fieldtrip segment, where someone goes somewhere to eat or drink something specialized to a region. After showing all aspects of preparation, the camera goes into a close up and they make the food look extra delicious, giving whatever is being consumed a big jiggle and then following it from plate to mouth after which the taster exclaims, “Oishii desu!” Delicious!

One of these shows was on when a familiar face filled the screen. Harrison Ford was on a TV show plugging his new Indiana Jones movie. After they talked about the movie Harrison had to judge a cook off where 3 sets of chefs prepared special entrees and Mr. Ford had to taste each one, comment on the dish, then choose his favorite. I’ve never seen Harrison Ford more uncomfortable and out of his element as he tasted each dish, but he handled it like a pro. The camera zoomed in and followed the food to his mouth and we all held our breath as he chewed and chewed. His face didn’t betray anything. He could have just as easily been gumming creamed corn. He could use a couple “Ummmm, Ahhhhh” lessons in Japanese food tasting etiquette. Finally he was able to clear his mouth and exclaim “Oishii desu!” Way to go Harry, you pass.

Japan’s obsession with food even crosses lines into other TV genre’s. There’s a Japanese TV mystery drama series called Food Detective 2 (Kuitan 2), where the “Big-Eating” division of the “Holmes Detective Agency” lead by detective Seiya Takano, finds food somehow plays a part in solving every case! Think “Monk” with food rather than OCD. I think you get the picture…let’s get back to the beer.

Though Japanese Craft Beer has made great strides in the new millennium they capture a very small percentage of the overall market share. Most Japanese drink the mainstream lagers and happoshu produced by the big breweries Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo, and Suntory. This would be the first time most of the people in the room had ever tasted craft beer.

I decided to start light and move gently towards the stronger, more complex beers. The first beer sampled, Tracktown’s Honey Orange Wheat, from Eugene City Brewery where I live. The beer delighted the group and there was a lot of chatter about its soft sweetness, the general consensus, “Oishii desu!”.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar met with a similar reaction. It was the introduction of the Rogue Chocolate Stout that the group started to splinter, some finding the chocolate sweetness behind the slightly bitter finish, others blanched at the tasted malt. The Alaskan Smoked Porter, one of my personal favorites was unanimously rejected; they did not like the smoked flavor.

I followed up with another favorite of mine, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, a german-style maibock. A good 90 percent of the group said they liked it very much and they especially liked the Dead Guy Logo. I took a deep breath as my niece, Minami, made the rounds and rinsed our glasses. I had two beers left, Ninkasi Tricerihops, a double IPA and a great example of Northwest hopitude, and Rogue Brewer’s Ale, a strong ale with tons of hop flavor and a huge malt backbone.

“These people aren’t ready for this.” I thought as I filled the glasses and passed them around. I was right, I didn’t even have to ask, the scrunched up faces told the story. Though a few finished their Brewer’s Ale, they all rejected the over-the-top hoppiness we take in stride here in the Northwest.

How the beers ranked in taste with my non-craft beer savvy group – Honey Orange Wheat got the big “Oishii desu!” award, followed closely by Hazelnut Brown Nectar, Dead Guy Ale, Chocolate Stout, Smoked Porter, Brewer’s Ale, and Tricerihops.

My results indicate, and this is a very small sampling and not even on speaking terms with anything scientific in nature, that for now Wheat’s, Sweets, and Session beers would be my choice for winning Japanese consumers over to craft beer. I suspect, just like most people who choose the craft beer path, their tastes will develop over time and before you know it they’ll be clamoring for the bigger, more complex offerings we enjoy here in the Good old US of A. As long as there’s some left for me I’m all for it.

To see more pictures of our American Beer Tasting in Japan click link below.
Looking at American Craft Beer with a Japanese Tongue

Posted by By Banjo Bandolas

When the subjects of Beer and Japan cross paths, a discussion about Tokyo’s infamous Popeye Beer Club isn’t far behind. I’d heard the stories about Popeye’s for years. Every time I came back from a family visit to Japan someone would ask “Did you make it up to Popeye’s?”

Since my wife and I were in Kawasaki to celebrate her birthday with her twin, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to finally make the pilgrimage to the heart of Tokyo and experience Popeye Beer Club for myself.

The trip from Kawasaki station to Tokyo’s Sumida-ku station in Ryogoku would take about an hour each way on one of Tokyo’s infamous commuter trains but what the heck, how often does a guy get to go to a world famous beer bar?

A little history on Popeye’s (pictured above) and the Japanese craft beer industry. Waaaaay back in 1994, when the Japanese government lowered the legal limit for a brewing license from 530,000 to about 16,000 gallons a year the Japanese craft beer movement was born.

A small restaurant owner, Tatsuo Aoki, saw the writing on the wall and wasted no time in learning all he could about craft beer, soon he began offering samples to customers at his small Western-style “snack pub” called Popeye Beer Cub.

