Home brewing in Japan

[Blue-Frog]

That all sounds wonderful!

Having fixed dates (with a dose of flexibility) would probably be empowering for a lot of people.

I used shi****o and enjoyed 4 mild curries.

Didn't know that about chili powder being from Texas; should've though.
But your logic is the same as mine, I figured they would be using powdered chilli, but I wanted a mild curry so it was ok to go the mild route in either case, so I used CP in the Texan sense. Worked out well.

Pet bottle... so do you have one of those PET-bottle carbonator attachment doo-hickeys?

Were you on duty that day or were you free the whole time?

BF

 

[Fastforwardx2]

Hey all,

I have been away for awhile for work but now that I am back the wife and I are going to head up north to climb Mt. Fuji. We will be staying in Tokyo and will have at least one whole day to kill there. I have never been to Tokyo ( has only taken me 3 years to finally to go ) so I was wondering if anyone has any idea of where to go that is beer related? Such as an awesome pub, brewery, or just a bar with some really good beer. Thanks in advance for any help you give in advance.

-J.J.-

 

[mpearce]

Hey all,

I have been away for awhile for work but now that I am back the wife and I are going to head up north to climb Mt. Fuji. We will be staying in Tokyo and will have at least one whole day to kill there. I have never been to Tokyo ( has only taken me 3 years to finally to go ) so I was wondering if anyone has any idea of where to go that is beer related? Such as an awesome pub, brewery, or just a bar with some really good beer. Thanks in advance for any help you give in advance.

-J.J.-

There are several places to hit if you have time. Devil Craft, Popeye's, GoodBeer Faucets, Watering Hole, and Craft Beer Market.

 

[Blue-Frog]

There are several places to hit if you have time. Devil Craft, Popeye's, GoodBeer Faucets, Watering Hole, and Craft Beer Market.

Any of those places take credit cards, or are they cash only?

 

[OppamaBrendan]

Beats me on the CC but my go to place is DC Hamamatsucho, and recently Goodbeer Faucets.

 

[Fencdar]

I know that Devilcraft and Popeye accept CC.

BF, when will you be in town? Maybe we could meet up. It's always a pleasure to meet other homebrewers!

 

[Blue-Frog]

​

I know that Devilcraft and Popeye accept CC.

BF, when will you be in town? Maybe we could meet up. It's always a pleasure to meet other homebrewers!

No current plans, but the last week of July is one possibility I am looking at...

Whenever it is, I will let you know.
(Warning: It might be after the summerheat!)

 

[Blue-Frog]

 

[vanillablue]

UPDATED 7/15:
THIS EVENT WAS JUST CANCELLED. ALL I KNOW IS THAT I WAS TOLD TO REMOVE ALL ADS.

SORRY



Hello everyone! My husband is a home brewer and he turned me on to this website. I hope it's okay to post this?

Our base is having an Oktoberfest and part of the celebration is a Home Brewers Contest.

I'm sure we have a lot of active duty, vets and base employees on this forum. Anyone who can get on base is welcome to enter the contest and come to the event. You're also welcome to bring your Japanese and non-ID holding friends to the event.

http://mwryokosuka.wordpress.com/recreation/entertainment-special-events/

Have a great day

Jessica :rockin:

 

[mpearce]

Wow, that is cool. Hope it is well attended. No military so I can't attend. Is it open to sending beers into?

 

[Fastforwardx2]

WOW that sounds awesome! I will be gone on an Operation but I would have been totally down for that. I hope there is another one one next year and that I can go to that one. I am stationed in Iwakuni but I haven't found anyone else here that brews so it would be cool to be able to go up there and meet some brewers. I hope the attendants is great. Good luck with the event and it is defiantly ok to post that on here and let us know if there is any other Home brewing events!

 

[Guzzibrew]

Hey everyone,

I was thinking about putting an order in for FastFerment Conicals you can check them out at FastFerment.com

Does anyone have any experience with this product?

They look pretty cool, and appear pretty suitable for Japan as they hang off the wall. I also like the bulb for collecting yeast- the stuff is expensive here!

The best thing? They are doing a preproduction sale for $90 each (200 regular). I would be interested in two, and they are even cheaper if you buy 4 ($80 each).

I have emailed the company and they appear to be amenable to shipping them airfreight which should be cheaper than UPS. I'm still waiting on a quote but is anyone interested in buying a couple?

I've also been hanging out on Alibaba lusting after stainless conicals, so if there was more demand for that maybe we could do a group buy through china. I have some Chinese friends that could help with the sale. I think we'd need to order at least 10 to make it happen though.

I'd be happy to clear either order through customs and then send them out from Fukuoka if anyone is interested.

