As you know, we have dedicated the month of May to our good friend, the Hop.  The May Hop Madness continues today with the general release of two more hop-forward brews:  Spalter Golden Ale and Hop Havoc Imperial Pale Ale. 

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:

*Spalter Golden Ale (4.7%):

Spalter is one of the hops in the pantheon of great German aroma hops.  2012 marks our first usage of this historical hop.  To give both us as brewers and you as drinkers a good feel for the nature of this hop, we have brewed a simple, moderate-gravity golden ale that is hopped exclusively (bittering, flavor and aroma) with Spalter.  Floral, herbal, grassy are all adjectives that pop to mind as I imbibe this wonderfully balanced and refreshing Teutonic Golden Ale. 

*Hop Havoc Imperial Pale Ale (6.2%):

This is our second year brewing Hop Havoc; it took a full year for our taste-buds to recover from the hop assault delivered in year one.  The malt bill here is one that would constitute a strong pale ale (starting gravity of 13.8 Plato), but the hop charge is one you would find in a double IPA (90 BUs in the kettle and whirlpool; double dosings of dry-hops using a combination of Citra, Simcoe and NZ Cascade).  Put simply, this is Hop Madness!

Both beers are available for immediate release in both kegs and bottles (630 ml). 

Meanwhile, Hop Madness Month continues at all four of our Taproom pubs.  Keep checking in regularly to see what is on tap so as to make progress with that Hop Madness stamp card.  Be one of the select few to have enjoyed all sixteen of our Hop Madness brews before the month is up.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

The greater Tokyo area has always constituted the primary market for Baird Beer.  In fact, even though our brewery and first Taproom business (Fishmarket Taproom) were started and are based in Numazu, Shizuoka, it would be no exaggeration to state that we survived our first decade because of the fan base in Tokyo. 

It was four years ago this month that we  finally brought our Taproom concept to where the action was — Tokyo.  We opened the Nakameguro Taproom on May 10, 2008.  We will be celebrating the 4-year anniversary of our Nakameguro Taproom beginning this Thursday, May 10.   

Upcoming Taproom Events:

*Nakameguro Taproom 4-Year Anniversary Celebration (Thurs-Sun, May 10-14):

This 4th birthday party promises to be a culinary, as well as beer, treat as new head chef Joon and his kitchen staff are planning a special menu of French brasserie style dishes.   Menu highlights include:  Quiche with homemade smoked bacon and cheddar cheese; “Palourdes Sayuri” with Frites (Saison Sayuri steamed clams with fries); and Morning Coffee Stout Float with Maris Otter Tuile.  (Go to the Nakameguro Taproom blog for a complete menu listing:  http://bairdbeer.com/ja/blog_nakameguro/).  For those of you who have not been by to meet and taste the wonderful food of Chef Joon, this is a golden opportunity.

Of course no Taproom birthday celebration would be complete without a special commemorative batch of Baird Beer.  This year, our brewers are honoring the Nakameguro Taproom with NT-4 Belgian Real Red Ale.  This spicy and fruity Belgian-yeast fermented red ale (ABV 6.6%) is to be served de-gassed as ‘real ale’ dispensed through an English hand-pump — a first for us with a Belgian yeast beer.  NT-4 Belgian Real Red Ale will be tapped at the opening of business on Thursday, May 10.

May 10 also happens to be the birthday of my partner and wife, Sayuri, and she and I will be celebrating at the Nakameguro Taproom with the sneak-preview release of Saison Sayuri 2012.  Please plan to join us for what promises to be a deliciously fun celebration. 

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:

*Saison Sayuri 2012 (ABV 6%):

Saison is an idiosyncratic Belgian-style beer of moderate strength that tends to be spicy and highly refreshing.  Sayuri, of course, is my wife and partner and matron saint of Baird Beer.  Saison Sayuriis my annual birthday tribute to this lovely woman.  The 2012 version is brewed with small spice-like additions of the peels and fresh juice of local aoshima mikan  fruit from the local orchard of our carpenter and friend, Nagakura-san.  The result is a piquantly quenching brew that still manages a great, albeit understated, depth of character.  

Saison Sayuri will be available both in kegs and bottles (630 ml) at Baird Beer retailing pubs, restaurants and liquor stores beginning Friday, May 11. 

