Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:
Sayuri and I opened the Numazu Fishmarket Taproom twelve years ago this week, on July 20, 2000. I will never forget that day. We were filled with nervous energy and driven by a keenly motivating fear — a sort of fear that I had never experienced before. The first customers of the day were, to no one’s surprise, the carpenter, Nagakura-san, and his wife Shoko-chan. Their presence was both calming and reassuring. The first beer poured was Hoegaarden White (Baird Beer wasn’t available until January, 2001); the first food delivered was Sayuri’s parmesan chicken salad. We were officially in the restaurant and beer business!
It has been a long and winding, arduous but enjoyable journey. I have said this on many occasions but it’s worth repeating: our greatest pride has always been the extreme high quality of our Taproom customer base. We are deeply appreciative of the sincere and loyal patronage of our Taproom customer-friends. Thank you for your long-time support and friendship. You are an integral part of the Baird Beer family.
*Numazu Fishmarket Taproom 12-Year Anniversary Celebration (Friday-Sunday, July 20-22):
We will be celebrating the Fish Tap’s 12th birthday this coming weekend, which appropriately enough, kicks off on July 20. Doors open at 5:00 pm on Friday, noon on Saturday and Sunday. Weekend party highlights include:
New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
In conjunction with our Fish-Tap birthday celebration, we are releasing two commemorative seasonal ales to the broader market. Each is available both in kegs and bottles (360 ml); shipments will begin Thursday, July 19.
*Fire in the Belly — Doug’s Red Ale (6%):
Doug Benning was what we would consider a ‘founding customer’ in our Fishmarket Taproom. He first made an appearance the second or third weekend of our operation, visiting together with his wife, Miyuki, and fellow ‘founding customer’, Jason Block. That Doug was a curiously inquisitive and passionate person was revealed to Sayuri and me within minutes. That he was to be a life-long fan of the Taproom and Baird Beer, a future owner-partner in our business, and, most of all, an intimate and fiercely loyal friend, become apparent over the coming months and years.
Sadly, Doug passed away several weeks ago in a fashion as sudden as his life was intense. I understood Doug’s intensity perhaps better than most; we shared what my mother would have called ‘fire in the belly.’ We love Doug and Fire in the Belly is our beer memorial to him.
Fire in the Belly is an explosively flavorful ale, richly malty with a biting hop character. The aroma is spicy and peppery and comes courtesy of dry-hopping with four varieties: Chinook, Cascade, Motueka and Santiam. If Doug were here to toast his beloved Fish-Tap, this undoubtedly would be the beer with which he would do so.
*Fish-Tap 12-Year Summer Ale (4.5%):
There is a word for July in Numazu — sultry. The best antidote that I know to the heat and humidity, other than a dip in Suruga Bay, is a tall pint of a crisp and sprite, light yet flavorful session ale. This is what our 12-Year Summer Ale happens to be. 11.4 Plato of malty goodness (including strategic additions of rye, caramel-wheat and un-malted wheat) is combined with 15 BU of hop crispness to produce an exquisitely clean and refreshing brew. The floral nose comes courtesy of dry-hopping with a combination of Tradition, East Kent Golding, Santiam, Saaz, and Styrian Golding.
Please plan to join Sayuri, John and me, and our entire brewery and Fish-Tap team for a celebration of beer and friends and life and happiness, all of which will be abundantly present.
Cheers!
Bryan Baird
