Japan: Growing craft beer scene in Japan

There are four major beer brands in Japan. All four taste pretty much the same though. Each of the Japanese most popular beers are European-style lagers, which isn't too surprising when you learn that all four breweries were founded in the late 19th century with the help of German brewmasters, Mercurynews.com reports.

In 1908, Japanese lawmakers set the minimum amount a brewery must produce to qualify for a license at 18,000 hectoliters, or slightly more than 15,000 barrels, a move that kept smaller breweries from being a viable part of Japan's brewing industry. In the United States, a microbrewery is defined as one producing less than 15,000 barrels a year. Japan raised that benchmark even higher -- to 20,000 -- in 1959.

Everything changed in 1994, when the Japanese licensing standard was finally lowered to 600 hectoliters or roughly seven barrels, allowing smaller breweries to compete for the first time. Today, there are about 270 breweries in Japan, many making very flavorful and distinctive beers.

One of the first craft breweries in Japan is the Kiuchi Brewery, which makes the Hitachino Nest Beers. It was founded by Mikio Kiuchi, who inherited his family's sake brewery in 1950. When the law changed to allow smaller breweries, Kiuchi started making beer as well as sake. A number of his beers are U.S. exports. The company's White Ale is a great twist on the Belgian style, brewed with flaked oats and orange juice, in addition to the traditional coriander and orange peel. Its Red Rice Ale is also a tasty and unusual beer, which uses red rice to add additional flavor. Other Hitachino beers worth seeking out include a wonderful Espresso Stout and XH, a Belgian style strong ale.

Naturally, the rise in craft breweries has brought a rise in the number of good beer bars throughout Japan, especially in Tokyo. In addition to providing an outlet for many of the new local beers, these bars are also heavily focused on craft beers from the U.S., Belgium and Scandinavia. As a result, many smaller Japanese breweries are making beers that emulate those country's styles, but they're also putting their own unique stamp on their fare by using a far wider range of unusual ingredients. Some beers are brewed with red peppers, pineapple, plums, limes and local herbs and spices.

The number of Japanese microbrews exported to the U.S. is still small. Japan's microbrewing scene got a late start, but they're working hard to catch up.

06 November, 2013