hopulist issue 4

日本特産品

One of the really great things about craft beer 

is that it unites people, no matter what their 

nationality or gender. It’s an inclusive industry, 

and one that is championing that cause further 

with each passing day. We experienced the 

international love of the industry in full this 

issue when we headed to Japan on a craft beer 

adventure that we would strongly advocate giving 

a go yourself. It was incredibly interesting and 

insightful to see how the industry there has 

developed with a blend of its own ideas and ideas 

from the other side of the world. We hope you 

enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed the trip 

itself. 

Elsewhere in this issue, we have some awesome, 

innovative companies featured that are 

showcasing that to be successful in this beery 

world, you just need a great idea and a positive 

attitude. 

Cheers, 

The Hopulist team

06 

10 

12 

News and views 

from planet craft. 

Fresh new beers that 

you need to drink. 

How a Bison is 

boosting Brighton. 

20 

22 

34 

Look as fresh as the 

beer you drink. 

Music and beer go 

together at Signature. 

Our picks of beers 

with sour power. 

48 

54 

64 

Our beery A-Z 

reaches D. 

Kasper Ledet: 

exclusive interview 

Read all about the 

beer you love. 

66 

70 

84 

How Thornbridge 

touched perfection. 

Explore Japan 

through craft beer, 

What the Hopulist 

team’s been drinking.

© Brewdog.com 

BREWDOG 

DOWN UNDER BREWDOGDOWN 

After six months of planning BrewDog has chosen Brisbane 

as the home of its Australian brewing operation. The company 

is investing $30 in construction of a 50 hectolitre brewing and 

canning facility as well as a restaurant, taproom and visitor 

centre. 

Director of BrewDog Australia, Zarah Prior, said support 

from Brisbane Marketing, Austrade and the Queensland 

Government had been essential in choosing Brisbane as its 

preferred site. 

“We’ve been so humbled by the support from local businesses 

as well as the local community who have shown a real passion 

for BrewDog to call Brissie home,” Prior said. “It’s a city that’s 

on the brink of some incredible growth, and we can’t wait to be 

a part of that. There are tonnes of amazing local breweries we’re 

looking forward to working alongside and collaborating with.” 

The plan is to produce BrewDog’s core range beers and a 

number of small-batch brews featuring local ingredients. 

Construction is due to start later this year with beer production 

set for early 2019. The news comes just a year on from the 

opening of its first American Brewery in Columbus, Ohio.

AND THE 

NOMINEES ARE... 

Some of the UK’s top craft beer and brewing businesses 

have been named amongst the finalists in The Society of 

Independant Brewers (SIBA) Business Awards 2018. 

The awards received a 60 per cent increase in entries 

this year and include a wide range of categories across 

Marketing Implementation, Green Business and Business 

Innovation as well as design awards and industry awards 

which highlight the best pubs, bars, restaurants and 

retailers for independent craft beer in the UK. 

The SIBA Business Awards 2018 will be presented at an 

evening ceremony on the 14th March 2018 at BeerX UK 

2018, the UK’s biggest beer and brewing trade event, being 

held in its new home at Exhibition Centre, Liverpool. 

THE BUSINESS AWARDS 

2018 FINALISTS: 

MARKETING IMPLEMENTATION 

Fourpure Brewing Co. 

Signature Brew 

Wood’s Brewery 

GREEN BUSINESS 

Bun Dubh 

Clarkshaws 

Farr Brew 

Hobsons 

BUSINESS INNOVATION 

Clarkshaws Brewing Co. 

North Brewing Co . 

Veterans Brewing 

UK’S BEST INDEPENDENT 

CRAFT BEER RETAILER – 

MULTIPLE 

Pivovar 

Real Ale 

Waitrose 


CRAFT BEER RETAILER – 

SINGLE 

Beer 52 

Hop Burns & Black 

House of Trembling Madness 

The Epicurean 


CRAFT BEER BAR OR PUB – 

CITY 

North Bar, West Yorkshire 

The Box Social, Newcastle 

Wigan Central, Lancashire 

Sheffield Tap, South Yorkshire 


CRAFT BEER BAR OR PUB – 

RURAL 

The Bailey Head, Shropshire 

The Cove, Devon 

Geese & Fountain, Lincolnshire 

Red Lion Inn, Wiltshire 

View the full list at: 

www.siba.co.uk

DURATION UPDATE 

Duration Brewing recently received 

the approval on a rural development 

grant, which means it can begin work 

to transform a derelict priory site into 

a destination farmhouse brewery. 

The building project will soon 

commence at Abbey Farm in West 

Acre, Norfolk and is likely to take six 

months from start to finish. 

Co-founder Miranda Hudson 

commented: “We have received 

overwhelming encouragement and 

valuable guidance from the UK 

beer community. A passionate and 

enthusiastic bunch of drinkers, sellers 

and makers who have helped us to 

reach this milestone - thanks for the 

part you are playing. 

“Being given money to create jobs is 

really incentivising and what we love 

most is this is the first time (we know 

of) that two separate applications were 

considered in tandem to support one 

project.” 

Duration beers will continue to 

be available via collaboration with 

other breweries over the coming 

months – the next two releases are 

with Amundsen (Oslo) and Brew By 

Numbers (London). 

If you missed 

it, you can read 

more about the 

Duration Brewing 

story in issue 

three of Hopulist.

HOP GLUT AS 

CRAFT SALES SLIP 

The US craft beer industry trade group 

Brewers Association estimates craft beer 

sales grew only 6.2% in 2016 after a 

decade or so of double-digit growth and 

similar figures forecast for 2017. This 

sudden slowing of growth has plunged 

the speciality hop market into difficulties. 

Globally the demand for aromatic hops 

had been outstripping supply and in 2015 

Washington state’s Yakima Valley was 

hit by droughts which lead to a global 

shortage. As a result hop production 

has almost doubled in the past five years 

and with growing fears of hop shortages 

farmers increased production and acreage 

to meet demand. However, the rising 

output and unforeseen fall in demand has 

resulted in a hop glut. 

