Festivalgoers at the Nippon Craft Beer Festival in Tokyo pause for a moment of silence to honor the late Michael Jackson.

A large, handsome portrait of Mr. Jackson on an easel onstage greeted festival-goers, and 30 minutes into the event, four people took the stage to pay tribute to the late Beer Hunter. Toshi Ishii, head brewer of Yona Yona Ale; Ichiri Fujiura, originator of the Tokyo Real Ale Festival and main driving force behind the founding of the Good Beer Club (Japan’s answer to CAMRA); Tatsuo Aoki, proprietor of Beer Club Popeye, the best place in the world for Japanese craft beer; and I all gave short speeches to the group about Mr. Jackson’s greatness.

This past summer, I finished work on the Japan pages for what would be Michael’s final book, Eyewitness Companions Beer, so working with him was still fresh in my mind. I was last up, and as the person who knew Michael best, I faced the crowd and asked for a minute of silence in tribute to the Great Man, explaining to the largely Japanese audience that this is a custom in the West. The support and cooperation I got were surprising and heartwarming: almost immediately, the room fell into a hush. After the minute was up, I led the crowd in a “kampai” (cheers) for Mr. Jackson.

Further tribute was paid a few weeks after the festival. All the bills had been paid when organizers decided to donate 100,000 yen (US$870) to the Japan Parkinson Disease Association in Mr. Jackson’s honor.

Japan Roundup 2007

Japan seems to have entered a new beer era, and the stronger economy has resulted in a number of “premium” beers from the majors. Advertising for these beers has focused on quality ingredients, and awareness of these — particularly hops — has resulted in a number of interesting new beverage products.

My favorite of these is a new flavor in the Nuda sparkling water line from Kirin: Grapefruit & Hop. This is a no-calorie sparkling mineral water flavored with essence of grapefruit and hops, sort of like a Pacific Northwest version of Crystal Geyser. It costs about half the price of beer, and it packs a lot of refreshment.

A bit more unusual are the “Hop Research Labs” drink products from Sapporo. One is cold green tea spiked with 100 mg of hop flavonol. Although no health benefit is made, the drinker is encouraged to “feel the power of hops.” I am sure you all can relate to that. For those who want their hop flavonol straight, Sapporo also offers a small 100-ml can containing the same amount in a supplement drink.

Finally, the easy winner of the “You Couldn’t Get Away with That in America” award is a kiddie drink mix for “dark beer.” While the label clearly states that the drink does not contain alcohol, the little kid pictured says, “I am also going to have a really bitter sensation this evening.” Mix with water for a dark soft drink with a white foamy head — and it sure is sweet!

So, apart from some interesting drink products, what’s been going on in Japan? The classy Café Antwerp Central near Tokyo station held a Belgian Beer Dinner on May 27 and again on October 21, both hosted by noted beer critic Hiroyuki Fujiwara, who paired four ales with the cooking of Chef Kenichiro Sumitomo. In the May event, Fujiwara’s choice of the first beer went against common practice: the strongest beer of the selection, Chimay White, was paired with a quiche made with Chimay cheese. The weakest, Hoegaarden White, was saved for the dessert of Belgian beer waffles. Starting heavy and finishing light worked quite well, as the superb cooking was a great match for the famous Belgian ales.

The Japan Brewers Association held its yearly fest on June 2, featuring beers from over 30 breweries. Among the highlights on the floor were the superb German-style offerings from Fujizakura Kogen, including the stellar smoked rauchbier and commendable hefeweizen. Other notables were the Habanero Ale from Yokohama Beer and the curiously named 10th Double IPA Tripel, which turned out to be a double IPA fermented with Belgian tripel yeast. Go figure, but it was a great-tasting, heavy beer (though not the thing for a warm June day).

One of the Tokyo area’s more unique beer retailers, Sugaya, held its twice-yearly "Horoyoi" (Crazy Drunk) Beer Party on June 2–4 and again on November 23–26. It was my first time to attend, and now I fully understand the logic of charging newcomers 5,000 yen and repeat visitors 6,000 yen. Imagine yourself turned loose in a liquor store with over 80 kinds of beer, four of them on draft, and you get to drink as much as you want of anything, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., for the price of admission. This is exactly how it was. A highlight was the opening of a nine-liter bottle of St. Feuillien Triple, poured into enormous glasses and passed around the crowd. Plus, proprietor Yukako Sugaya kept bringing out delicious home-cooked food, such as a wonderful Beef Burgundy made in the proper style with loads of Belgian ale.

On June 29–30, at the start of the rainy season, Sal’s Café in suburban Tokyo held its Soggy Beer Fest ("Get Wet with Craft Beer, Not Rain!"), which offered a remarkable selection of draft beers: Baird, Celis White, Fujizakura Kogen, Liefmans Kriek, Lucifer and Spaten Festbier. As a highlight during the event, Sal’s Café proprietor Koji “Michael” Nomura ran some high-gravity Minoh Koi-Koi Stout through a Randall packed with high-grade coffee from a local roaster.