Guzzibrewer

 

[mpearce]

Hey everyone,

I was thinking about putting an order in for FastFerment Conicals you can check them out at FastFerment.com

Does anyone have any experience with this product?

They look pretty cool, and appear pretty suitable for Japan as they hang off the wall. I also like the bulb for collecting yeast- the stuff is expensive here!

The best thing? They are doing a preproduction sale for $90 each (200 regular). I would be interested in two, and they are even cheaper if you buy 4 ($80 each).

Guzzibrewer

Well a couple of bad points for me. 1) temp control. How do you do it if its hanging on the wall? 2) while they are going to have a stand for it so you don't have to hang it on a wall they don't have one NOW and won't have it for several months. 3) how big is it? Will it fit in my fermentation chamber? Don't know and it doesn't say. I can't get something that won't fit my chamber. 4) okay did find out how bit it is: Air Lock to Bottom Collection Ball Height: 39" - Width: 16.5". That is 99 cm x 41cm. That definitely won't fit in my fermentation chamber...meaning my chest freezer or the new one I am going to get.

So while it looks good I think they need more time to develop it. With the limited space and all that we have to deal with here, I just don't see it working really, at least not at this time.

 

[Guzzibrew]

Agreed,

Temperature control is something to worry about, but since I don't have a fermentation chamber yet I can rig something up.

I was thinking you could build a fermentation chamber with a wall to hang it on. All I know is that floor space is at a premium in my closet where all my beer stuff is. It's the right temperature for ale in there most of the year (summer is the exception) so I could just use the closet most of the time (I don't brew lager).

I'm sure a stand would not be too difficult to make- I think a wooden box of the right size would work, but if it doesn't fit the fermentation chamber you've got then it's definitely not for you.

I think the best thing about this fermenter is the wall mount, and the collection bulb for collecting yeast. I do have one question though, what happens to the air in the replaced bulb when you open the valve to collect the trub prior to secondary fermentation? It would bubble up through the beer right? That's a problem right?
I suppose you could just dump the trub slowly through the valve into a collection bucket and not worry about the bulb at that point? When you are dumping trub through a bottom valve you are introducing a lot of potentially 'dirty' air into the fermenter to make up for the lost volume right?. Does this air stay isolated from the beer because it comes in from the top and the CO2 is heavier and thus blankets the beer?


MPearce, how is your new fermenter working out?

If the FastFermenter is out I'll have to keep lusting after stainless stuff. Sigh.

 

[mpearce]

MPearce, how is your new fermenter working out?

If the FastFermenter is out I'll have to keep lusting after stainless stuff. Sigh.

It is AWESOME! I want another one already. I love this thing. It is pricey but so worth it. I haven't used my carboy since.

 

[freshbret]

Hi!

Im currently gathering equipment, tools and ingredients to start my very first home brew. good thing i bumped into this forum and got some inputs where to buy stuff and all.

Hopefully will able to start by 2nd week of august once materials are complete but its summer and temperature control is really a big problem.

Hope I can meet other home brewers to give this noobie pieces of advice.

 

[mpearce]

Welcome. Hope you enjoy your brewing journey. Yes temp control is paramount...but there are ways to do it without a big set up. Check out the forum for ideas. I used to keep my beer in the bathtub with ice during the summer.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Blue-Frog]

​

No current plans, but the last week of July is one possibility I am looking at...

Whenever it is, I will let you know.
(Warning: It might be after the summerheat!)

Well it is official; I won't be going to Tokyo the last week of July
I will try to get out when the humidity is down to comfortable levels.

In the mean time...
Any one use a Johnson 419 digital temp controller here?
I am wondering about power source problems
120v vs 100v and the cycle thing...

 

[OppamaBrendan]

The weather is cooling off and I have brewing on my mind again! Early summer was too busy with the new job to even consider spending my free time brewing. Who wants to boil wort in a 40C kitchen anyway when you just want to cool down?

My equipment has changed up since my last brew, so I am going through the items and cleaning and prepping it for return to service.

Things I changed:
Mpearce hooked me up with a Igloo-type round mash tun (Thanks!) - this replaced my rectangular cooler mash tun, with a loss of volume but the benefit of a better drainage system and probably less loss to deadspace.

I cut my copper immersion chiller coil in half and made two smaller length coils out of it. Each coil receives fresh, cool water so the overall flow-rate is doubled. My coil was thin (refrigerator cooling coil sized) and the slow speed of chilling was a time-consuming part of my brew day. Chilling should be done quickly to reduce contamination risk and to reduce any DMS buildup that might occur when the wort drops below (80?).

Added a bulkhead thermometer to the brewkettle so I don't need to scald my hand with steam-heat.

