Speaking as one who spent his last birthday in the Laphroig distillery, color me a wee bit skeptical.

/I've drunk their beer

Joce678: Speaking as one who spent his last birthday in the Laphroig distillery, color me a wee bit skeptical.

/I've drunk their beer

Have some 18 year Yamazaki and get back to me...

(and some of their micro brews are pretty nice, it's just the mass produced crap that gets exported)

Subby: "Oooh I'mma postin my headline!"
Wall Street Journal: "Psych!!! Too slow, loser!"

Bucky Katt: If it's not Scottish, it's crap!

FTFY.

What real men drink (especially on long flights filled with screaming children):

The secret incredient is tentacle and used panties.

the Japanese love whiskey, factory beer, mayo, canned corn, and A&W fast food.

They pretty much embrace all the white trash elements of America.

Hugs to Japan. Good people. Wish I had more opportunities to visit.

I ain't drinking no Chinamen swill.

USP .45: the Japanese love whiskey, factory beer, mayo, canned corn, and A&W fast food.

They pretty much embrace all the white trash elements of America.

Hugs to Japan. Good people. Wish I had more opportunities to visit.

Good god, I wish there was an A&W in Japan.
And they generally despise root beer, sadly.

I lurked for two years before I signed up!: Good god, I wish there was an A&W in Japan.

There huge in Okinawa.

Their whisky will be so good it'll kick off Geiger counters.

USP .45: the Japanese love whiskey, factory beer, mayo, canned corn, and A&W fast food.

The only A&Ws in the whole country are in Okinawa or on army bases. I wish they, or at least root beer, was more common. I will agree with the rest though, if canned corn includes canned corn soup to go.

For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.

Their single malts are generally pretty damn good, but about twice the price of the imported scotch*.
Their standard blends like Nikka Black and Suntory Red (?), on the other hand, are pretty dreadful.


*depending on the brand and age, of course.

Happy Hours: FriarReb98: As long as they don't do to whisky stock what they did to tuna stock, I'm okay with this.

\pretty sure a flotilla of pitchfork-wielding rednecks would come after them in their personal fishing boats if they sucked the market dry

Next on Animal Plant, Whiskey Wars!

It's just a "research" distillery


I think they changed the name of that station to Animal Plant Fungus Archaea.

/ Who's watching Algae Week? Party at my house!

// JK. Merry Christmas.

jingks: The only A&Ws in the whole country are in Okinawa or on army bases.

they're* huge in Okinawa =)

and I'm not referring to the bases. In fact the only time I've been to an A&W was in Okinawa because I was curious to see why it was so flooded with Japanese.

I lurked for two years before I signed up!: and some of their micro brews are pretty nice, it's just the mass produced crap that gets exported

The problem with micro-brews in Japan is the current laws. In order to produce and sell beer, you must produce 60,000 litres per year. This is the new "relaxed" law, down from 2 million litres per year in 1994.

Yona Yona ain't half bad.

USP .45: I lurked for two years before I signed up!: Good god, I wish there was an A&W in Japan.

There huge in Okinawa.

Well, that settles what I'm doing for my holiday...scuba diving, babes, awamori and A&W!

They don't put spam on everything, do they?

I lurked for two years before I signed up!: They don't put spam on everything, do they?

Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.

Make More Hinjews:
/ Who's watching Algae Week? Party at my house!

I'd totally watch Algae Week.

/phycologist
// ಠ_ಠ

I lurked for two years before I signed up!: (and some of their micro brews are pretty nice, it's just the mass produced crap that gets exported)

So, it's just like American beer, a little bit better?

Hey, I'm ready. Thanks Santa or whatever you're called here.

So this is the year when whiskey connoisseur wannabes pay ten to one thousand times as much as a bottle of currently-hip Japanese whiskey is worth.

I read recently (maybe it was here) about a new trend, women "event planners" who charge anywhere from $600 to $5000 to advise rich morons on how to propose to their girlfriends. I'm pretty sure that you just need to an email list from one of these "proposal planners" to get a 100% success rate on your sales calls for Japanese whiskey. "Oh gawd, I gotta have it! Cost is no object!"

/Buys Glennfiddich on rare occasions
//Usually drinks inexpensive Canadian whiskey--and likes it
///Recognizes that he's neither rich nor a connoisseur
////And doesn't care

jingks: I lurked for two years before I signed up!: and some of their micro brews are pretty nice, it's just the mass produced crap that gets exported

The problem with micro-brews in Japan is the current laws. In order to produce and sell beer, you must produce 60,000 litres per year. This is the new "relaxed" law, down from 2 million litres per year in 1994.

Yona Yona ain't half bad.

Baird Beer (new window) is pretty damn good, but it's not cheap. Run by an American guy, so it's American craft beer, but with a Japanese twist to some of the beers (such as Mikan Ale).
They've got some taprooms in Tokyo now, so you don't have to trek to Numazu for the draft anymore.

