Kodai-Mai Ale is ready to go!

Kodai-Mai Ale (Ancient Rice Ale) has arrived!

With the change of seasons upon us, we have created a special brew that reflects the feel and flavors of autumn—Kodai-Mai Ale, created with specially chosen hops and an ancient variety of black rice.

The Kodai-mai was was locally harvested in Ise City and the hops were hand selected to blend with and extract the flavors from this distinctive strain of hearty black rice.

When we set out to brew our Kodai-Mail Ale, our focus was not completely on taste but on the color too. And I am happy to report we succeeded on both fronts! The beautiful brown and reddish color is as beautiful as the ale is tasty!

At first sip, the gentle mellow flavor of the rice carries through to subtly flavor this ale until the bitterness of the hops kick in. The finish is refreshing and smooth thanks to the black rice aftertaste.

With the bounty of fall vegetables available now, Kodai-Mai Ale is the perfect fall companion to the many autumn dishes. Try it with your favorite seasonal food and I dare you to tell me I’m wrong!

Kodai-Mai Ale as well as other favorites are available at our Biyagura store and our on-line shop (sorry, our shop is Japanese only).

Have a great autumn and as always, I hope you enjoy the new beer.

Cheers,

Narihiro

World Beer Award Winner!

Great news has arrived!

Out of a field of over five hundred entries in twenty-seven countries, the following Ise Kadoya beers were chosen number one at the World Beer Awards for 2010.

Ise Kadoya Brown Ale - World’s Best Dark Ale - Brown
Ise Kadoya Stout - Asia’s Best Stout & Porter - Stout - Dry
Ise Kadoya Imperial India Pale Ale - Asia’s Best Pale Ale - Imperial IPA

We were so happy and humbled by this great news that we have been even more energized to continue our efforts to brew better beers. And there are not enough words to express my gratitude to all my staff and all our beer fans in Japan and around the world to make this happen. Without all of the help and support, our success couldn’t be possible.

So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for your continued support.

Narihiro

Imperial Smoked Porter is now available!

There’s no two ways about it—our brew master, Nakanishi is driven. He is driven by his relentless enthusiasm to challenge and push himself to create new and original tastes (some of which no one could ever come up with!) and his desire to keep looking for ways to improve our current recipes. Our new Imperial Smoked Porter is evidence of this.

This time around, we added a different kind of hop—Brewers Gold Hops—to create a milder taste and enhanced smoked malt flavor than last year’s version.

Even though it has a 7% ABV, it has a lighter taste that most would imagine. This smoked porter has a rich and complicated and surprisingly smooth flavor. It is considerably darker than our pale ale but not as heavy as our stout.

We think it goes great with smoked foods, such as cheese or salmon. But we also think it goes well with just about anything. Our smoked porter is available through our online shop (sorry, Japanese only) and at our Biyagura shop in Ise City.

We hope this seasonal treat will cool you down during the dog days of summer!

Summer Oyster Season!

One of our restaurants, Nikenchaya Naiku-Mae Ten, located near Naiku in Ise City (map) is gearing up for the hot weather with our summer oyster menu. Right now, Uramura oysters are in season and are better than ever! Whether fried, steamed or grilled, our oysters are some of the best you can find!

Uramura oysters come from neighboring Uramura-Cho in Toba City along the Oonura Bay, where fresh water and sea water produce ideal conditions for growing some of Japan’s tastiest and sought after oysters. Pictured below is our signature dish, grilled, simmered, and fried oyster lunch set.

If your appetite is small our “Kaki Shigureni Chazuke”, simmered Uramura oysters and fresh ginger smothered in a thick, sweet soy sauce served on a bowl of rice, would be your choice. This is a light meal, but it gives you a nice boost of energy in the summer heat. If oysters are not your fist choice, Nikenchaya Naiku-Mae Ten has a wide range of other goodies to satisfy your hunger!

We are located along the Isuzu River on Oharai-machi street near Ise Jingu (Naiku). When visiting Jingu, take a break from the heat and the flurry of activity and have lunch and a cool drink in our traditional wooden style building overlooking the river for a true Japanese experience.

We are open everyday from 11:00~20:00. Thursdays, we are open from 11:00 to 15:00.

Of course, English menus are available!

There’s nothing common about this “Common Beer”

Hello again beer lovers! We have begun selling our newest beer, a kind of California “Common Beer” that has its roots in the middle part of the 1800s in the time of the California gold rush.

This type of beer is especially different because we use lager yeast, yet create the fermentation process at the same temperatures as we would with a fermenting ale yeast. The result is a beer that has both a fruity taste from the ale yeast and a crisp and refreshing taste from the lager yeast. And the early results are this one is a winner!

We feel our “Common Beer” will satisfy any and all palats, from beginners to craft beer connoisseurs.

Bottles of “Common Beer” are available at our Biyagura shop or through our on-line store for our customers in Japan (sorry, Japanese only).

As always, don’t wait if you would like to try this one since we are expecting another quick sellout!

Cheers,

Narihiro

Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America

Hello all,

I am on my way to the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers in Chicago to attend the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America. I am really looking forward to seeing some old faces and meeting some new friends and colleagues. The conference will be held from April 7 to April 10. Check the link above for more information. I hope to see some of you there.

I will write more in the coming days.

Cheers,

Narihiro

Ise Kadoya Beers available in Chiba!

I’m really excited to announce that as of this week, April 1, Ise Kadoya Beers will be sold at Grocery Court Cerfeuil Karuizawa within IKSPIARI shopping center near Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu. To mark the special day, we are going to sell our President’s Special No. 2 and No. 3. Now, if some of you are thinking, “hey, I thought you sold all the President’s Special No. 2!” Well, you are partially right. We did sell a lot of the President’s Special No. 2 but NOT ALL. Since this is such a special occasion, I am releasing the rest of my private stock I was keeping for myself. They should be fantastic, since I have kept them cool in order to help the maturing process, so I think these might taste better than when we originally sold it a few months ago.

