Trends

Since I'm too old to be in touch with what is considered "fashionable" or "cool", I'm going to comment on a trend closer to my heart and the lives of other guys like me - beer. When I arrived in Japan after graduating from college, I was happy to find that beer was easily available - at the convenience store, supermarket, even in vending machines (these are unique to Japan and some parts of Europe). One thing I noticed though, was that nearly all the beer was one type - lager. Good lagers, even better than most mass-produced American lagers like Budweiser or Coors. But only lagers. Super Dry was lager. Malts was lager. Lager was lager. I missed the heartier ales and stouts that I could get so easily at bars and liquor stores back home.

While traveling around Japan I found that there were small groups of beer enthusiasts who appreciated different types of beer and were brewing them in the countryside at microbreweries. Unfortunately, Japanese laws prevented these from being sold on a large scale.

As the years passed, I began finding Irish pubs, commonly called "Gaijin bars," in the cities that often had import beers such as Guinness, a dark stout beer, and occasionally creamy British ales. Unfortunately, these bars were only in urban centers, so I could only get my beer fix every few months when I ventured into the city.

However, recently I see a new trend in Japan. More and more bars are offering not only Guinness, but also other types of beer. Moreover, there are lots of microbreweries and bars that specialize in these tasty brews. Home brewing is even catching on as a hobby.

Tonight I'll be able to sip a locally-brewed Rokko pilsner (the first type of beer ever made) at a bar in my home town of Nishinomiya and then tomorrow, I'll be bottling my own honey ale at home.

As a fan of craft beers, I hope this trend continues!