This has lead to many of the leading 

hop varieties dropping in price and a 

number of hop farmers facing financial 

uncertainty. 

Citra, the most popular hop variety in 

craft brewing well known for it’s tropical 

fruit and citrus aroma, has almost halved 

from $23 a pound in 2015 to $13 in 2017, 

whilst Cascade has gone from $7 a pound 

to just $1.20.

WANT YOUR LATEST BEER LAUNCH FEATURED 

BIRTHDAY TREAT 

One of a series of Beavertown collabs 

with Cloudwater to celebrate their 6th 

and 3rd birthdays respectively. Do Not 

Open Until 1985 is a big, hazy, heavily 

hopped DIPA. This is a celebration of two 

of Britain’s front runners in the craft beer 

scene. 

Release date: Already on sale 

SAY CHEESE 

Left Handed Giant (LHG) and Verdant 

have combined their talents to bring us 

this hazy Mosaic IPA Even Sharks Need 

Cheeseburgers. A mash up of LHG’s 

Cheeseburger Cavalry and Verdant’s 

Even Sharks Need Water. Expect big fruit 

aromas and piney, citrus tropical flavours. 

Release date: Already on sale

NEW RELEASES WE 

CAN’T WAIT TO GET 

OUR HANDS ON... 

? CONTACT US AT INFO@HOPULIST.COM 

AMPLIFIED RANGE 

Brewdog head of production Jason 

Pond is the brainchild of Native Son a 

powerhouse of resin, pine and gloriously 

dank american hops. This hop-heavy DIPA 

weighs in at a relatively strong 8.5%. and 

is everything you would expect from a 

West Coast. 

Release date: Already on sale 

BREAKFAST OF KINGS 

It’s that magical time of the year when 

you can get your hands on Kentucky 

Breakfast Stout (KBS). An imperial stout 

with a massive amount of coffee and 

chocolate which is cave-aged in oak 

bourbon barrels for a year. If you’ve never 

tried it before then make 2018 the year. 

Release date: March-April

THE BISON 

OF BRIGHTON 

When a B|son proudly strutted |nto 

central Br|ghton you may have expected 

w|despread pan|c and perhaps nat|onal 

news coverage. |nstead, the good folk 

of the town got a bar, bottle shop and 

brewer of |nnovat|on and d|st|nct|on.

Oh, we do like to be beside the 

seaside. And we like it even more 

when there is some quality, locallybrewed 

craft beer to enjoy the views with. 

These two likes are shared by the co-owners of 

an up-and-coming bar, taproom and brewing 

brand based in one of England’s favourite 

seaside towns, Brighton. Bison Beer is the 

brainchild of Nick Vardy and Jack Cregan, 

a British duo who three years ago found 

themselves wanting something more from 

their regular nine-to-five existences. 

“Nick and I worked together for a long time 

in sports media in London,” begins Jack. 

“We worked on projects for various big 

organisations such as the BBC and UEFA and 

during that time we watched craft beer go 

from becoming an underground scene to a 

ragingly popular one in the British capital. We 

also discovered that we were looking forward 

to our beer after work a lot more than we were 

looking forward to Monday mornings.”

That might sound like an obvious statement 

for many, but what Jack is getting at is that 

they both had an itch to try and turn this love 

for beer into something bigger. Neither of the 

pair were what they would classify as beer 

geeks or home brewers – they were end users 

who really enjoyed what was happening with 

craft beer. 

“It was a risk, leaving comfortable jobs on 

decent money to try and make a business 

in craft beer, but we were both up for the 

challenge,” says Nick. After some discussion, 

they settled on Brighton as the location to set 

up in – they had both lived there at various 

points, and perhaps more importantly, they 

identified it as somewhere where a craft beer 

business could thrive but where there wasn’t a 

huge amount of activity at the time. 

“If you’ll excuse the pun, we saw that 

Brighton had a thirst for craft beer and we 

thought we could help solve that problem,” 

Jack explains.

“We had seen taprooms and bottle shops, 

as well as breweries springing up all over 

London when we lived there in places like 

Clapham and Tooting. These were places we 

loved to go as consumers and something we 

thought we could extend into Brighton with 

our own business.” 

By their own admittance, Bison Beer is a 

bit of a hybrid business. It started off as a 

bottle shop, but they also have some draught 

beer and a growler filling facility. Nick and 

“ |t was a 

r|sk, leav|ng 

comfortable 

jobs on decent 

money to try and 

make a bus|ness 

|n craft beer, 

but we were 

both up for the 

challenge...”

Jack have also dabbled in brewing, creating 

some of their own core range beer as well 

as doing special limited edition collabs with 

local brewers. Most recently, they also opened 

a Bison Beer bar in nearby Hove, creating a 

sort of craft beer holy trinity that seems to be 

paying dividends for them. 

Jack continues: “One thing that was amazing 

about Sussex is that when we first opened 

Bison Beer three years ago there were about 

60 micro breweries, but you never would 

have guessed it when you went into the bars 

and pubs of Brighton. Our idea was to open 

a place where these brewers could sell their 

beer to an audience that was engaged in their 

collective ethos. 

“We champion local beers – pale ales and 

lagers in particular are made incredibly 

well in this area, so providing a platform for 

people to enjoy those is paramount. That’s not 

to say we don’t give people the chance to buy 

international beers – of course we do – but if

“ We champ|on 

local beers – pale 

ales and lagers 

|n part|cular are 

made |ncred|bly 

well |n th|s area, 

so prov|d|ng a 

platform for people 

to enjoy those |s 

paramount.“ 

you are into fresh beer, then it doesn’t get 

any fresher than ones made in Sussex.” 