The Japanese are by nature an openly curious people, especially when it comes to food or drink, and demand for the new craft beer styles surged. Aoki soon had to remodel to accommodate more customers and expand the number of taps to keep pace with Japan’s growing craft beer industry. Forward thinking, and enthusiasm for craft beer, has made Popeye Beer Club Tokyo’s best pub for Japanese craft beer and “clubhouse” for local and visiting beer geeks.

Cold rain fell as our motley little crew gathered under umbrellas at the Tokyo Edo Museum. The group consisted of me, my wife, Bonne, her sisters Mayumi and Rieme, and Rieme’s husband Kaname. Later we expected to be joined by local beer writer and official expert on Japanese craft beer, Bryan Harrell of Celebrator magazine and Bento.com at Popeye’s.

We planned to meet Bryan at 8 p.m. but we’d opted to arrive in Ryogoku early (4 p.m.) to avoid the crush of rush hour crowds on the trains. To fill the time we visited the Tokyo Edo Museum and planned to sample the fare at a small brewpub in the area called Beer Station. I’ve always found Japanese addresses confusing and this situation was no different, but it wasn’t just me this time. None of us could find Beer Station’s address, 1-3-20 Yokozuma. It was actually kind of funny watching locals flail around just as lost as I would have been.

We wandered around for quite some time before finally breaking down and asking a security guard at the Sumo Stadium if he knew where it was. He knew all right, the brewpub had closed over a year ago. It began to rain harder as that information sank into our collective consciousness. There was nothing else to do, we turned and made our way to Popeye’s 2 hours early.

For a pub with a worldwide reputation, it wasn’t the flashiest place I’d ever seen. In fact, if I wasn’t looking for it, I probably would have strolled right on by. Walking in I immediately felt at home, the place was reminiscent of a good western style pub. Breweriana, a lot of which came from Oregon, filled the walls and dangled from the ceiling.

The good thing about arriving early was we had our choice of tables. We chose a corner spot with a view of the bar and the deck. When we took our seats we were immediately presented with beer lists and hot towels. The towel was a delicious welcome, coming out of the cold, wet weather, and a great start for what would be a memorable evening.

Turned out it was Happy Hour, (I didn’t even know they had Happy Hour in Japan.) with each beer ordered we’d get a complementary plate of food. (Score!)

Our servers Ayano Ishibashi and Kyohei Makajima, were very knowledgeable about craft beer, and very attentive to our needs. I looked down at the list and immediately knew how the Japanese must feel when they come to one of our high end craft beer pubs.
Ayano and Kyohei were about to earn their wages. Most of the breweries weren’t familiar, and quite a few I couldn’t even pronounce. (Especially after a few pints) Although the website and everything else at Popeye’s screamed 40 beers on tap that wasn’t the case when we arrived…they’d recently expanded their offerings to 70 beers on tap.

It felt a little surreal being surrounded by American breweriana and reading at a beer list that looked so alien. Mayumi waved for my attention and pointed up. My eyes followed her finger and I focused on dozens of bottles hanging from the ceiling over my head, many familiar American craft logos were in the bunch. An Oregon brewer’s guild sign on the wall seemed to reach out to me from across the room, saying “you ain’t in Kansas anymore Dorothy.”

Our servers were delighted to make recommendations and tell us the stories behind the beers as we studied the menus. There were several American craft beers on the list; Full Sail, Rogue, Sierra Nevada, Fish, and Speakeasy. I also saw tap handles for Great Divide and Mendocino behind the bar. Lindeman’s and several other European brews were there too.

Rogue was the best represented with 6 styles. Not too surprising when you consider Rogue was the first American microbrewery to enter Japan. They began shipping beer to Japan the same year the beer laws changed (1994). Phred Kaufman of Mugishutei (Beer Joint) was instrumental in the successful introduction of Rogue Ales, and the Rogue mystique to Japanese craft beer consumers. It was a match made in beervana, the Japanese appreciate craftsmanship, and they’re willing to pay for it. Rogue punched all the right buttons from labeling their bottles in Japanese Katakana, (the first American craft beer to do so) to choosing styles that matched the Japanese palate Phred Kaufman knew so well.

Interesting, but I didn’t come to Popeye’s to drink American craft beer. I recommended several familiar beers to the group and concentrated on the Japanese offerings. Last time I’d really immersed myself in the Japanese craft beer culture was when I attended the Great Japan Beer Festival in 2001.

That was a turbulent time for the Japanese craft beer industry, not unlike the shakeouts experienced in the American craft brew revolution, where many microbreweries go under due to poor quality, business sense, or just plain bad luck. People in the Japanese craft beer community simply refer to the beginning of the decade as “The Crash”. I hadn’t found a lot to get excited about at that 2001 event. Now I was looking forward to evaluating the evolution of Japanese Craft beer since. What I found was a craft beer culture that has grown and matured, carving out a flavor niche that is distinctively Japanese.

The Japanese craft beers I sampled weren’t clones of those from other countries. Sure, they share the names of a wide array of styles we’re all familiar with in American craft beer, but you’ll be hard put to find the bold slap-in-the-face taste common to American microbrews. Whereas big hop taste and high alcohol identify the Northwest beer culture, subtlety and balance seems to be the goal for Japanese microbrewers. I like to savor the interplay of multiple flavors and actually prefer a well balanced beer to many of the over-the-top microbrews.

