Sourcing Supplies in Japan

[Matty]

Wanted to ask if anyone in the Forum knows a good homebrew store in Tokyo. I can source most of what I need from Amazon, but some items will not ship here. Thanks!

 

[Sluggo]

Seeing as homebrewing in Japan is only legal under 1% ABV (I mean, why bother?), it might be very hard to find suppliers, but there are some options, apparently. Here's an excellent article that has some info for you: http://beerinjapan.com/bij/486/homebrewing-in-japan/

Hope that helps! 乾杯!

 

[LarryBrewer]

1%... a new definition to small beer. We could add an ABV equation that always reports 1%, if that helps... (jk)

 

[JAMC]

From those articles, it sounds like homebrewing is culturally frowned upon in Japan.

Can't help but wonder why, I mean it's not like you're making PCP!

 

[LarryBrewer]

So it is also illegal to brew Sake there?

 

[Matty]

It is illegal to homebrew Sake here. My understanding is that the 1% abv rule is just protectionist law designed to insulate the big brewers here from competition. Japanese don't seem to care about beer produced in small batches for personal use. The law pretty much prevents micro breweries from springing up, which is sad.

Amazon ships here and has been a great source of supplies as there is no LHBS. All that being said, learning to brew simply with what is on hand rather than running to the store with a recipe has always made for an interesting brew day. I call it "guerrilla brewing" out here.

 

[sbaclimber]

The law pretty much prevents micro breweries from springing up, which is sad.

Sad, definitely, yes.
Interesting similarity to the restrictions on distilling here in germany though.

I suppose that means there is no such thing as a "brew pub" in Japan!? :shock:

 

[Matty]

The only brew pub I can think of is near Yokohama, and there is definitely one German "Beer Garden" style restaurant in the Rappongi area of Tokyo. Other than that, they are very few and far between.

 

[Brewer #87882]

For health reasons I brew less than 2%abv, often down to 1.3%and even
1%. Because the result is rather thin I use lots of hops.

 

[Brewer #87882]

1%... a new definition to small beer. We could add an ABV equation that always reports 1%, if that helps... (jk)

Most peopld ignore this stupid law. I used to brew 4%to 6%, but have switched to low alcohol beers for health reasons.

 

[tekton]

FYI, I opened up a brewing supply store over a year ago in Japan. It's in Japanese and English. Best selection of hops in Japan! themaltshop.biz