Coming up soon: I will be picking up a one-way pub-keg from work. The empty bottle will be used for a fermenter, with an airlock. It is brown PET with a gas-barrier coating. I will not be pressurizing or using this for kegging, and the rubber stopper that currently holds my airlock fits perfectly. I may use these for long term storage during the winter... Anyway it is a 20L fermenter that costs me nothing and may be better than my current rectangular fermenters, less corners to clean...

I picked up a CO2 tank at the neighbourhood Sake-ya so I will have gas for purging O2 from conditioning tanks. This should help with quality.

I have cleaned up my 4 corny kegs, and now with the gas, I will be able to keg and serve on my single faucet at home. Looking forward to that! Currently my kegs are being used for making original sodas and serving them on tap at work, so they are def in working condition and ready to go.

Picked up a couple stainless ball lock bottle tops so I can force carb some beers in soda bottles. Perfect for "to go" containers without worrying about spending so much time bottling.

I will be getting rid of most of my 330ml bottles if anyone wants them and can pick up in Oppama let me know! Most have had the labels removed so that is a benefit. You can have a free hand-capper with the bottles if you can pick them up!

Happy brewing!!!

 

[Blue-Frog]

Anyone know the translations for:

"Alkalinity as CaCO3"
"total alkalitity"
"bicarbonate ion concentration"

and / or have any experience interpreting the local water reports for brewing uses?

BF

---
((Which sodas have you got lined up?!))
---

 

[OppamaBrendan]

Hi everyone, here's an excuse/motivator to get your brew on!
We are going to be doing a fun people's choice type of brew contest at Nawlins in November. Its a good chance to meet up and get some feedback on your brewing from other homebrewers. There will be prizes!
Please keep the event semi-secret as it is intended for homebrewers not everyone and their cat. Please refrain from posting publicly about the event. Sign up and Details in the google docs links here:
English: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10MefR6yxrxntaWhGUwVlRVYlNFG5ypTM158UAl29JbY/edit#gid=0
Japanese: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MCq_sjAcLzvbsWKu869MFtm6pWaUGPan6AFloR2VJXM/edit#gid=0

 

[NavyChief2012]

New to Yokosuka Japan. I do not bottle...no interest or patience in bottling. I keg my beer. Where in the hell do I get my CO2 Tank for my Kegerator filled? My tank is a U.S. Tank. will I have to buy a Japan CO2 Tank instead..if so...where do I buy one...will I have to buy new regulator? if so where? I have 9 Kits sitting here in my brewing room and can brew until I know that ill be able to Keg. Any advice? are there any homebrewing stores here in Yokosuka or surrounding areas?

 

[tektonjp]

New to Yokosuka Japan. I do not bottle...no interest or patience in bottling. I keg my beer. Where in the hell do I get my CO2 Tank for my Kegerator filled? My tank is a U.S. Tank. will I have to buy a Japan CO2 Tank instead..if so...where do I buy one...will I have to buy new regulator? if so where? I have 9 Kits sitting here in my brewing room and can brew until I know that ill be able to Keg. Any advice? are there any homebrewing stores here in Yokosuka or surrounding areas?

It's rather difficult to get your own tank refilled here. What every one usually does is to pick up a Japanese tank at a liquor store (usually 2500 for the gas and about 5000 as a deposit on the tank). Most guys use the Japanese regulator, but the guys down in Okinawa have figured out a workaround adaptor to use the US regulators. Check out facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/229146713798200/ and post this question there and see if anyone can help you with the adaptor.

 

[OppamaBrendan]

You are asking about homebrew stores in Japan. You need to catch up on some things here. Homebrewing over 1% is illegal as far as the tax office is concerned, so homebrew stores just don't physically exist in Yokosuka or the surrounding country.

Tek mentioned the same thing I suggest; just get a Japanese tank and regulator for ease of use, or go through the adapter adjusting. You will probably have to use JP CO2 tanks, but the benefit of that is that when they are empty you just swap them out for a full one, no time wasted refilling your own. On top of that, you can ask and get a "Guinness" blend from them if you want to serve on a nitro blend at home.

 

[Funkychef]

Hello. Ive been hiding in the background for some time now. I was wondering if anyone has tried Kirin stout? I want to make a stout quite similar to this. It might be a coffee stout but not to sure? Any help will be appreciated


Drink more coffee and do stupid things faster

 

[OppamaBrendan]

Hello!
I don't think it was a coffee stout but its been a while since I tasted it.
I wouldn't even call it a stout but that's what they write on the can/bottle.
It is a schwarzbier but stout is easier to fit on a can and something most beer drinkers in Japan will be able to get. I had a schwarz on tap and my customers didn't exactly jump at it, but when you call the same thing a "black lager" it moves quick.... Find a schwarz recipe with a good rating and it will probably turn out better than the Kirin.