The bar began to fill up as we received our food and beer. If I closed my eye’s it could be a pub anywhere in the world. (Except eavesdropping on conversations around me was virtually impossible) I watched a mixture of Japanese nationals and foreigners fill the tables. They all had that familiar universal smile I see when people have come to talk about beer.

Riemi, who is very bold in her tastes, selected a Rogue Imperial Stout, a big beer by anyone’s standards. “Whoa!” was about all she could get out initially. I offered to get her a new beer and finish it myself (can’t waste good beer!), but she declined and took another, smaller, sip and smiled “I like it.” Mayumi started with the Hidatakayama Weizen which she really liked and I found very nice as well. She seemed to lean towards the softer weizens, porters, and bocks thru the evening. Kaname was more mainstream in his taste; he tried several styles but ended up going back to pilsner, though he did find a pilsner from Echigo Brewery that he liked much better than the Asahi he usually drinks. Bonne found a new favorite in Swan Lake Golden Ale. I tried a glass. It was the finest golden ale I’ve ever tasted, incredibly clean in taste and clarity; it seemed to glow like liquid sunshine when held up to the light.

We’d already gone thru 15 or so beers and as many plates of food when Bryan Harrell arrived at 8 o’clock. I think he was a little distressed he couldn’t lead me thru the beers, introducing each with a pedigree and brief history on the brewery. I apologized and explained why we’d gotten such an early start on the evening (early by Tokyo standards at least.) But I thought I had a few more in me if he had some suggestions.

“You’ve got to try the Asahi Stout.” he said signaling the server. “It’s a limited draft only release. Popeye’s receives one keg per month and this is the only place in the world you can get it on draft.”

I tried it and found it to be an excellent, well built, stout.

We discussed some of the other beers I’d already sampled and the state of the Japanese and American craft beer industry. I told him I was very impressed with the advances I saw in the beers since 2001 and I presented him with a bottle of 2008 Rogue Brewer’s Ale I’d brought over to give him. I figured it would be something special he couldn’t get in Japan.

“Hey, they had a keg of this on draft here last month,” he said admiring the bottle, “nice.”

“Damn, I thought this would be a special treat!”

“Believe me, it will be. I’ve got some good friends I plan to share this with who will be very impressed.”
Bryan returned the favor by buying me a bottle of Babakan Catfish Head IIPA (a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Dogfish Head) to take home. I tried a pint and found it very complex and interesting, but using Dogfish Head as a benchmark, it didn’t quite hit the mark. I think I’ll let the bottle age a bit and try it in a year or two, like the Japanese microbrew industry, it’ll only get better with age.

The Japanese Craft Beers we sampled:
Iwatekura – Oyster Stout
Hidatakayama – Weizen
Iwatekura – IPA on cask
Baird – Stout
Minamisinsyu – Winter Ale
Hakusekikan – Dia Brown Ale
Baird – Rising Sun
Isekadoya – Pale Ale
Swan Lake – Golden Ale
Ozenoyukidoke – IPA
Fujizakura Kougen – Dunkle Weizen
Nasukougen – Barley Wine
Ohnuma – Kolsh
Hakusekikan – Pale Ale
Babakan (Catfish Head) – Double IIPA
Echigo – Pilsner
Asahi – Stout

Other organizations that got their start or meet regularly at Popeye’s:
• The Good Beer Club, Japan’s answer to the UK’s Campaign for Real Ale
• Tokyo Real Ale and Nippon Craft Beer festivals began here.
• Members of the Beer Enjoyment, Education and Research Society (BEERS), an English-speaking beer club in Tokyo, are frequent patrons.

Popeye Beer Club
2-18-7 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku
Tokyo, Japan
Phone: 81-3-3633-2120
www.40beersontap.com

Other pubs worth checking out when you’re in Tokyo:
Ushi-Tora Pub
Sankyu Building 2F,
2-9-3 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku
Tokyo, Japan
http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/735/bars.asp
Phone: 81-3-3485-9090
26 beers on tap and a selection of freshly made bar food. It’s on the second story and can be difficult to find, but local shops will help you find it.

Nakameguro Taproom
Nakameguro GT Plaza
C-Block, 2nd Floor, 2-1-3 Kamimeguro
Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-5768-3025
www.bairdbeer.com
Baird Beer Tied House, Twenty taps and four hand-pumps are devoted to the largest lineup of Baird Beer available anywhere.

Northern Japan:
BEER INN MUGISHUTEI
Phred Kaufman’s Beer Joint)
Onda Bldg, B1 S.9W.5 Chuo-Ku
Sapporo, Japan
www.ezo-beer.com
Phone: 512-4774
300 varieties of beer from over 50 countries. The largest selection of beer in the orient.

For a comprehensive source of information on Japanese beer, bars, food, and restaurants go to www.bento.com.

To see more pictures from our visit to Popeye Beer Club go to:
Welcome to Popeye Beer Club
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogueales/sets/72157605715432793