As Nick and Jack both worked in 

marketing before, it’s perhaps no surprise 

that the branding of their company is 

pretty strong. The name, Bison Beer, and 

the accompanying logo and graphics are 

something else that make it stand out and 

appeal to the target audience. 

Jack explains: “As Nick and I 

both worked in marketing and the 

complexities of it, we decided to go back 

to basics with the name of our business. 

Our former jobs had been very serious 

so we decided to have some fun with 

it. We came up with a cartoon bison as 

our mascot, as we feel he symbolises the 

fun and adventure that our brand does. 

He has a massive beard, Nick and I have 

massive beards – it’s a bit of fun and that’s 

what our brand is about.” 

That fun and playful narrative is 

something that has crept into all aspects 

of Bison Beer, which could be one of 

the reasons why it has also dabbled in 

some brewing. When the bottle shop first 

opened, the pair decided to launch a beer 

to celebrate that and created Seeside IPA. 

“We loved American pale ales with 

fruity hops, so we had a go at making 

something similar, which became our 

signature beer,” says Nick. 

The pair have also teamed up with 

quite a few other breweries to create 

collab beers over the years and have had

a chance to be quite experimental with 

those. One great example is Ride With 

Us, a rye IPA that was made in Bristol 

after a team from Bison Beer cycled there 

from Brighton – that sense of adventure is 

evident once again. 

Jack adds: “We love the creativity that 

collabs can produce – both in terms of 

producing a great beer and in terms of 

artwork. So far, our beers have received 

really positive reviews from rating sites 

such as Untappd and Rate Beer and our 

friend Jordan Mower, who owns local 

brewery Unbarred, reckons that beers 

we’ve made with him have been some of 

his fastest sellers. So, it’s all positive.” 

But what of the future for a company 

that has spread itself nicely across the 

three points of the craft beer triangle? 

First things first, staying by the seaside, 

according to Jack. 

“We want to stay in Brighton and the 

surrounding area, we like it here and it 

works. We opened the bar in Hove to try 

and expand the reach and convenience of 

what we offer to people a little further out 

from Brighton, but that actually decreases 

the risk for us as a business. We also will 

continue to get involved in loads of food 

and beer events in the local area – one 

really great example of it was a beer we 

made last year called Swarm of Bees. We 

even got together with a local bee keeper 

who supplied the honey for this beer and 

a local pizza company supplied honey and 

goat’s cheese pizzas for the launch event. It 

was a great way of local business combining 

to create a real buzz, no pun intended.” 

So, if you love craft beer and being 

beside the seaside – you should almost 

certainly consider a trip to the south coast 

to check out what the Bison boys are up to. 

The charge of this beast shows no signs of 

stopping. 

| N F O 

BISON BEER 

Bottleshop, 7 East Street, 

Brighton BN1 1HP 

È cheers@bisonbeer.co.uk 

Bar & bottle shop, 57 Church 

Road, Hove, BN3 2BD 

È hove@bisonbeer.co.uk 

BR|GHTON & HOVE 

É www.bisonbeer.co.uk 

$ ! " *

BOVINE BEAUTY 

It wouldn’t feel right having Bison 

Beer featured in the magazine without 

showcasing their amazing t-shirts. So 

here we are – a quality heavy-duty screen 

printed tee avec über cool bison logo. 

MORE MAD SKULLS 

The quality merch from Beavertown 

keeps rolling in, this time in the form of 

a double layer knit beanie. It comes in 

either burnt orange or gamma blue. What 

better way to warm your bonce? 

W A N T Y O U R P R O D U C T F E A T U R E D ? C O

SHOW YOUR TRUE 

CRAFTY COLOURS 

WITH PRIDE... 

BACK TO BLACK 

Newport’s award-winning brewers Tiny 

Rebel have a selection of epic clothing 

merch on offer via their website. This 

rather simple (but eye-catching) t-shirt 

design was one of our faves. 

IL FANTASMA 

These limited edition commemorative 

Bundobust x Fantasma t-shirts are selling 

out fast. Featuring a three colour screen 

print and both company logos on the 

back of the shirt. 

N T A C T U S A T I N F O @ H O P U L I S T . C O M

LIQUID 

TUNES 

EVER BEEN TO A GIG THAT YOU’RE 

SUPER STOKED FOR, ARRIVED AT 

THE VENUE A LITTLE EARLY SO HIT 

THE BAR FOR A DRINK TO GET THE 

BUZZ GOING ONLY TO BE SERVED 

A WARM, FLAT PINT OF CARLING? 

THAT EXACT FEELING IS WHAT GAVE 

BIRTH TO ONE OF CRAFT BEER’S 

MOST INTERESTING UP-AND-COMING 

BREWERIES, SIGNATURE BREW.

TOM BOTT 

& 

SAM McGREGOR

Beer and music just go together. Whether 

that’s background indie tunes in your 

favourite taproom, that well-worn LP that 

you love to play while kicking back enjoying 

a Sunday evening beverage, or a few cheeky 

beers at a gig or concert. But the latter of those 

scenarios hasn’t always been a bastion of quality 

in terms of beer – and that fact was what set 

two cousins on the path to creating their own 

beer. Tom Bott and Sam McGregor loved going 

to watch bands and other music acts but began 

to grow increasingly frustrated by the fact 

that beer at music venues was often seen as an 

afterthought. 

“There was simply nothing more annoying 

than an overpriced, boring lager ruining the 

experience of watching one of your favourite 

bands,” explains Tom.

“Sam and I had been chatting about starting a 

brewery for a while and I guess we just had one gig 

too many with that poor drinking experience and 

decided to do something. So, we chose to form a 

brewery with a musical niche – Signature Brew.” 

The combination seemed to be the perfect fit for 

the pair – Tom’s parents own and run Stoke-based 

Titanic Brewing (his brother still holds the role of 

head brewer there), while Sam worked in the music 

industry. Although brewing was never part of Tom’s 

life plan, he took to it pretty quickly. 

