Home brewing in Japan

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I'm constantly tweeking my brew stand and order a lot from McMaster-Carr and Grainger, and I buy from Northern Brewer as well, and none of these companies will ship outside of the USA. At the suggestion of The Electric Brewery (here on HBT), I started using a forwarding service (PackageExpress.com). On eBay, and Amazon Prime, shipping is often free. I use their address in the states, pay a small forwarding fee plus the cost of USPS postage, and the package arrives in Japan. Set your PayPal account up with that as your mailing address, and I think you'd be set.
 
I have two Paypal accounts, one US and one Japanese. I have a card or account tied to each one in the respective country. If I want to use my j-card but the shop in the states only accepts state-side accounts, I just send from one account to the other and pay from that. Vice versa. This can cover many situations and if you use the PayPal money without transferring to a bank, it can be almost instant.

This also helps for an easy way of sending money home.
 
A little break from Beer now. Its Ume season! Who here does anything with Ume? I just started a batch of Umeboshi and Umeshu yesterday with my wife. Good to get her involved in some basic brewing. Soon we will get a metric buttload more ume and I will do some Ume wine. Its nice to take a break from being exact, these ferments are not rocket science and you can really enjoy it. The smell is amazing when you lay the umeboshi out to dry!

For the Umeshu I didn't even measure, just add rock/ice sugar in alternating layers with ume in a clean jar. Wait a few weeks/months. Add shochu or white liquor to taste. It helps to turn the jar a bit each day at first to keep the fruit coated with the heavy sugar solution. The ones on top sometimes dont get enough and have a risk for mold if you dont turn them.

Umeboshi - 8-12% pickling salt by weight, 10% red shiso by weight (optional). Clean and sanitize a jar and wash the ume, soak overnight if you like (it can remove bitterness). Pick out the remnants of the stems. You can wash the ume with shochu or vodka if you are worried about mold. Wash the shiso, remove the stems, and massage it with some salt until the leaves go limp. Layer salt, shiso, and ume in the jar. I fill it to the top since everything settles down a lot later.
-after several weeks those umeboshi will be looking like plump umeboshi! Then you wait for a sunny day and lay them out to dry on a flat clean surface (there are special flat baskets for this that let air flow through them). This is timed to coincide with the end of the rainy season here. Turn them a few times, and return them to the brine/vinegar solution each night. Repeat this for 3 or more days. You can store them afterwards in the solution, or without in a jar. They will get more mellow with age, becoming best after a couple years I am told.

Ume wine will be an English country wine recipe, I haven't decided yet if I wish to add other fruits.

Cheers!
B
 
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.
 
I really had a sorry bunch of ume from my neighbour. He has a picking party but it looks more like a piniata party with them whacking the fruit off the {100 year old?} tree with sticks. We cut off a ton of cracked areas of the fruit, but still a few began to look like they were going bad after 2 days. I removed the bad looking fruits and made sure to turn the jars at least twice a day since. Its better to keep them all coated with sugar solution or salt brine in the case of umeboshi. You can use a clean plastic bag filled with water to weigh down the fruit from the top if you want to keep them submerged.

I might try the white rum surume, that sounds excellent!
 
We usually make umeshu each year since we have two very large plum trees in our yard. Every two years there is a bumper crop to be had. We also get a bunch of biwa to mess around with. I'm even thinking of making a wheat biwa ale this time around.
 
How do you think you will do the biwa ale? I ordered wheat malt and yeast a month ago (just got it) and today spotted a great big biwa tree at an abandoned house. After reading your post I am thinking of going back and getting some fruit and doing something like that too, it sounds good!

PS - If anyone is down about the rainy season, look on the bright side! Forecast for the next few weeks is lower temps due to the rain, get your brew on while you are stuck indoors!
 
I'll probably do it in the same way I usually do fruit beer. When the beer is finished in the primary I'll rack it onto the fruit in my secondary fermenter.

I've heard that the seeds are poisonous and that there is a thin bitter membrane around the seeds that should be discarded too. I'm thinking of peeling the biwa, removing the seed and seed membrane and freezing the flesh over night. Then I'll put them into paint strainer bags, let them thaw slightly and crush the fruit. Put it in the second and rack onto them. I'm thinking of leaving it for a week or so and then giving it a little taste test.

Usually when I make wheat beer I make one big batch and then separate them into two smaller batches when I add the fruit. Right now I've got three different batches; a raspberry, a strawberry and a cherry. I'm a bit disappointed with the strawberry to be honest because it seems to be slightly over carbonated compared to the other two. The raspberry is deadly. If you are looking for cheap berries in large quantities Costco is the way to go.

I've still got ingredients for two more batches beer taking a break for the summer. I'll be doing a wheat beer and an IPA. Fingers crossed it stays cool enough!
 
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 the ass to eat.
 
Thanks surume, I peeled the skins and seeds, and grabbed the membranes as much as possible. Freezing them now to rupture the cells and hold them while I work on a recipe.
Measured the biwa juice in case anyone needs this info: 9 degrees Brix/1.035 SG
It was an excuse to use the refractometer:D
 
Sounds great! I'm going to be brewing 12L of wheat beer this weekend and will hopefully be able to rack it onto the biwa in about ten days. We are certainly getting into the swamp cooler days around here.
 
Also, do any of you Japan based guys have any good ideas on where to get 1-3 gallon glass jugs? I'm thinking of making some mead during the summer because it can ferment at higher temps than beer. I'm looking for something that I can use for conditioning. Cheers!
 
The biggest glass umeshu jars I have seen are 8 liters. I have a few 5 L ones. I bought one and the rest I found at the "large trash pile" one day last summer - I think a few people throw them out after ume ferment so keep your eyes peeled and you might score few like I did!
 
I registered a while back and I suppose that this would be the best place to introduce myself. I'm a JET living in southern Nara prefecture in a small village.

I've been home brewing since around October and have making batches pretty regularly since then. Right now I am doing partial grain and I've been having mostly good luck with that and learning from my mistakes and what have you. I was lucky enough to manage to procure a 6 gallon glass carboy and some soda kegs from a micro brewery in Osaka, although I'm still trying to get a keg set up going (hopefully I can get my dad to ship some stuff over for me). I'm hoping to get an all grain set-up put together by the end of the month and start brewing all grain after I get back from Germany in August.
 
Welcome to "the thread"! Good on you for putting so much into it, are you hoping to stay on in Japan after your JET program? Just a heads up to check fittings if you are having stuff sent over. CO2 Gas cylinders can have different standards from different countries.
 
Hey Brendan, how's the biwa beer going? I've been taking my time with it because I don't have any bottles at the moment (d'oh!). Probably going to rack onto the fruit today. This will be my last brew until the fall. I've got a massive back log of beer I need to get through anyway. Think I've got about 100 full bottles of goodness!
 
Brad, I gave up on my beer plan and decided to try it out as a wine instead. I stupidly decided to add a bunch of ume too, so it is pretty much too sour to drink. However at 14% abv it should be fine to age for a while and mellow. Perhaps I can blend it with another wine down the road, or just use it for coolers in August.

Keep an eye on the fruit, my biwa floated to the top form the must. I forgot to punch it down on a daily basis and came back from a short trip to Hakone to find some mold on the top of the biwa must. At that point the majority of the fermentation was already done so I carefully racked the wine to a clean fermenter (then bleached my gear for 2 days).

100 bottles, sounds like you need some help :)
I dont know my bottle count, most are under the floor keeping cool.
Im out until fall unless I get temp control too. Summer really presses the case for kegging and keezering.
 
Wine, eh? That sounds interesting. I'm debating doing a mead but I think I've left it too late now. Might have to try one at the end of September when the temps go down a bit. Hopefully I'll have everything bottled up by mid-week next week. My wife is looking forward to me putting everything away!
 
I bought these (http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10pc...sistor-NTC-MF52AT-10K-5-3950-1/578460062.html) and am waiting for them to ship. I should be able to get my temp controller working with one of these thermistors as the temp probe. I will probably order a chest freezer soon, they can be had for less than 20000 yen. I don't know if it will be in use as a fermenter before the end of summer but its worth trying for now.
 
I am going to only start shopping once I have the stc 1000 running. So you might be getting yours before me. The probe parts I bought are shipping China Post so it could be 3 weeks before they even arrive. Anyway, I did a search a while back on Rakuten and theres a ton of appliances on there for cheap.
 
OppamaBrendan said:
I am going to only start shopping once I have the stc 1000 running. So you might be getting yours before me. The probe parts I bought are shipping China Post so it could be 3 weeks before they even arrive. Anyway, I did a search a while back on Rakuten and theres a ton of appliances on there for cheap.

Yeah it took about three weeks when I ordered mine. Pretty easy build though. The hardest part was the box.
 
Hey guys, I am wiring my STC 1000 today and all the diagrams I see are mentioning live/neutral wires. I have a 2 part question. First, are the Japanese 2 prong wall outlets wired with hot/live slot on the right and neutral on the left like NA outlets? Secondly, if there is a chance that the unit is plugged into the main in reverse (Japanese electrical plugs have no large/small slot to prevent this), will the unit be damaged?

For reference, my STC unit has the following diagram on it;
1 - Power supply 110VAC 50.60Hz
2 - Power supply 110VAC 50.60Hz

3 - Sensor
4 - Sensor

5 - Heating
6 - Heating

7 - Cooling
8 - Cooling

Thanks!
 
OppamaBrendan said:
Hey guys, I am wiring my STC 1000 today and all the diagrams I see are mentioning live/neutral wires. I have a 2 part question. First, are the Japanese 2 prong wall outlets wired with hot/live slot on the right and neutral on the left like NA outlets? Secondly, if there is a chance that the unit is plugged into the main in reverse (Japanese electrical plugs have no large/small slot to prevent this), will the unit be damaged?

For reference, my STC unit has the following diagram on it;
1 - Power supply 110VAC 50.60Hz
2 - Power supply 110VAC 50.60Hz

3 - Sensor
4 - Sensor

5 - Heating
6 - Heating

7 - Cooling
8 - Cooling

Thanks!

Because there is no larger prong there is no right or wrong. Meaning you could turn the plug either way and it will work. What you are doing is completing a circuit. So as long as you stay consistent with the hot and non-hot you will be fine. It won't damage the system at all. Just think that one side of the plug brings power in and the other lets it out. Keep everything consistent to that and you are good. Follow the colors of your plug going in and stay the same throughout.
 
I assumed that was the case and had later found some info indicating Japanese outlets were identical to US versions aside from the small voltage difference. I went ahead and wired it up and had the sensor working quite well. It was keeping within 0.5 degree C of my Tanita digital thermometer, and the controller switched a fan off and on during my test. I might throw a new thread on HBT to confirm the thermistor works to build new sensors for dirt cheap. For now, if anyone needs the reference, here are the specs of the thermistor to use with a STC-1000 temp controller.

10k OHM NTC Thermistor Resistor NTC-MF52AT 10K +-5% 3950 +-1%
- A friend advised using shielded cable for the sensor wire, however I just used some random wire I had laying around and it worked fine (1 meter only, longer sensor cables probably would benefit from the shielding to reduce signal noise)
- I just soldered the wire to the leads on the thermistor, using a metal clip to hold the lead between the tip of the thermistor and the hot area to help prevent the tip from getting too hot.
- The thermistor was very cheaply purchased from China; about 200 yen for a pack of 10. The same seller is using Aliexpress and Ebay, however there are many sellers for these parts. I chose my seller because they displayed more details and had free shipping internationally (which took 3 weeks to arrive). No customs fees incurred.

Cheers!
B
 
Just came across this forum/thread.

Been homebrewing in Japan for the last few years, mostly basic stuff, but looking to step it up to the next level. Hopefully some of you guys in the thread o in the group can help!

Unfortunately I live all the way down in Hiroshima, so I doubt I'll get a chance to hit up any of the meet-ups.
 
Welcome to the thread! Its been quiet in here this summer probably many of us are having some down time with our brewing due to the heat. You are close enough to Okinawa to perhaps meet up with the brewers there sometime I suppose!

I am still pretty basic myself, I have one recipe I like-that I keep tweaking but have struck out with 3 batches of drinkable but forgettable brews this past year.

How do you get supplies in Hiroshima? Do you use the Japanese online shops or order from somewhere internationally?

Cheers!
B
 
Okinawa is still a bit of a hike!

I mostly order my supplies online (advanced brewing, sake land, and the like).

With a costco having just been built in Hiroshima, I'm thinking about doing an apple cider in the upcoming autumn now I can get cheap apple juice!
 
Beginning to get a little cooler now that we're in September.

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

A few more degrees lower and it's homebrewing season again...

I just powered through and kept brewing with some kits. Doing my first all grain today though.
 
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 Scottish Ale. But since I'm limited to ingredients I could get in Japan, I'm wondering what to use.

-Ginger
-Juniper (I've seen dried ones on supermarket shelves)
-Oats

Spruce and heather, I don't see much of in Japan. There are different varieties of them and I have no idea which ones are native to Scotland either...

Any ideas?
 
surume said:
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 Scottish Ale. But since I'm limited to ingredients I could get in Japan, I'm wondering what to use.

-Ginger
-Juniper (I've seen dried ones on supermarket shelves)
-Oats

Spruce and heather, I don't see much of in Japan. There are different varieties of them and I have no idea which ones are native to Scotland either...

Any ideas?

Most nurseries in Japan have juniper, several kinds usually. You might find spruce too.
 
I second the idea of hitting up a nursery. It can be cheaper too for many things. For example, I could buy dried rosemary at the super for 200 yen, or get a live plant for the same price that has more leaves on it and is fresh.
Coriander you can buy seed for, but seeds are usually overpriced. You might be better off buying a bulk bag of coriander spice from a spice store. I find spices on amazon.jp are pretty reasonable in qtys of 500gm or more.
 
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 did have some spruce, but I wasn't old enough to recognize juniper
 
Best thing to do it identify what plants you want to use, write their latin name down and bring that to the nursery. There is no confusion when using latin names, and if they don't have it they may be able to order it for you. Im thinking of getting some of these into my garden now that you mention it.

Heather is an invasive species in New Zealand, it may be restricted here.

Also applicable if you are growing your own- " the heather must be cleaned carefully before brewing, as the undersides of the leaves may contain a dusting of an ergot-like fungus, which is a hallucinogenic intoxicant"

I remember drinking Froach and it was really good, I hope you have success it will be worth the effort!
 
Tomorrow's brew has a theme. It's gaikoku grains. Corn, Oats, Wheat, Barley, and Rye!

Recipe: Gaikokumugi Pale Ale
Brewer: Brendan
Asst Brewer:
Style: American Pale Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 19.10 l
Post Boil Volume: 15.60 l
Batch Size (fermenter): 14.00 l
Bottling Volume: 12.50 l
Estimated OG: 1.054 SG
Estimated Color: 7.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 37.6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 77.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
14.00 l Oppama Japan Water (Sagami River Sourced Water 1 -
1.00 kg Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 29.0 %
1.00 kg Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 29.0 %
0.80 kg Maris Otter (Crisp) (4.0 SRM) Grain 4 23.2 %
0.20 kg Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 5 5.8 %
0.20 kg Rye Flour (3.0 SRM) Grain 6 5.8 %
0.15 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 7 4.3 %
0.10 kg Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 8 2.9 %
12.00 g Perle [7.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 9 16.2 IBUs
12.00 g Perle [7.50 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 10 12.4 IBUs
20.00 g Bobek [2.90 %] - Boil 15.0 min Hop 11 5.2 IBUs
20.00 g Bobek [2.90 %] - Boil 10.0 min Hop 12 3.8 IBUs
20.00 g Bobek [2.90 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
1.0 pkg Safale American (DCL/Fermentis #US-05) Yeast 14 -
 
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