Grocery Court Cerfeuil Karuizawa sells original, high quality, handmade natural products, such as jams, dips, pastes and salad dressings. Their products are made with the finest ingredients, producing a rich and delectable flavor you wouldn’t believe! Each one of their handmade, natural products are created in small batches so they can pay attention to the finest details assuring you an unforgettable eating experience. The president of Cerfeuil, Mr. Nagasawa and I share the same philosophy for producing and selling products and I just fell in love with his attitude and his products and since then, I envisioned selling Ise Kadoya beers in his shop.

I have been at Grocery Court Cerfeuil Karuizawa a lot recently so if you stop by, you just might see me selling and explaining the product lines. If you DO stop by, please say hello, I would love to hear from you.

The shop is open from 10:00 until 21:00 and is located on the second floor in the Museum Lane Zone of IKSPIARI, near the Resort Gateway Station of Disney Resort Line. Take a look at the Google map below for a closer look. I hope to see you in Chiba.

Cheers,

Narihiro//


View Larger Map

By the time you read this...

We just released our Presidents's Special Number 3 called "First Pilsner" and are anticipating this one will sell out VERY quickly. In fact, it may already be sold out by the time you read this blog! But you never know, so if you are a fan of pilsner beer, make a dash to our Biyagura shop and pick up a bottle or two.

In the 12 years we have been brewing beer, we’ve focused on brewing top-fermented, dark and strong flavored ales. And traditionally, bottom-fermented pilsners tend to be lighter, clear and golden. And our “First Pilsner” is no exception—with a gorgeous color and rich flavor, I promise you won’t be disappointed. So why the change you ask? Because we wanted to surprise our fans with a pilsner with a distinct Ise Kadoya twist.

When I started to brew “First Pilsner”, I had a very distinct image in mind—that of an intelligent woman, pure and gorgeous and slightly reserved.

Brewing this kind of beer required a lot of subtlety and balance since we used a different kind of hopping method while at the same time, maintained our basic preparation process. And we feel our method paid off because the “First Pilsner” has a sharp flavor and a gorgeous hoppy aroma and when poured, creates a great head. Dare I say, this is just what I imagined!

“First Pilsner” is a satisfying beer that will go with any meal and won’t leave you with an empty feeling the way some pilsners do. If you don’t believe me, I invite you to try one yourself!

Cheers!

Narihiro//

Going Going Gone!

Just as we thought, our “Imperial India Pale Ale”, aka President Special Number 2, flew off the shelves and sold out in less than a week! So for some of you who were able to get your hands on a bottle or two, we would love to hear your feedback. And for the many of you who didn't get to try it, we warned you it would go quick!

This weekend is Valentine’s day so we have been focusing on our latest brew, “CACAO” made with bitter chocolate. It will be available to ship after February 10. If you are interested, and we know that you are, we are currently accepting orders, and will continue to, through our Japanese website until February 12.

Our staff did some serious experimenting recently to uncover different ways to enjoy the CACAO ale. Since it is particularly bitter, they discovered it goes well with sweets. Hmm...no brainer. For some other ideas, click the movie on the right to see our staff hard at work conducting “research” (sorry, audio is Japanese ONLY!) . Happy Valentine's Day!

Cheers,

Narihiro//

New Release—President's Special Number 2!

After a long and meticulous brewing process, "Imperial India Pale Ale" is now available to purchase on-line (sorry, Japanese only) or at our Biyagura shop.  

As I described in this blog last November, we used 10 different kinds of hops and intensively oversaw the hopping process. The alcohol content is 9% and of course, can be enjoyed now.

Or, if you can put this one in the back of your fridge and hold off drinking it for now and wait another 6 months or more, you may find it is worth the wait since the maturing process, we think, will really smooth this one out. That’s a tall order, I know, so if you are going to wait, I can only wish you good luck!

The supply is VERY limited, so please order from our online store or please visit our Biyagura shop in the coming week. If the President's Special Number 1 is any indication, President's Special Number 2 WILL NOT last long. We hope you like this one—we really do!

Cheers,

Narihiro

New Year Update...

Hello again beer lovers. I’m sorry for my lack of blogging recently—things are as busy as ever. Be that as it may, that hasn’t stopped us from mixing up some very unique and distinct brews to surprise our fans in recent months!

In December, we announced our “Uramura Kaki Stout”, an oyster flavored concoction made in part from lightly broiled oysters taken from our locally famous Uramura region. The feedback was that it was smother and easier to drink than our regular stout! It quickly sold out online and soon after, our stock at our Biyagura store was snatched up too. But don’t fret, if you missed your chance or would like more, we have a batch brewing up that will be available near the end of February. Keep an eye on the blog and I will give more information next month.

And in January, we introduced our “Maple Cinnamon” beer—a mellow and lightly sweet ale made with malt, hops, maple sugar and cinnamon. There are still a few more bottles at our Biyagura store, so if you are interested, make a mad dash to our store and grab the last few bottles of this seasonal treat!

Also, we are currently taking orders for our Valentine's Day ale—“Cacao” made with bitter cocoa. Don’t be fooled, this WILL NOT be a good substitute for a box of sweet chocolate for your sweetheart! However, I promise it’ll be bitter, smooth and chocolaty.

And lastly, we are gearing up for the release of the “President’s Special No. 2” soon. So far, it is looking VERY good and we can’t wait to set this one free.

Stay tuned for more updates and happy (belated) new year!

Narihiro