“I went to university not really knowing what I 

wanted to do like many people, but I had always 

been exposed to brewing at a young age and always 

found it interesting. A combination of that, plus really 

enjoying trying my hand at it and learning the process 

with a growing and changing beer industry got me 

interested.” 

“SAM AND I HAD 

BEEN CHATTING 

ABOUT STARTING 

A BREWERY FOR 

A WHILE AND I 

GUESS WE JUST 

HAD ONE GIG TOO 

MANY WITH THAT 

POOR DRINKING 

EXPERIENCE AND 

DECIDED TO DO 

SOMETHING.”

The initial plan with Signature Brew is still 

the company’s tagline today – brewing with 

music. Tom and Sam wanted to get musicians 

and bands involved in the brewing process – 

in effect making collaborations with them. 

Tom explains: “We figured that by doing 

that we’d create beer that was different and 

also ones that artists would be enthusiastic 

about and pass that enthusiasm onto their 

fans – our target audience.” 

The pair began working with various local 

bands in London and selling the beers they 

had made at their gigs – if they couldn’t do 

that then they’d run after parties for the gigs of 

those bands. It was a hugely successful way of 

getting Signature Brew to market and getting 

the word of mouth started to spread its name. 

This was in 2011 and in those early days, 

things could be quite cyclical for the business. 

They’d work on a project, tour with the band 

selling and promoting it for a period of weeks 

and then it would all be over. In 2013, with 

things going well and Tom and Sam wanting 

to create a more stable base, they launched a 

core range of beers, which still stands strong 

and grows today. It includes E.P. – an extra 

pale ale, Roadie – an all-night IPA, Studio 

Pilsner, Studio Vienna, Backstage IPA, 

Nightliner – a coffee porter and Stagediver – a 

double IPA. 

But the brand still maintains it’s ‘brewing 

with music’ ethos and works on several band 

collaborations a year, as Tom explains. 

“We’ve worked with quite a wide variety of 

artists, we were conscious we didn’t want it 

to be too male or rock music dominated. But

what makes it different is that the band really 

do get involved in the creative experience from 

start to finish. I’m sure there are some instances 

where bands have just whacked their name on 

a product knowing very little about it, but how 

we brew with them is very different. We want 

the bands to be part of the beer because they 

are the ones who are going to take it on tour 

and we want them to be able to say why it is 

what it is.” 

Throughout its history, Signature has worked 

with has worked with Enter Shikari, Professor 

Green, Frank Turner, Mastadon, Slaves and 

many others in a bid to bring beer and music 

even closer together. But whoever the artist, 

the process starts with them heading down to 

Signature HQ in Stratford, northeast London 

and sitting down with the team.

“We usually start with a tasting session with our 

brew team so they can get a feel for what kinds of 

beer they like, what attributes they dislike and so 

on,” says Tom. 

“We really encourage them to say what they 

think and usually they are not shy about getting 

their point across. Once we have a feeling and a 

flavour outlined we can get to work on making it 

and they can be as involved as they want to be, but 

one thing we always try to do is get them down on 

canning day so they can taste the first beer off the 

production line – something I’ve never actually got 

to do as a co-owner!” 

Tom and the brew team encourage the artists 

to ‘think unusual’ because they also want to cover 

new ground themselves – one of more interesting 

beers they’ve made was a Belgian pale ale with 

sarsaparilla root, which is usually used in root beer.

“OUR MANIFESTO IS PRETTY SIMPLE AND STAYS THE 

SAME – WE WANT TO BE THE GO-TO BRAND FOR MUSIC 

FANS WHO ARE SICK OF DRINKING SHIT BEER.” 

Now with a stable core range and three or four eyecatching 

musical collabs per year, what does the future 

hold for Signature Brew? 

“Our manifesto is pretty simple and stays the same 

– we want to be the go-to brand for music fans who 

are sick of drinking shit beer,” says Tom. “Happily for 

us, that is a problem that has not really been fixed, so 

that’s our long term goal. In the short term, we are 

about to undergo a range review and also looking at 

freeing up some space at the brewery to undertake 

some exciting new projects. We have some special 

guest beers coming up which are very much our brew 

teams’ babies.” 

Tom is also a trustee of the Society of Independent 

Brewers (SIBA), so whatever he does with Signature 

Brew will be in the best interests of British brewers 

and the industry. 

He concludes: “It’s going to be an interesting year for 

beer. In our East London microcosm, it can feel like 

the feel-good factor will never stop – we’re all growing 

and it feels like things are going in the right direction, 

but there are some issues that need addressing. One 

is the decline of cask beer. Of course keg and can are 

very much the future, but the constant devaluianing of 

cask beer and its quality is an industry-wide concern. 

We’ve seen quite a few breweries end cask production 

and you can’t help but reflect on it. It only makes up 

about 10 per cent of Signature’s output, but we will 

continue with it. It’s not our bread and butter so we 

can afford to be bolder on styles and prices.” 

S|GNATURE BREW • 

|NFO 

Signature Brew 

Leyton Business Centre, 

London, UK 

É www.signaturebrew.co.uk 

$ @signaturebrew 

! /SignatureBrew/ 

" /signaturebrew

TOP 

OF THE 

HOPS 

TOM GIVES 

US HIS 

TOP FIVE 

ALBUMS AND 

RECOMMENDS 

THE BEST 

SIGNATURE 

BREW BEERS 

TO PERFECTLY 

COMPLEMENT 

THEM. 

Road|e 

(WHAT’S THE STORY) 

MORNING GLORY? 

By OASIS 

“Now, we’re 

definitely not 

the only people 

to suggest that 

having a beer 

and listening to 

Oasis is going to be a good 

time, but did you know that 

Noel Gallagher was a roadie 

for Inspiral Carpets before he 

joined Oasis? Our Roadie also 

had humble beginnings and 

has gone on to great things, 

so in the absence of sipping 

on a Champagne Supernova 

(whatever that is), Roadie might 

just be the perfect companion 

for our favourite Oasis record.” 