*Continental IPA (ABV 6.7%):

This is our first go at an India Pale Ale brewed entirely with continental European malt and hops — malt being German and Slovenian, hops being all German (70 BUs in the kettle and whirlpool; double dry-hopping with a combination of Tradition, Spalter, Tettnanger, and Hersbrucker).  The character is wonderfully herbal and floral. 

Continental IPA is part of our May Hop Madness Month event which is ongoing at all of our Taproom pubs.  It will be available both on draught and in bottles (630 ml) at other Baird Beer retailing pubs, restaurants and liquor stores beginning Friday, May 11.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

May Hop Madness Month is not the only gig we got going on at our Taprooms this month.  May 10 is a day of two significant birthdays for us — my wife and Baird Beer matron saint, Sayuri’s, and the Nakameguro Taproom’s.  Nakameguro Taproom is turning four, Sayuri 4x. 

Please join Sayuri and me for a double birthday celebration at the Nakameguro Taproom on Thursday, May 10.  Beer highlights will include the 2012 debut tapping of Saison Sayuri, my annual beer tribute to her, as well as the unveiling of NT-4 Belgian Real Red Ale, our first go at a Belgian yeast-fermented real ale dispensed via hand-pump.  Even more glorious, though, will be the special Belgian Brasserie-inspired food menu being put together by our extraordinarily gifted new head chef, Joon Ou.  If you haven’t yet had a chance to sample the amazing beer cuisine that Chef Joon has been crafting since his start a month ago, this is your opportunity.

More event details will be forthcoming shortly.  In the meantime, enjoy a very hoppy May!

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

As you know, hops are dear to the hearts of the brewers of Baird Beer.  We simply love hop character in beer.  The hop is so important to us, in fact, that we have decided to designate  May as “Hop Madness Month,”  and to celebrate it through the release of sixteen different varieties of hop-forward beer.   The May Hop Madness Month beer menu reads as follows:

May Hop Madness Month Baird Beer Menu:

1. Bohemian Pale Ale (5.0%): Saaz hops and floor-malted Bohemian barley (handpump) 
2. Spalter Golden Ale (4.7%):  Famous Spalter aroma hops from Germany
3. Summit IPA (6.7%):  These IPAs share the same recipe but a different US hop
4. Chinook IPA (6.7%):  These IPAs share the same recipe but a different US hop
5. Columbus IPA (6.7%):  These IPAs share the same recipe but a different US hop
6. Nelson Sauvin IPA (6.7%):  Same IPA recipe, different New Zealand hop 
7. Daidai IPA (6.5%):  Fruited & dry-peeled IPA
8. Teikoku IPL (6.5%):  Our Year-round IPA fermented with our lager yeast
9. Continental IPA (6.7%):  Double dry-hopped with 4 continental European hops
10. Triple-Dry Bohemian Pils (5.7%):  Triple dry-hopped Bohemian-style Pilsner
11. Suruga Bay Belgian Imperial IPA (7.7%):  Belgian yeast fermented Suruga Bay
12. Belgian Strong Pale Ale (8.0%):  Dry-hopped with 6 European hop varieties
13. 4-C Strong Pale Ale (6.0%):  Hopping with Columbus, Chinook, Citra, Cascade
14. 4-S Belgian Blonde Ale (5.5%):  Hopping with Sterling, Santiam, Saaz, Styrian Gold
15. Hop Havoc Imperial Pale Ale (6.2%):  90 IBU pale ale that is double dry-hopped
16. Red Hop Ale (5.7%):  Hoppy American-style Red Ale (handpump)

We are kicking off May Hop Madness Month with today’s general release of the following two beers:  Daidai IPA and Teikoku IPL.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:

*Daidai IPA (ABV 6.5%):

Daidai is an extremely aromatic and tartly sour local citrus fruit that we marry together with three powerfully fruity varieties of American hops:  Citra, Simcoe and Chinook.  65 bittering units of hops in the kettle provide a magnificent stage for the daidai  fruit performance that happens in the whirlpool (juice and peels) and then again in the conditioning tank (dry-peeling).  The result is magnificent — an IPA like no other.

Daidai IPA is available in both kegs and bottles (630 ml) and will be pouring from taps all over Japan (including our own Taprooms) beginning Tuesday, May 1.

