Category: Beverages

Oku-Izumo Vineyard’s Pinotage 2020 (奥出雲葡萄園　ピノタージュ2020): It’s Real, and It’s Real Good

The Real Deal A few days ago the following Bloomberg headline appeared in The Japan Times: “This Digital Art Collage Sold for a Record $69 Million.” Readers are encouraged to pause for a few minutes to let this sink in. The key word here is “digital.” You see, the work of art in question does … Continue reading Oku-Izumo Vineyard’s Pinotage 2020 (奥出雲葡萄園　ピノタージュ2020): It’s Real, and It’s Real Good →

Pinotage, Arguably South Africa’s Greatest Creation

The primary focus of this blog has been and will continue to be Japanese beverages; however, starting from this month we will occasionally upload an entry on a foreign beverage that is available in Japan. In many cases this will be a means of introducing a subsequent entry that will be Japan-specific. Such is the … Continue reading Pinotage, Arguably South Africa’s Greatest Creation →

At the Hop in Kichijoji: Kissyou 2020 (吉祥2020)

Way back in the dinosaur days of rock ’n’ roll (i.e., 1957), Danny & the Juniors released “At the Hop,” which zoomed—that’s with a lower-case “z,” of course—to the top of the charts and stayed there for a little while. The song describes the goings-on at an American hop—dance—of the era. Well, you can rock … Continue reading At the Hop in Kichijoji: Kissyou 2020 (吉祥2020) →

Baird Brewing’s Suruga Bay Imperial IPA

There are a number of foreigner-owned or -operated breweries in Japan. Baird is one that has been around for a while and well worth a mention here. First, there is this wonderfully rich Suruga Bay Imperial IPA. This might even be called a “traditional method” brew, because like those high-rollers in Champagne, the people at … Continue reading Baird Brewing’s Suruga Bay Imperial IPA →

The Seesaw in the Sake: Keigetsu CEL 24 Junmai Daiginjo 50 (桂月 CEL24 純米大吟醸 50)

A number of years ago the humble seesaw found itself under attack in the United States. This simple device that has provided so much enjoyment for millions of children was, along with other equipment like monkey bars, being yanked from playgrounds. The war on play apparently had less to do with the nanny state than … Continue reading The Seesaw in the Sake: Keigetsu CEL 24 Junmai Daiginjo 50 (桂月 CEL24 純米大吟醸 50) →

Mountain River Brewery Urban Farming Ale (Blueberry Ale) & Nightfall

A perennial topic of discussion among people with too much time on their hands is whether midnight is 12 a.m. or 12 p.m. We at drinkingjapan.org do not want to see our readers sucked into this vortex from which they will never return to our blog, so we will banish any consideration of this by … Continue reading Mountain River Brewery Urban Farming Ale (Blueberry Ale) & Nightfall →