That didn't work.
Baird Beer (new window)

I lurked for two years before I signed up!: USP .45: I lurked for two years before I signed up!: Good god, I wish there was an A&W in Japan.

There huge in Okinawa.

Well, that settles what I'm doing for my holiday...scuba diving, babes, awamori and A&W!

They don't put spam on everything, do they?

didn't see any spam no, but they love pork. damn...I wish I could remember the names of a couple places I went. First was a quiet and upscale place in the middle of the island. Most notably they had a side dish which was literally a cube of slow cooked pork fat about the size of four dice put together. It had the texture of custard, surprisingly did not actually feel fatty or greasy, and tasted like essence of pig, with that sorta B.O. barnyard smell. You basically nom the whole thing at once. Single most amazing thing I've ever eaten. A visceral experience.

Another place was up in the northern foothills where they randomly specialize in pizza, some of the best I've ever had. To my surprise it was topped with corn before I even knew canned corn was a sensation.

Final place in the south was an unassuming Thai restaurant attached to a quirky museum / ornamental garden on bluffs over the South China Sea. Best Thai I've ever had. Fantastic view.

I'll see if I can't figure out the names of these places and get back to you.

No Catchy Nickname: They've got some taprooms in Tokyo now, so you don't have to trek to Numazu for the draft anymore.

I've been to their taproom in Nakameguro. The beer was good but the atmosphere (on the second floor, nothing else in the building open at night) was awful. I only mentioned Yona Yona because it's available in a can at Sankus.

HTML. How does that work?

Kibbler:
/Buys Glennfiddich on rare occasions

Glennfiddich as a treat? Oh, dear...

I hope you mix it with cola or something.

jingks: No Catchy Nickname: They've got some taprooms in Tokyo now, so you don't have to trek to Numazu for the draft anymore.

I've been to their taproom in Nakameguro. The beer was good but the atmosphere (on the second floor, nothing else in the building open at night) was awful. I only mentioned Yona Yona because it's available in a can at Sankus.

Ah, I've never been to their Tokyo taprooms (don't live around Tokyo now), but I do like the beer. It's not a bad trip to Numazu; take the Odakyu Romance Car from Shinjuku, go past Fuji, end up in Numazu and head for the fish market. Eat fish for lunch, then walk over to the taproom which overlooks the port and market.
I last went their about 4 years ago, and it was busy throughout the day.

There, not their.
And the Asagiri will take you all the way from Shinjuku to Numazu, provided it's still running now. Probably best to stay the night, as the last direct train back leaves early.

Will they come in nips?

jerky on the veldt: [farm8.staticflickr.com image 500x374]

Hey, I'm ready. Thanks Santa or whatever you're called here.


Does it matter?

Oh, and Yona Yona ale's okay, but I don't like their stout much. There's supposed to be some guy in Gifu (maybe Gunma) who makes a really good Lambic beer, but I've never seen it on sale.

I lurked for two years before I signed up!: Joce678: Speaking as one who spent his last birthday in the Laphroig distillery, color me a wee bit skeptical.

/I've drunk their beer

Have some 18 year Yamazaki and get back to me...

(and some of their micro brews are pretty nice, it's just the mass produced crap that gets exported)

Have some 18 year old from Yokohama and get back to me...

/Doesn't drink hard liquor
//Does like the J ladies

Metropolis magazine has a feature on Japanese Whiskey a while back, which included a list of tour-able distilleries .

Time Out Tokyo had a recent article on the craft beer scene in Tokyo, including the top top craft beer bars. Planning on heading to the Craft Beer Market over the new year break. They had me at "cheapest microbrews in town".

Japan - "Shots are on us"

Remember the last time they offered that?

No Catchy Nickname: And the Asagiri will take you all the way from Shinjuku to Numazu, provided it's still running now. Probably best to stay the night, as the last direct train back leaves early.

Thanks for the advice. Might make a weekend trip out of it once it starts warming up.

Joce678: Kibbler:
/Buys Glennfiddich on rare occasions

Glennfiddich as a treat? Oh, dear...

I hope you mix it with cola or something.

////And doesn't care.

jingks: I lurked for two years before I signed up!: They don't put spam on everything, do they?

Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.

does it come with a side of onion rings?

Wrong_Intentions: Japan - "Shots are on us"

Remember the last time they offered that?
[www.winstonchurchill.org image 600x476]

Is this the part where we respond with photos from Wounded Knee, Hiroshima, Japanese interment camps from California, and lynchings from the deep South?

Yeah, baby- never forget!

0/10

dokool: I've only recently begun to realize that I don't hate beer with a passion as long as it tastes somewhat decent.

The Belgium Beer Weekend at Roppongi Hills this past year was great. I was expecting a typical Roppongi Hills style rip-off but it was nothing of the sort. I would highly recommend checking it out if it comes again next year.