Backstage |PA 

WATCH THE THRONE 

By JAY-Z & KANYE WEST 

“The backstage 

area is the haven 

of the rockstar 

on the road. 

Particularly if 

you’re Jay-Z, who 

expects his green room to be 

exactly 72 degrees with ‘good 

quality peanut butter, jelly, one 

martini shaker, 12 shot glasses, 

and a pack of Marlboro Lights’. 

Then factor in that Kanye 

requires Versace towels and 

a slushie machine that makes 

‘Greygoose and lemonade’ and 

‘Hennessy & Coca-Cola’ iced 

beverages. Fortunately with big 

hop hits and a solid malt bass, 

Backstage IPA demands none 

of these grandeurs. Just a fridge 

and a sofa will do perfectly, 

thank you very much.”

Stud|o P|lsner 

RUMOURS 

By FLEETWOOD MAC 

“Is there a more 

infamous studio 

story than the 

inter-band drama 

of Fleetwood 

Mac recording 

Rumours? From relationship 

meltdowns to frenzied all-night 

sessions. And what came out 

of all of that friction? One of 

the most iconic records of 

all time. It takes all sorts to 

make the perfect album and 

it takes all sorts to make our 

Studio Pilsner, which is bitter 

with floral notes – a bit like 

Fleetwood Mac’s experience in 

the studio come to think of it...” 

N|ghtl|ner 

HOW DID WE GET 

SO DARK? 

By ROYAL BLOOD 

“How did we get 

so dark? Believe 

us, that’s the 

question we asked 

ourselves when 

we first tried our 

jet black, 5.7% coffee porter, 

Nightliner. Turning out the lights 

and drinking Nightliner while 

listening to the thundering bass 

of Royal Blood’s second record 

is an experience to be hold, 

trust us.” 

N|ce T|me 

PART & PARCEL 

By THE SKINTS 

“At Signature 

Brew, we pride 

ourselves on our 

collaboration 

beers with bands 

so we’d be crazy 

if we didn’t suggest pairing 

the pale ale we made with 

London ska outfit The Skints 

with our favourite album by 

them. It has hits of passionfruit 

with bursts of Pink Guava and 

Blood Orange. We’d say it’s 

‘totally tropical’ but apparently 

someone already used that 

tagline...”

THE BREAD SURPLUS STORY 

24 MILLION 

SLICES OF BREAD ARE THROWN AWAY EVERY DAY BY HOUSEHOLDS IN THE UK 

44 PER CENT 

OF ALL BREAD PRODUCED IN THE UK IS THROWN AWAY 

1.3 BILLION 

TONNES OF FOOD IS WASTED EACH YEAR GLOBALLY 

VISIT WWW.TOASTALE.COM TO FIND OUT MORE 

“THERE IS 

NOTHING MORE 

DEPRESSING THAN 

TOAST THAT NO 

ONE EATS.” 

PETER HEDGES, WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE

Sour beer is such an expansive 

category that it can be intimidating 

for the uninitiated. It incorporates 

numerous styles and brewing 

techniques from Berliner weisse to 

wild ales. Our man Tom Sell breaks 

through the haze to bring you 12 of 

the best in the market place.

MISSION GOSE 

BREW|NG 

MT PLEASANT, SC 

Style: 

SOUR - GOSE 

ABV: 4% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.83 

WHAT THEY SAY: 

This is mission 

gose: our take on 

an old-fashioned 

and slightly odd 

German beer 

style that is with 

good reason 

trending as the 

tastiest right now. 

It’s tart, salty, low 

in alcohol and 

probably the 

most refreshing 

beer you’ll ever 

have. 

WHAT WE THINK: 

Pale yellow in 

colour, rather 

murky with a 

thin white head 

that disappears 

into nothing 

pretty quickly. 

Lime cordial, 

lemon peel, 

lemongrass, and 

slightly earthy 

notes in aroma. 

Taste is sea salt, 

lemon, lime zest, 

slightly sour, 

touch of malt 

vinegar in the 

finish. Lively and 

well carbonated, 

this is a good 

example of a 

modern day gose.

SUR CITRA 

COPENHAGEN 

Style: 

SOUR PALE ALE 

ABV: 5.5% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.90 


Ever had a pale ale 

and thought “this is 

great, but I wonder 

if it could be a bit 

tart?” Well now you 

can. Continuing 

our experimental 

Sur series of beers, 

we present to you 

a single-hopped 

American pale ale, 

using Citra, with 

a soured mash 

to bring a tart, 

refreshing drink to 

your lips. 


A dark yellow 

to orange beer, 

slightly hazy. Nice 

thick brilliant white 

long lasting head. 

Strong grapefruit, 

passionfruit, 

barnyard funk, 

pine needles 

and lemon peel 

aromas. Taste 

is a big burst 

of orange peel, 

grapefruit, a 

bracing crispness 

then comes 

through and gives 

way to a slight 

leathery flavour 

which is more 

noticeable at the 

back end, the 

sourness is present 

throughout but not 

too overbearing. 

A nice dry finish 

which lasts quite 

long.

BIÈRE DE MARS 

DEXTER, M| 

Style: 

FLANDERS SOUR 

ABV: 7% 

Volume: 375ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.94 


Brewed with two 

yeasts, mellowed 

in large oak casks 

and re-fermented 

in the bottle, our 

Bière de Mars is 

a sustaining beer 

brewed to comfort 

in the gusty ides 

of March and 

welcome in a 

warmth of warmer 

weather. 


Dark auburn 

brown, hazy in 

appearance. Small 

white head which 

disappears quickly. 

Strong aromas of 

red grapes, red 

apple, cherry, 

balsamic vinegar, 

some sour funk. 