*Teikoku IPL (ABV 6.5%):

Teikoku IPA, of course, is our year-round India Pale Ale whose signature character derives from the deft combination of three varieties of earthy and spicy aroma hops — Kent Goldings from England, Styrian Goldings from Slovenia, and Glacier from the United States.  A robust malt backbone courtesy of floor-malted Maris Otter barley from England makes Teikoku an extraordinarily balanced and thoughtful IPA.

Teikoku IPL is the lager version of Teikoku IPA — we ferment it with our Numazu Lager yeast rather than our house ale yeast.  Drinking the two (IPA and IPL) side by side provides a wonderful edification in the flavor differences derived from a single source — yeast. 

Teikoku IPA also is available in both kegs and bottles (630 ml) and will be pouring from taps all over Japan (including our own Taprooms) beginning Tuesday, May 1.

May Hop Madness Month @ Baird Beer Taprooms:

During the month of May, all sixteen of the hop-forward beers on the May Hop Madness Baird Beer Menu above will be on tap at one time or another at all four of the Baird Beer Taproom pubs.  The Nakameguro and Bashamichi Taprooms will devote five taps at all times to a rotation of the Hop Madness beers; the Harajuku and Fishmarket Taprooms will be pouring 2 to 4 varieties at any one time.  Each Taproom will be blogging regularly about the daily lineup of Hop Madness beers that will be pouring from its taps. 

There will be available at each Taproom stamp cards that we call the May Hop Madness Baird Beer Card.   Any customer who enjoys all sixteen varieties and thus completes the stamp card before the end of May will receive his or her choice of a free Baird Beer T-shirt or Baird Beer logo glass (any variety).  The May Hop Madness Taproom Baird Beer Card can be used at any of our four Taproom locations.  It is not a pre-paid card.  You may receive one at any Taproom beer counter beginning May 1– just ask a staff member.

Cheers to the Hop!

Bryan Baird

Every season is a good season for characterful craft beer; spring, though, being a time of new beginnings, seems a particularly propitious season for the release of exciting and innovative beer styles.  Today I am happy to announce the 2012 release of two terrific spring seasonal brews:  Four Sisters Spring Bock and Pacific Century Citrus IPA.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:

*Four Sisters Spring Bock 2012 (ABV 7.5%):

April in Japan coincides with the new school and business year.  The scene around Tokyo is of thousands of newbusiness suit-cladded shain (company employees) shuffling around apprehensively from one orientation meeting to another.  When they are not attending indoctrination rallies, they are busy carrying out their first corporate assignment:  organizing and reserving space for the company Hanami party.  Hanami parties in Japan, of course, involve consumption of copious amounts of alcoholic beverages.  It is one of our spring seasonal missions at Baird Beer to class up the alcohol beverage scene at Hanami parties.  In addition to our terrific lineup of year-round beer, this year we are releasing three wonderful seasonal brews tailored especially for this rite-of-passage month:  Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale, Pawa-Hara Golden Ale, and Temple Garden Yuzu Ale.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:

*Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale (ABV 8.5%):

The inspiration for this refreshing, effervescent yet potent brew is the renowned Belgian classic, Duvel.  The key attributes of Duvel are light body, high alcohol, and spritzy effervescence.  We aim for the light body and strong alcohol through a high starting gravity (18 Plato) that contains a large amount of Japanese korizato sugar (25 percent).  High attenuation and natural carbonation through secondary fermentation in package provide the sprite, refreshing character.  A touch of spicy-floral hop flavor and aroma (Sterling, Saaz, Styrian Golding) helps to round out the character.

Bureiko jikan (literally, “time for impertinence“) is a classic Japanese cultural construct:  it is a time when, generally fueled by alcohol, the strict bonds of hierarchical relationships melt away and individuals on the lower rungs of those relationships can let their true feelings and frustrations out without threat of later recrimination.  It is a cathartic venting mechanism that effectively perserves the hierarchical system of relationships here.  So, invite your boss or senpai out for a Baird Beer, order up a glass of Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale, and let it fly!

Bureiko Jikan Strong Golden Ale is available for immediate release in both kegs and bottles (630 ml).

