Japan: Japan’s craft brewers reinterpreting American and European beer styles

Beer is Japan’s most popular alcoholic beverage, and three brands dominate the market: Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo, all German-inspired lagers introduced in the late 19th century. But smaller producers are generating an interest in ji-biru, or Japanese craft beer, The Washington Post reported on December, 26.

Japanese brewers are reinterpreting American and European beer styles, adding their own balance and refinement, and sometimes local ingredients, including rice and sweet potatoes.

A few artisanal breweries paved the way for a more vibrant scene, including the Kiuchi Brewery, whose Hitachino Nest beers have become the best-known ji-biru in the United States. Riffs on American pale ales and Belgian styles have become common.

Especially widespread are straightforward versions of foreign styles with nuances considered distinctly Japanese.

“Even though they have IPAs and a huge variety of styles, these beers don’t often have the aggressive flavor profiles that you find in a lot of American craft beers,” said Izakaya Seki’s Cizuka Seki, who offers about a dozen varieties.

The beers tend to be expensive. For the curious, a good one to try is Hitachino Nest White Ale, a Belgian-style wheat beer with notes of orange, nutmeg and Riesling-like fruitiness. Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale contains 25 percent rice and is fermented with both sake and ale yeasts, resulting in a hard-to-categorize amber beer that smells like strawberries and tastes like caramel, apples and prunes.

27 December, 2012