There’s also an 

oak-aged barrel 

aroma. The taste 

is tart apples, 

balsamic vinegar, 

some grassy 

notes, a touch 

of redcurrant 

and cherry also 

present. There’s a 

gentle reminder of 

a malty caramel 

backbone. The 

finish is dry and 

tart, but too sour.

HOP DROP SOUR 

STAVANGER 

Style: 

SOUR |PA 

ABV: 6.2% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.79 


We love our sour 

beers and we love 

our IPAs. In this 

case we made 

our favourites 

come together. A 

massive amount 

of hops were 

dumped into this 

sour to give the 

zing a little zang. 

Light bitterness 

and medium 

tartness with 

serious hop aroma 

and flavors. 


A hazy golden 

light orange in 

colour, a very 

small white 

head that 

disappears fairly 

quickly. Lemons, 

peach, apricot, 

tropical fruits 

in the aroma. 

Taste is lemon 

peel, grapefruit, 

gooseberry, 

slight acidic 

twang, which 

gives way to a 

slightly peachy 

finish. Bitterness is 

restrained. Body 

is pretty light 

considering the 

strength. A nice 

balance between 

hoppiness and 

sourness.

SALTY KISS 

HUDDERSF|ELD 

Style: 

SOUR - GOSE 

ABV: 4.1% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.48 


This is our take 

on a traditional 

German style 

gose, flavoured 

with fruit, sea 

buckthorn and 

sea salt. Tart, 

lightly sour, fruity 

and refreshing 

with a defined 

saltiness makes 

this beer an 

excellent 

accompaniment 

to food. 


Pours a hazy, 

straw coloured 

yellow hue. Nice 

thick and tight 

white head. 

Aromas of sour 

gooseberry, sea 

air. Flavour is 

slightly wheaty, 

with a touch of 

sea salt, lemon 

sherbert, light 

gooseberry. 

Nicely lightly 

carbonated 

which 

complements the 

flavours very well. 

Finish is tart, dry 

and sharp. Very 

accessible, and 

easy to drink. 

Perfect summer 

sipper.

SOURDOUGH 

CO 

Shepton Mallet 

Style: 

BERL|NER WE|SSE 

ABV: 3.6% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.55 


Loosely based on 

a Berliner weisse 

style – a historical 

Sour beer style 

from Germany, but 

with a Wild Beer 

slant to it. We have 

used the 58 year 

old sourdough 

culture and a little 

brettanomyces 

and put the 

beer straight 

into oak barrels 

for its primary 

fermentation. 


Appearance is a 

hazy pale golden 

yellow, a fairly 

thin white head. 

Tart lemon peel, 

malt vinegar, 

cider apple and 

hay notes on the 

aroma. The flavour 

is strongly acidic, 

with lemon juice, 

sour yogurt and 

a classic Lambic 

style barnyard 

funk that then 

takes over. The 

carbonation is 

absolutely perfect, 

and pushes the 

beer around the 

mouth nicely. 

Finish is sharp and 

dry. A refreshing 

beer.

TART 

BAkEWELL 

Style: 

S O U R 

ABV: 6% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.49 


Our Bakewell 

Sour brewed in 

collaboration 

with Wild Beer Co. 

pours a golden 

yellow colour with 

a white head, the 

beer is refreshingly 

tart and dry with 

a combination 

of citrusy hops 

and flavours of 

grapefruit and 

bitter lemon. 


Pours a beautiful 

golden yellow 

colour, a nice 

thick white fluffy 

head which 

hangs around 

for a bit. Plenty 

of carbonation. 

Aromas of lemon 

peel, pear drops 

and floral hops. 

The taste is a 

nice balance 

between the cider 

vinegar tartness 

and passionfruit 

from the galaxy 

hops. The alcohol 

is pretty much 

unnoticeable. 

The finish is dry, 

the carbonation 

pushes the body 

of the beer around 

the mouthfeel.

St. BRETTA CLEMENTINE 

DENVER, CO 

Style: 

W|LD ALE - SOUR 

ABV: 5.8% 

Volume: 375ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.95 


Crooked Stave 

brewery is known 

for their brewing 

specialty in 

Brettanomyces 

fermentations and 

barrel-aged sour 

and wild ales. 

Crooked Stave 

Brewing Company 

is home to some 

of the finest sour 

beers. 


A yellow golden 

colour, slight haze. 

Absolutely no 

head whatsoever. 

A real cidery 

aroma to this 

one, apples 

and farmyard 

funk dominate 

the senses, 

there’s a slight 

pineapple touch 

there too. Taste 

is strongly tart, 

elements of lemon 

peel, barnyard 

funkiness, slightly 

clove flavour 

with a bit of a 

medicinal taste. 

Carbonation is 

spot on, it helps 

with the refreshing 

quality to the brew. 

Nice dry finish.

MEADOWSWEET 16 

PROJECT 

SUDBURY 

Style: 

S O U R 

ABV: 6.7% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.96 


We had smelled 

the pungent 

meadowsweet 

flowers growing 

locally, with their 

notes of sweet honey 

tempered with an 

aroma of antiseptic 

cream and a 

background of 

freshly-cut grass. In 

the past we hadn’t 

been brave enough 

to use them in beer 

then we thought we 

would give it a go. 


Cloudy yellow to 

golden in colour, 

a very thin white 

head. A funky, 

herbal slightly 

grassy aroma, 

slightly fruity. Taste 

is a hit of brett 

sour, then fruity, 

flavours like apple 

and honey come 

to the fore. There’s 

an acidic touch to 

the fruity flavour. 

The finish is not as 

dry as many other 

sours, there’s a 

cider like sparkling 

apple flavour also 

in the finish.

CUVEE SOFIE 

Moen 

Style: 

BLOND SOUR 

ABV: 8% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.98 


Complex blond 

full-bodied sour 

beer aged on 

red wine barrels 

(St-Emelion, 

Margeaux, 

Pomerol). A big 

barrel aged 

blond sour! 