*Pawa-Hara Golden Ale (ABV 6.5%):

Recently I have heard of a new and interesting Japanese cultural construct which is essentially the polar opposite of bureiko jikan.  Japanese call it pawa-hara which is short for “power harassment”.  This is a situation in which someone on the top rungs of the hierarchical relationship ladder invites underlings out for a drink and bite with the express intent of bullying and berating them.  Alcohol, it seems, fuels this newly coined social custom too. 

Well, if this is going to take place, we feel there needs to be a good beer suitable to the occasion.  Our answer:  Pawa-Hara Golden Ale.  The recipe is exactly the same as Bureiko Jikan, only the original gravity (14.2 Plato), alcohol (6.5%) and hop bittering units (20) have been lowered somewhat.  The result is a beer of seductive but not overwhelming strength; ideal for buttering someone up for the lambasting to come! 

Due to its experimental social nature, and the fact that it is a small batch yielding only a minimal number of kegs, Pawa-Hara Golden Ale will be available on draught exclusively at our Taproom pubs.  If you are a person in a position of power and need to berate the troops a bit, come on in to a Taproom — we got the elixir you’ll need!

*Temple Garden Yuzu Ale (ABV 5.5%):

This lovely spring ale is brewed with wonderfully piquant and aromatic yuzu fruit that is local and fresh.  To put it simply, this is a sublime fruited ale.  Because it is our policy to use only fresh fruit in season, and mostly local fruit, we can only brew Temple Garden once a year.  Sadly, our supply of yuzu fruit was very limited this year enabling us to brew only two small batches.  This has yielded only a very small quantity of kegs and no bottles.  We apologize to all good Baird Beer retailing accounts that are unable to procure Temple Garden Yuzu Ale this year.   We will do our best to find and procure more yuzu fruit next year and turn it into a far greater volume of this one-of-a-kind ale.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

Stouts are top-fermented ales that are black in color.  While the captivating mystery of Stout is tied to its midnight hue, the opaque darkness of the style also tends to camouflage the diversity of flavor inherent in it.   This is a shame because all black beers most definitely are not the same.  For me personally, exploration of the flavor diversity inherent in the Stout category has been a joyful road of discovery.  Today, I would like to share some of that joy in the form of two special seasonal sweet stouts that we are releasing:  Mama’s Milk Stout and Chocolate Wheat Stout.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:

*Mama’s Milk Stout (5%):

Milk Stout is a stout of moderate gravity and alcohol that is brewed with a portion of milk sugar (lactose).  This lactose is not fermentable by brewer’s yeast and thus remains in the beer after fermentation, contributing to the body and mouthfeel of the beer.  Milk Stout was once thought to be a beer good for nursing mothers.  The flavor is certainly one that makes the imbiber feel wholesomely nourished.

Mama’s Milk Stout is available on both draught and in bottles (630 ml). 

*Chocolate Wheat Stout (5%):

This is another version of a sweet stout (i.e. a low-attenuated stout that is rich and full in body and mouthfeel).  Normally, stouts derive their color and roasty character primarily from roast barely and/or black patent malt.  This stout is brewed with a single specialty malt from Germany:  chocolate wheat.  Chocolate malt is less heavily roasted and charred than roast barely or black patent malt, while wheat tends to be lighter, tangier, and rounder in flavor than barley.  

Chocolate Wheat Stout is available on draught only. 

These unique seasonal stouts begin pouring today from the taps of our Taproom pubs.  They will be available at other fine Baird Beer retailing establishments in Japan beginning Wednesday, March 28.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

March is the month of dynamic transition from winter to spring.  As brewers, we try to embody this change with equal dynamism in the lineup of beers which we release.  Today we are tapping a seasonal beer whose beauty is fully intertwined with the bounty of nature:  Second Strike Apple Ale. 

New Baird Beer Seasonal Release:

*Second Strike Apple Ale (ABV 5.5%):  The concept, and the succulent Nagano prefecture apples,  for this brisk and refreshing fruited ale, brewed for a  third consecutive year, were provided by our friends at the Harajuku-based company Alias.  This year we have lowered the wort strength considerably (from 13.6 to 11.9 plato) and lightened the hopping (25 to 15 IBUs) in order to accentuate more fully the wonderful flavor of the Nagano apples we use.  We mashed long and low to achieve a very high fermentation attenuation (88.2%) and thus a dry, cider-like character.  We fermented this year with our house Scottish ale yeast.  The result is our best Second Strike Apple Ale to date.    

