Continuing on with our little introduction series on the fine, fine beers available to YOU, the Beijing reprobate drinking hordes, this weekend at the International Invitation Beer Festival, here's a short introduction on Baird Beer, the representative brew from Japan. As with everything else to do with food and drink in Japan, Baird Beer comes from a place of solemn tradition and ritual, thereby imbuing this perspective with the small craft brewer's ethos towards experimentation and unorthodoxy. Translation: It looks like some super intense Japanese stuff that probably tastes rad. SmartBeijing talked to Baird Beer founder Bryan Baird for a little insight into their brewing philosophy, what they're bringing with them to Beijing, and larger Japanese beer drinking culture in general. ***

Yes, we started in 2000 as a two-person operation -- myself brewing the beer and my wife cooking the food.  We ran the pub, the Numazu Fishmarket Taproom, together.  We actually met while I was a graduate student in Japanese studies in the United States.  A shared love of good beer and my keen interest in Japanese culture were the impetuses to our getting involved in Japanese craft beer.  We have grown a great deal in our 14 years of business but we still brew the same type of Baird Beer -- minimally processed beer that bursts with character and flavor.

Industrial beer culture in Japan is typified by the phrase ‘toriaizu biiru’, which translates roughly into ‘Let’s start with a beer (and then move on to other beverages)’.  We emphasize a different kind of beer culture represented by the phrase ‘jikkuri to ajiwau biiru’, which means ‘beer that is meant to be sipped and savored.’  Aesthetically, Japanese culture prizes nuanced balance above all else.  In that sense, Baird Beer is very much Japanese.  Balance, Character, Complexity -- these words represent our brewing mantra.  Our reverence for beer tradition is shown the large variety of classical beer styles that we brew.  Irreverence comes into play when we brew in ways or with ingredients or interpretations that do not conform to narrow brewing tradition.  Both reverence and irreverence are important elements of craft brewing. Pictured at Mt. Fuji

We are sending an eclectic mix of both year-round and seasonal Baird Beer.  These include two our our best selling hop-forward beers (Rising Sun Pale Ale and Suruga Bay Imperial IPA) as well as a one of our annually brewed fruited ales (Asian Beauty Biwa Ale).  We will be pouring a classically brewing Strong Scotch Ale also, called Yabai-Yabai Strong Scotch Ale.  All of these beers are unfiltered and secondarily fermented-naturally carbonated in package, which is a signature processing technique of ours. 

This will be our first beer visit to mainland China.  We already export to several Asian countries including Hong Kong and Taiwan.  We are very excited about the market potential for craft beer in Asia in the  coming several years.  We intend to be a proactive brewery participant.

Japanese food and dining culture focuses on sharing a series of small dishes slowly over the evening with your colleagues and enjoying alcoholic beverages in a way that enhances the overall food experience.  Casual Japanese izakaya pubs and robata grills and yakitori dens are simply fabulous places in which to enjoy good beer and food and camaraderie.  Our Harajuku Taproom in Tokyo is just such a venue.  I highly recommend it to beer enthusiasts and passionate foodies alike. *** Look for Baird Beer this weekend at the Beijing International Invitational Beer Festival. Click on that link to get your tickets. For more on Baird Beer, check out their main page here and their Facebook right here.