Hazy orange to 

brown in colour, 

little to no head 

whatsoever. Very 

distinctive aromas 

of barnyard funk, 

boozy cognac, 

toffee and oak 

with a slight 

floral note. A 

flavour explosion 

on the first sip, 

sour cherries, 

redcurrant, 

gooseberry, 

tart raspberry, 

sourness 

is present 

throughout. 

Very boozy 

and medicinal 

aftertaste, the 

finish is dry.

50 STATES OF FREEDOM 

HELS|NGBORG 

Style: 

BERL|NER WE|SSE 

ABV: 4% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.67 


Brewski is not a 

normal brewery. 

We want to 

explore and set 

new limits for what 

can be and not 

be done. This is 

a collaboration 

with Cycle Brewing 

Company, a 

farmhouse Berliner 

with lime. 


A very pale light 

yellow beer, 

slightly hazy with 

a decent white 

rocky and thick 

head. A very 

inviting aroma of 

lime zest, lemon 

peel, slightly 

lactic and a 

touch of mint. 

The flavour is 

straight up lime 

cordial, with some 

saltiness and 

herbal qualities 

coming through. 

The tangy flavour 

carries through 

into the finish, 

which is dry, fruity 

and tart.

ZUUR RHUBARB 

LYM|NGTON 

Style: 

BELG|AN SOUR 

ABV: 3.5% 

Volume: 330ml 

UNTPPED.com 

RAT|NG: ●●●●● 3.56 


Our very popular 

sour beer. We 

alternate the 

recipe on every 

batch with 

seasonal fruits 

and American 

hops. Our mighty 

Zuur recipe has 

had bushels of 

fresh Rhubarb 

blended to create 

a very creamy 

incarnation of an 

already powerful 

beer. 


A cloudy, straw 

yellow coloured 

beer. Head is a 

thin white head 

which dissipates 

quickly. Cider 

apple aromas, 

tart rhubarb and 

tangy. Taste is 

zingy rhubarb, 

slight sour yogurt 

and some saltiness 

comes through. 

The sourness is 

quite restrained 

and subtle, but is 

still noticeable. 

Good creamy 

mouthfeel for the 

ABV. The finish is 

dry, gently sour 

and easy to drink.

IS FOR, 

WELL, LOTS 

OF THINGS. 

THAT’S WHY 

WE HAVE 

DEVISED OUR 

OWN BEER 

GLOSSARY 

FOR YOU TO 

DRINK IN. 

IMPROVE 

YOUR 

KNOWLEDGE 

OF WHAT 

MAKES BEER 

SO GREAT 

AND IMPRESS 

YOUR 

FRIENDS IN 

THE BAR. 

WHAT HAVE 

YOU GOT TO 

LOSE? 

DRAUGHT BEER 

This the general term 

for beer served from 

a keg or a cask and 

is commonly found 

in pubs and bars. 

There’s something 

about draught beer 

that is really hard to 

beat and even we are 

not sure what it is. 

Watching someone 

pull a pint of the 

nectar you’re about to 

sample seems to make 

it taste better than 

if they just grabbed 

a can or bottle from 

a fridge. There are of 

course some benefits 

to controlling the 

carbonation and 

mouthfeel of a beer 

when storing and 

serving beer for 

draught. All we know 

is, it’s hear to stay and 

we enjoy it. A lot. 

A

DRY HOPPING 

A technique in 

brewing that adds 

a tonne of flavour 

and aroma to a beer. 

Essentially what it 

means is adding hop 

after the wort has 

been cooled during 

the brewing process. 

The benefits of this 

are that no oils are 

boiled off, meaning 

that the hops added at 

this stage give a huge 

flavour and aroma 

boost to the beer. 

However, possible 

downsides include an 

oily taste that some 

people don’t like – 

also hops added at 

this stage are not 

sanitised by boiling. 

We however, having 

dabbled in some 

brewing ourselves, 

are huge fans of this 

technique. 

DIACETYL 

Dia.. Deeaa.. Daiss.. 

This chemical, which 

is often tricky to 

pronounce can be 

added to beers to 

create a buttery 

flavour. It can be 

created through yeast 

metabolism depending 

on temperatures and 

amount of time left 

to ferment. It can 

be a tricky one to 

control and also a 

tricky one to detect if 

you don’t have a very 

experienced pallet. 

Often the butteriness 

that it delivers actually 

only increases over 

time. 

This is straying into 

the more complicated 

aspects of brewing, 

but at least you know 

how to say it… maybe. 

DARK MALT 

Barley is the preferred 

grain used in beer 

and malted barley or 

malt is the form of 

barley that is ready 

to be fermented into 

alcohol. There are 

many different types 

of malt including dark 

ones, which have been 

roasted for longer. 

There is a common 

misconception that 

darker beers made 

with darker malts are 

stronger – not so. The 

darkness of the malt 

is down to how long 

it has been roasted, 

which can in fact 

lockup some of the 

startches in the beer 

actually resulting in a 

lower ABV. 

Darker malts often 

produce a thicker 

mouthfeel and richer, 

deeper flavours.

DELTA HOPS 

This hop variety is 

a relatively new kid 

on the block, having 

only been released in 

2009 from the United 

States. It is fairly mild 

in aroma with a slight 

spicy, citrusy edge. 

It is from the Fuggle 

family of hops but 

has decidedly more 

kick, giving it that 

true American style. 

It is often found in 

American pale ales, 

IPAs and ESBs – 

Midtown Brewing has 

a Delta IPA, as does 

Brussels Beer Project. 

It also makes you 

sound like a badass 

saying the word Delta 

openly in bars. 

DUVEL 

One of Belgium’s great 

brewers, Duvel has 

been churning out 

the good stuff since 

1871 and is exported 

to over 40 countries 

worldwide. 

