Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:
The history and tradition of craftsmanship in Japan has served as a major inspiration to the Baird Brewing Company. We strive everyday to create beer and food that does justice to this long and venerable legacy of Japanese craftsmanship. Therefore, we are thrilled to announce a first-time event to be held at the Fishmarket Taproom from Friday, November 3 through Sunday, November 5: The Baird Beer & Yakimono Fall Craft Festival.
We are sponsoring this event in association with the Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery. One significant purpose of the event is to introduce and emphasize the natural affinity between the world of full-flavored craft beer and the universe of traditional, world-class pottery. Before the advent of glass, man enjoyed all beer drunk directly from ceramic vessels. The same industrial revolution that brought us glassware also delivered to us the era of mass-produced beer characterized by limited depth and complexity of flavor. Well, small-scale craft breweries such as ours have worked assiduously to reintroduce beers of character and distinction to the market and thus we feel it is high time to reacquaint our community with the wonderful things that can take place in the marriage between a master piece of ceramic art and an affectionately crafted beer of full-flavored character.
During our three-day weekend festival, the ceramic art of seven world-class potters (specially selected by Robert Yellin himself) will be on display at The Taproom (noon to 4:00 PM each day). Robert will be on hand to talk about the pieces and to discuss with you ceramic topics of interest (including, of course, the sublimity of imbibing great beer from
hand-crafted ceramic vessels). In addition, one of the potters, Kato-sensei of Shiga prefecture, will be attending in person and will discuss his artwork each day beginning at 2:30 PM. The pieces displayed during the festival will be available for purchase to interested patrons (prices
ranging generally from 3,000 to 25,000 yen). Packing and shipping
arrangements for purchased items can be made directly at the event through the Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery. Following is the list of participating potters:
- Kato Takahiko (Shiga prefecture)
- Ando Chitose (Aichi prefecture)
- Tanoue Shinya (Kyoto prefecture)
- Miyao Masahiro (Okayama prefecture)
- Yokoyama Naoki (Okayama prefecture)
- Ichino Masahiko (Hyogo prefecture)
- Mark Hewitt (North Carolina, USA)
A sneak preview of some of the pieces that will be on display is available
at: http://www .trocaderocom/japanesepottery/items/582570/item582570.html
In reverence to the great and diverse body of ceramic artwork that will be
on display, the brewers of Baird Beer have been burning the midnight brewing oil so that an unprecedented variety of beer flavor and styles will be available for your imbibing pleasure. In all, eighteen Baird Beer styles
will be poured from The Taproom taps. Following is the festival beer list:
a) Baird Lager Beer:
-- Cool Breeze Bohemian-style Pils
– Munich-style Helles
– Oktoberfest Lager
b) Baird Strong Ales:
– Yabai-Yabai Strong Scotch Ale
– West Coast Wheat Wine
– Cold War Imperial Red Ale (keg-conditioned for six months)
– American Dream Strong Pale Ale (keg-conditioned for six months)
c) Baird Special Fall Seasonal Ales:
– Country Girl Kabocha Ale
– Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale
– Poor Boy Brown Porter
– Midnight Oil Foreign Export Stout
d) Year-Round Baird Beers:
– Wheat King Ale
– Rising Sun Pale Ale
– Red Rose Amber Ale
– Teikoku IPA
– Angry Boy Brown Ale
– Kurofune Porter
– Shimaguni Stout
And what beer and yakimono craft festival would be fully satisfactory
without a superb offering of hand-made, beer- and pottery-inspired seasonal victuals? The Taproom kitchen is busy now creating eight original autumn-season dishes each to feature as an ingredient a different style of Baird Beer. These dishes will be available in a help-yourself buffet style for a special festival price of 1,000 yen per person. Kabocha soup with your Kabocha Ale, anyone?
Reservations are not required. Please plan on attending, though, armed with a healthy appetite, a voracious thirst and a curious interest in ceramic art and the world of craftsmanship.
Cheers!
Bryan Baird
