Search results

Haha, I was thinking the exact thing about herbs the other day. For a few sprigs of rosemary/mint/thyme you have to pay 200-300 yen at the supermarket, but potted plants are 200 yen and you can grow them as much as you want :p Didn't know nurseries had juniper... The nursery I went to indeed...

I was discussing the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (computer game) with my friend the other day and got on the topic of English/Scottish ales in the middle ages. The ones with herbs instead of hops. According to the Joy of Homebrewing, heather and juniper are things I could use in a traditional...

Beginning to get a little cooler now that we're in September. A few more degrees lower and it's homebrewing season again...

Does it have to be glass?

The membrane around the seeds are bitter, I'd highly recommend peeling and pitting the Biwa. The peel can be removed by hand, then you can cut them in half and remove the seeds. They taste a little like Kaki (persimmon) but the taste is more subtle. By the way, they are delicious but a pain in...

Pricking little holes into the Ume for Umeshu helps get the goodness out. Cheap brandy/whisky and white/gold rum is also nice in place of the shochu/white liquor, and best of all, Umeshu ages really well.

Craft Beer Market? The one in Toranomon or Jimbocho? I work near Tsurumi so it is pretty far from my workplace :p

I could consider using a smaller boil, or using my electric kettle to boil the water before putting into the pot. Thanks for the advice :) A smaller boil would mean less efficiency probably but I suppose time is money, and having to use more malts is better than waiting the extra few hours on a...

Did a pale ale last night with Asahi ale malts and Cascade pellets. Started with 1.050 and will be fermenting for about 2 weeks before bottling. I live alone now and don't have the luxuries of a roomy kitchen, and it really is a pain in the ass to keep a boil (It takes ages to get 2.5 gallons...

Any of you happen to be near Tsu (Mie)? I'm staying near Tsu Station until the 24th.

Headed down to Bashamichi Taproom last Sunday afternoon with 5 of my colleagues to have a beer. They have Shimaguni Stout (a smoked beer) as a regular but they currently have another smoked beer for the season so if you're into smoked beers then I'd recommend it. I haven't had it yet, I had the...

I was worried about them being polyester, and was searching for nylon laundry mesh bags. I just looked up the melting point and I suppose polyester is fine also :D

I've been wanting to try BIAB but I can't find the right kind of net to use as a bag... any suggestions? I tried Sarashi cloth but it clogged up very fast, preventing water from seeping through.

Recently I did a batch with the Asahi Beer Malt's English Ale Malt. Their grind is really fine, and it leaves a lot of sludge at the bottom of your mash tun. There really is no point in sparging this stuff, so it makes mashing easier in a way, but it also means you go through your malts faster...

Costco has honey for a more affordable price, not local stuff though. There is a store in Kyoto that sells polish mead and they sell online as well, if you're into thicker meads then I'd recommend it.

I will be checking out Antenna America around 6pm today. Say hi if you spot a guy wearing glasses, a black coat, jeans and a burgundy scarf.

Ocha Bags are really fine, and the pellets (once they break up inside the wort) quickly clog up the gaps between the fibres and takes its toll on hop utilization. I tried the bags once but decided during the boil that they are no good and have been throwing the pellets into the wort directly...

I now have 10 litre polyethylene bottles for fermenting in.

Happy new year guys.

Yokohama Brewery offering free tastings of their pale ale at SOGO. The guy from Yokohama Brewery who is giving the tasting is also one of their brewers, there was a Fukada-san and another guy. Never thought I'd be able to talk about brewing while pretending to be working :p