Schwarzbier is actually a fairly popular style in Japan if you look at the number of craft breweries that produce one. Harvest Moon and Shonan Beer (Iksperia and Kumuzawa), are a couple of breweries in the Kanto area that make decent versions. Sorry I don't have much experience brewing lagers and can't help with the actual recipe but there should be some pre-tested in the forum.

 

[Funkychef]

Thanks! I will have a look around, just Ive been drinking it for the past 5 years and finally decided I want to make something similar


Drink more coffee and do stupid things faster

 

[sabotenfighter]

Well, crap. I made a big introduction post, but I wasnt logged in on this tab, so I lost it.

I finally decided to join you guys after lurking for over a year and more or less just popping in from time to time to catch up. I'll be brewing my first batch in several years this Sunday. Last time I did any homebrewing I was still in college up in Kawasaki. Planning on doing a partial mash IPA with Chinook (2.5 oz) and Centennial (1.5 oz) in the boil and 1oz Cascade for dry hops. Looking forward to it.

Just a couple tips if anyone is interested.
Recently I found 30L steel pots with lids on Amazon.co.jp and rakuten for about 3500en. If anyone is looking for a larger main kettle or a backup, its a pretty damn good deal. The walls of the pots are thick enough, but the bottom is a little thin. Not restaurant grade stuff, but so long as you aren't letting anything settle, scorching shouldnt be a big deal.

Also, have you guys been checking Alibaba lately? Seems that a lot of homebrew stuff has been showing up on there, including new corny kegs (though after shipping they are not particularly cheap). I picked up a few things for pretty cheap off there (refractometer 25$ shipped, autosyphon 13$ shipped) and it seems to be a pretty good source for weldless bulkheads and ball valves if anyone wants to make a nice brew kettle and/or needs mash tun valves.

I'd like to get a keg setup going by sometime this winter, does anyone have any leads on cheap used cornys?

Anyway, look forward to talking beer with you guys, and if anyone is in the Nagoya/Chubu area, we should grab a beer at Y. Market or something some time. Otherwise, if anyone wants to grab a beer at one of the 10,000 beer bars that are now in Tokyo, Ill be up that way for Design Festa in November.

 

[tektonjp]

Well, crap. I made a big introduction post, but I wasnt logged in on this tab, so I lost it.

I finally decided to join you guys after lurking for over a year and more or less just popping in from time to time to catch up. I'll be brewing my first batch in several years this Sunday. Last time I did any homebrewing I was still in college up in Kawasaki. Planning on doing a partial mash IPA with Chinook (2.5 oz) and Centennial (1.5 oz) in the boil and 1oz Cascade for dry hops. Looking forward to it.

Just a couple tips if anyone is interested.
Recently I found 30L steel pots with lids on Amazon.co.jp and rakuten for about 3500en. If anyone is looking for a larger main kettle or a backup, its a pretty damn good deal. The walls of the pots are thick enough, but the bottom is a little thin. Not restaurant grade stuff, but so long as you aren't letting anything settle, scorching shouldnt be a big deal.

Also, have you guys been checking Alibaba lately? Seems that a lot of homebrew stuff has been showing up on there, including new corny kegs (though after shipping they are not particularly cheap). I picked up a few things for pretty cheap off there (refractometer 25$ shipped, autosyphon 13$ shipped) and it seems to be a pretty good source for weldless bulkheads and ball valves if anyone wants to make a nice brew kettle and/or needs mash tun valves.

I'd like to get a keg setup going by sometime this winter, does anyone have any leads on cheap used cornys?

Anyway, look forward to talking beer with you guys, and if anyone is in the Nagoya/Chubu area, we should grab a beer at Y. Market or something some time. Otherwise, if anyone wants to grab a beer at one of the 10,000 beer bars that are now in Tokyo, Ill be up that way for Design Festa in November.

Please share some of your links on Alibaba. I personally find it a nightmare for searching. "Homebrewing" yields pages of 15 barrel brewhouse equipment. BTW, welcome! I'm next door in Shiga-ken.

 

[sabotenfighter]

Please share some of your links on Alibaba. I personally find it a nightmare for searching. "Homebrewing" yields pages of 15 barrel brewhouse equipment. BTW, welcome! I'm next door in Shiga-ken.

Sure,
Plate chillers, valves, etc:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1017341

19$ Refractometer
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Beer...avity-popular-instrument-with/1898239175.html

Cheap auto siphons, airlocks, odds and ends:
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/Homebrewing/530431_255189132.html