Second Strike Apple Ale is on tap at each of our Taproom pubs and is available for immediate shipment (kegs and bottles) to Japan-based Baird Beer retailers.    

Upcoming Taproom Events:

*Lucky 7  Stout Week @ Nakameguro Taproom (March 17 – March 23):

Each of the past several years we have used the Irish national holiday, St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), as an excuse to celebrate the quintessential Irish ale style — Stout.  Stout, of course, is a wonderful pitch-black ale that enjoys many stylistic manifestations.   We serve up seven different interpretations of Stout during our week-long celebration which we call Lucky 7 Stout Week.  This year we will be holding Lucky 7 Stout Week at our Nakameguro Taproom, kicking off at noon on Saturday, March 17 and running through Friday, March 23. 

The Stout list this year is as follows:

1. Mama’s Milk Stout
2. Chocolate Wheat Stout
3. Smoke & Fire Stout (brewed with smoked base malt and Habanero peppers)
4. Midnight Oil Export Stout
5. Morning Coffee Stout
6. Belgian Chocolate Stout
7. Dark Sky Imperial Stout

Our wonderful year-round Dry Irish Stout, Shimaguni Stout, will round out the Baird Stout lineup.  Additionally, we plan to serve a few specialty guest Stouts from other world craft beer brewers.  We also will make St. Patrick’s Day the occasion to tap our yearly ‘real ale’ tribute to Irish beer culture:  Luck of the Irish Red Ale. 

We will be selling special Lucky 7 Stout drink cards throughout the week and purchasing customers who complete the card during the week will be eligible for a raffle of special Baird Beer prizes.  The NT kitchen will be serving seven Irish specialty dishes all week to match the stouts.   Please follow the Nakameguro Taproom blog for more Lucky 7 Stout Week details as event kickoff approaches.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

The rainy-snowy, dark and dreary bleakness of this year’s winter season continues to drag on.  The timing, thus, could not be more appropriate for the introduction of a golden ray of beery sunshine.  Today I am pleased to announce the release of a vibrant, effervescent seasonal ale:  Baird Winter Wit.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Release:

*Baird Winter Wit (ABV 6.8%):

Witbier is a Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with a high proportion of un-malted wheat from which it derives a whitish color.  Typically it is a light, tart, crisp and refreshing ale of low-alcohol strength.   Baird Winter Wit is a heartier (16.4 plato) and stronger (6.8% abv) cold-season take on this classic Belgian beer style. 

Our grist is a blend of un-malted and malted wheat, floor-malted Pilsner and Maris Otter, with touches of carahell (adding body and color).  The hopping is light and performed with a combination of New Zealand (Motueka), Czech (Saaz) and German (Tradition, Hersbrucker) varieties.  The magic occurs when this ingredient combination is then fermented with our Belgian yeast strain. 

The result is a pleasantly tart and spicy, sprightly carbonated ale with a hazy golden hue upon which sits a billowing head of virgin-white foam.   The warmth comes in the finish, just enough to furbish without interfering with the refreshment.  Glorious!

Baird Winter Wit is now pouring at all four of our Taproom pubs.  It also will be available on draught and in bottles (630 ml) at other fine Baird Beer retailing establishments throughout Japan. 

Cheers!

Bryan Baird

There are many ways in which to show that special someone just how much you care.  The gift of chocolate or flowers is a traditional one.  As brewers and beer enthusiasts, though, we prefer a more personal expression:  the gift of beer.

New Baird Beer Seasonal Release:

*Belgian Chocolate Stout (ABV 8%):

This lovingly crafted stout derives its name and character from two sources:  mashing with generous portions of chocolate malt (both barley and wheat) and fermentation with our Belgian yeast strain.  The flavor does not deceive; it is rich and chocolaty, complex and spicy.  

Belgian Chocolate Stout is now on tap at all of our Taproom pubs, waiting to be enjoyed by you and that special someone.   And if it doesn’t manage to do the trick, I think we also have some real Belgian chocolate on the menu.

In addition to draught, bottle versions also are available for purchase from the brewery.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird