Emmett
Moore
9/17/12
Sake
Brewers try their Hands at Beer.
In Fussa city, Tokyo there is a man
named Taro Ishikawa and he is the president of Ishikawa Shuzo. He is a sake
brewer first but has also become a well-known beer brewer as well. His company
besides producing Tamajiman sake has also been producing Jibi ru(Japanese craft
beer for 14 years now. But their history with beer goes back much farther
starting actually in 1887 when the brewery created a German style pilsner but
that was a short lived venture and production stopped in 1890. By 1998 though
he thought to give another try, mainly due to new tax law changes in the mid
90’s allowed smaller breweries to obtain license, with these laws hundreds of
new breweries opened all over Japan. Soon though many of these new
microbreweries closed but Ishikawa Shuzo is one of over 200 that have remained
open and he also says that 20% of that group also makes sake like him. He
believes there is reason behind this and that reason is that sake brewers
understand the technology and process of fermentation thus making the quality
of their beer better as well. He
makes a European style beer with American malt and European hops but is has a
lighter body to suit the taste style of the Japanese. They also create a richer
version which they let ferment in the bottle for 3-5 years. Ishikawa Shuzo has
two separate brew master that work for him one for the sake and the other for
the beer in order to keep the process separate. At Kumazawa Shuzo in the
Kanagawa prefecture the master brewer and his staff their actually spent two
year in Germany with a German brew master in order to better understand the
process. They said that making beer is much easier because it has fewer process
then making sake, also that the most important thing is cleanliness during the
brewing process. Mokichi Kumazawa went in the beer business in 1996
establishing Shonan Beer after discovering craft beer in the United States.
They have three major brews. One of their beers has also won two medals at the
world beer cup contest, which is quite the feat.
While
reading this article I noticed that the idea of small batch brewing comes into
existence much latter then in America mostly due to tax laws but I also wonder
if beer is as popular in Japan as in Europe or America or if the average
Japanese individual would prefer sake to beer. I also find it interesting how
these sake brewers are making the leap into beer although it makes sense
dealing with the same idea of fermentation but in much different way then when
making sake. It seems like a lot of this popularity came in the early 90’s and
could this be involved with the westernization and the changing of certain laws
and cultural practices in Japan.
Do you think westernization has led
to increase in popularity of beer?
Would you ever identify beer with
Japanese culture, do you see a connection with other cultures?
Do you see this trend of popularity
increasing or decreasing and for what reasons?
It is interesting because I do not normally associate beer with Japanese culture. When I think of beer I often associate it with other cultures such as Australia, Ireland or the U.S. or places that are known for individuals being "big drinkers". Its interesting to see Japanese sake makers just recently making this change as well. (as stated above in the early 90's)
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Alexa's comment. When I think about beer, I immediately associate it was Ireland, Germany, and the US. My association with drinking beer is connected to football, an activity most closely associated with the United States. I feel that Japan could make this transition, but it may not be seen until years from now.
ReplyDeleteEven prior to this course, I was aware that many beers are brewed in Asian regions. However, I do not associate drinking with Japan in my mind. Because drinking is not a foundation for culture in Japan I doubt that emphasis will ever be placed on drinking to the extent of many European and American nations.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the increased popularity of brewing beer was due to it being easier to brew than sake, but I believe the west could have influenced as well. Its interesting because I never connected beer with Japan, I would always think of sake.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol has always existed as an part of culture in the west, specifically beer and ale. Nations such as South Korea, which have been heavily "westernized" have increased their usage of beer. Yet, despite the increase of beer in Japan, if anything else has taught us about Japanese culture, beer will most likely be assimilated as a part of the eclectic mix of diverse things that is Japan.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think Westernization adds to the popularity of beer. Beer is extremely popular here and a lot of breweries carry a lot of tradition. Also in Europe beer is extremely popular especially in places like Germany and Ireland. I believe Japan will continue to brew beer and eventually they will be associated with beer like many other countries around the world.
ReplyDelete