Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

In the aftermath of a rainy season typhoon we find poetic justice in announcing the release of a seasonal brew that is distinctly summer and sunny — Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale.  

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:

*Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale 2012 (ABV 5.5%):

A summer mikan (natsumikan) is a grapefruit-like citrus fruit that is tart and sweetly sour in flavor and wonderfully aromatic.  The only fruit to make it through the doors of the Baird Brewery, of course, is fresh whole fruit recently plucked from the land.  Our summer mikans are Shizuoka-grown, right in the Heda orchard of our carpenter-partner-friend, Mitsuo Nagakura.  The bounty of fruit is painstakingly hand-processed by the Baird Brewery team before its introduction into the brewhouse and cellar.  You can taste the freshness and wholesomeness of the natsumikan fruit in each sip of this extraordinarily zesty brew. 

The refreshing citrus character of Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale is not supplied by fruit alone, however.  The natsumikans are complemented beautifully by deft additions of four citrusy-spicy American hop varieties:  Summit, Simcoe, Cascade and Ahtanum.  This year, in a departure from past versions, we fermented with our house Belgian yeast strain rather than our Scottish ale strain.  This has contributed another layer of subtle spiciness.  The quenchingly brisk and tart result is summer paradise in a glass!  Who cares if its grim and cloudy outside!

Shizuoka Summer Mikan Ale 2012 will be available on draught and in bottles (360 ml) beginning Thursday, June 21.   Please visit a Taproom pub or local Baird Beer retailer while quantities last.

Please note:  We have abandoned the 630 ml bottle for seasonal beers.  Henceforth, all seasonal bottle beer will, like the year-round brands, will be of the 360 ml size.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird