Brewing Certification

So I know there are a lot of threads about brew-schools, but my situation is a bit different.

In order to "legally" brew beer over 1% abv in Japan you need to have a licensed brewery (you can brew 1% then add ethanol to it, which just goes to show that the law is idiotic).

So first you need to build a brewery capable of producing 60,000* liters a year (you don't need to brew that much, you just need the capabilities). And then they will come out, inspect the brewery, and interview you before considering your application.

But apparently they also require that you have some "Formal Training".
Since I live and work in Japan this is going to have to be some kind of online thing. And I know that any non-hands-on course is not going to give me much info that I don't already have in my (fairly respectable) brew library, but that is life.

So I just need something I can show the Japanese government, that is at least respectable enough for them to sign-off on my small brewery.

Any ideas?


*You can get away with only 6,000 liters but then you have to use at least 33% Malt Extract or other adjuncts. Again, the law here is idiotic.

Here: American Brewers Guild, as well as UC Davis and Siebel Institute. I don't think any of them are cheap though.

It seems that for the ABG you still need to do 5~6 weeks of in person training. And I did not see any online stuff at UC Davis. Siebel looks like the best bet as they have a lot of distance courses.

I will continue to look into it, but I'm not sure I need something that top-level. I would love to do it, but keeping costs down is important, and all I need is the minimum to get past the licensing process. I am learning how to make beer by making beer (and reading about it constantly), and I am not yet looking to make this my full-time job.

I would just like to be able to do it without having to constantly be looking over my shoulder and worrying if the police are going to try to ruin my life because I made a few beers for my friends.

Talk to a local brewery. Explain your situation and see if they will let you work for them as an intern for a little bit.

Halbrust said:

Talk to a local brewery. Explain your situation and see if they will let you work for them as an intern for a little bit.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I have been thinking that might be the best option. It would have to be one of the few breweries run by westerners though. The language is not a problem (I am a translator), but internships are not normal here, and anything non-standard is usually met with 'no' in Japan.

Why not just brew on the "sly" like so many in America distill for home consumption?

Or just brew 1% batches but "miscalculate" your grain bills.....

If you're not trying to sell your beer to the general public the Japanese authorities aren't going to give a flying fcuk, or know diddly squat, about you and your brewing/drinking practices. Not only that but ask any Japanese native that has any clue about matters like this, and yes,,,, they will be few and far between/rather hard to locate, and they'll tell you that it is a big gray area in the law. The law states that up to 1% is legal but loads of people make umeshu, dobroku and various other fermented beverages that exceed the 1% abv limit and the authorities realize that they really don't have the manpower, policing or inclination to enforce these laws and go routing out these people to stand trial for their transgressions.

Relax, don't worry, brew and drink your own homebrew

Unless, of course, you actually want to go all out and start your own brewery. Best of luck if you do, but I think you'll find there are quite a number of significant hurdles to overcome other than the two you outlined above.

Do you get your supplies from Sakeland?? They're up in Nishio in Aichi. Good guy, sends out orders really promptly and doesn't require payment until you've received and checked that the shipment is as it should be.

I don't know anything about brewing in Japan, but from the way you described it, it sounds like you need an actual brewery. That means dedicated space, etc. That alone means rent, paperwork, etc.. basically being a real brewery.

But, from what you've described, being an extract brewery would require 1/10 of the capacity. And I have an idea about that. Sooo... 6000L/yr is roughly 1500 gallons/yr, is roughly 30 gallons per week, which is five 6-gallon carboys for primary, and 5 for secondary. Ten carboys? That's nothing! I have 60% of 10 carboys and I'm not even trying to claim to be professional! Four 15 gallon conicals might also meet that requirement, assuming you convinced them that you could turn the beer around in two weeks.

Now... about that extract requirement. Does it specify where you have to acquire your extract? Can you make it yourself? Does it have to be syrup or DME? Or can it be wort in a container? "Oh yeah, sure.. I use 33% extract. I extract it from grains, boil it a bit... and then pour it into my brew kettle." (which is pretty much how I make beer without extract when I'm rushed for time... I extract the wort, boil it momentarily, then let it sit until the next day when I do the actual boil... Would that be enough to make me an extract brewer under Japanese law?). Or, of course, it's probably better to have an arms length transaction, so... "This guy I know comes in and extracts the wort. I pay him for it and then use 100% of his extract in all my beers". What kind of requirements would it take to be an extract producer? Could you be an extract producer? Could you produce unconcentrated, normal-strength wort and call that "extract"? And then brew with it the next day?

Wort IS extract. Or, were you just describing the rule in sort of a short-handed way?

As for the formal training (I guess that's really what you were asking about).... what about a 1 or 2 week vacation stateside? Do a speedy internship with any local brewery, have them write a letter than you cleaned out mash tuns, served beer, learned this and that, etc. Two weeks of grunt work wouldn't be so bad. Would that be sufficient? Or does the education need to be formal with certificates and diplomas and such? Since you said "formal training", what about a couple of seminars? White Labs, for one, does seminars that are open to the public for a small fee (US$150 or so). Is that formal enough? Conferences? Lots of Homebrew conferences could verify your attendance. Still, I suspect that's not enough. It sounds like they really want some formal type of education. I believe the Siebel Institute offers individual classes. Would one class, or two, be sufficient? Or do you need more?