The brewery has 

bought up a few 

of its competitors 

over the years as it 

has grown, such as 

Brasserie d’Achouffe, 

De Koninck and 

Boulevard Brewing 

Co to help increase 

its beer types and 

distribution. 

As well as the classic 

Duvel there are also 

Tripel Hop and Victory 

versions available 

of this strong, but 

fantastically rounded 

beer. 

A

DOPPELBOCK 

A Bock is a super 

strong German lager, 

and as the astute of 

you may have guessed, 

a Doppelbock is even 

stronger and more 

malty in flavour. With 

a full-bodied flavour 

and a darker colour 

than their single 

siblings, Dobbelbocks 

often have slight 

chocolate or roasted 

characteristics in 

their darker forms. 

The low end of the 

ABV is around 6 per 

cent and they top 

out at around 9 per 

cent. Not for the faint 

hearted, but definitely 

a hearty ‘meal in a 

glass’ for those into 

that sort of thing. 

DURATION 

Hopefully you read 

all about one of the 

most talked about 

breweries in the 

making in our last 

issue, but if you 

didn’t here is the 

quick 101. Duration 

will be a Norfolk, 

farmhouse-based 

brewery with the mad 

skills of American 

brewer Derek Bates, 

promising to deliver 

proper seasonal 

beers with terrior. 

The brewery will also 

have a pretty amazing 

looking taproom on 

site and is aiming to 

re-connect beer with 

its roots of natural 

ingredients. 

DIPA 

Sometimes also called 

imperial IPAs, DIPAs, 

or Double IPAs these 

are beers for those 

hop hungry drinkers 

among us. They are 

usually hop-centric in 

aroma and flavour and, 

as the name suggests, 

have a higher alcohol 

content than standard 

IPAs which is achieved 

by adding more malt. 

We are big fans of 

DIPAs (perhaps a bit 

too much on certain 

nights we can/can’t 

remember) and there 

are several breweries 

who know how to do 

them very well such as 

Cloudwater and To Øl.

PHOTO CREDIT: ROBERT GIGLIOTTI.

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kASPER 

LEDET 

THE MAN BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL DESIGNS ADORNING 

DANISH MICRO BREWERY TO ØL’S BOTTLES AND CANS 

EXPLAINS HOW NEW ORDER, THE FIAT MULTIPLA AND 

SECRET ADVENTURES ON THE GROUNDS OF THE CARLSBERG 

BREWERY INFLUENCED HIS UNIQUE STYLE. THIS IS KASPER 

LEDET’S WORLD AND WE ARE JUST DRINKING FROM IT. 

You describe yourself as a self-taught graphic designer, 

can you tell us how you got into design and how you 

think this has influenced your work? 

In my early teens, me and my friends started to record music 

and publish it on our own home-cooked CDs. I quickly 

found out that I was much better at making the artwork for 

the covers than actually making the music. So that is pretty 

much how my interest in graphic design started out. 

Back then, there was quite a strong design community on 

Proto blogs such as K10K, Design is Kinky and Newstoday. 

Through those sites, I discovered a lot of different design 

inspiration from all around the world. This was the early 

2000’s back when 3D explosions and vector graphics with 

abstract geometric shapes were peaking. Helvetica was just 

making its comeback and web design was the hot shit. I 

was particularly inspired by people like Mike Young and 

his online art project Designgraphik and Bradley Grosh 

(Gmunk) and his motion graphics. I guess my early sources 

of inspiration were really international. There was no Danish 

sites or blogs covering the local design scene, so it was only 

natural to look abroad.

How did you start working 

with To Øl and BRUS? 

I attended the same high school 

in Copenhagen as the founders 

of To Øl. Back then they were 

starting to experiment with home 

brewing in the school’s kitchen. 

They needed some labels and 

since I was playing around with 

graphic design they asked me to 

do them. The labels were made on 

a Xerox machine and pasted onto 

the bottles by hand. When To Øl 

made its first commercial release 

in 2010 the guys called me again 

to do the label and I’ve been on 

board ever since. 

T|ME CAN BE 

BOTH FORG|V|NG 

AND DOWNR|GHT 

BRUTAL. |T |S 

THR|LL|NG TO 

PUBL|SH A DES|GN 

WHERE YOU ARE 

TRULY |N DOUBT 

WHETHER |T |S 

BR|LL|ANT OR SH|T.

Can you tell us more about the concept behind your 

work at To Øl? In a recent interview, you were brutally 

honest about some of your own work, both the good 

and the bad. Is that an important part of how you 

develop as a designer? 

I guess that self-critique is a really important part of every 

creative process. With To Øl in particular, the output is so 

huge that inevitably some of the designs will be bad. We 

have created over 300 different beers in total. There is not 

much you can do about a bad design once it’s published. The 

only thing you can do is discuss it and learn from it. The 

goal is by no means to stop making bad designs. They are 

a consequence of taking risks and trying new things. The 

important thing is to understand that the line between a 

good and a bad design is blurry. Time can be both forgiving 

and downright brutal. It is thrilling to publish a design where 

you are truly in doubt whether it is brilliant or shit.

THE F|AT 

MULT|PLA 

HAS ALMOST 

BECOME A 

k|ND OF 

MASCOT FOR 

ME. |T PROVES 

A VERY 

|MPORTANT 

PO|NT |N 

DES|GN: |T 

DOES NOT 

HAVE TO BE 

BEAUT|FUL 

TO BE 

|NTEREST|NG. 

Looking through your Instagram account you seem 

to be inspired by an eclectic mix, from Peter Saville 

to modernist architecture to even the Fiat Multipla, 

who and what would you say are your biggest creative 

influences when it comes to your label designs? 

Peter Saville is definitely an important source of inspiration 

for me. When I started out I thought that graphic design on 

a professional level was all about simple logos and functional 

design systems, that graphic design should convey a clear 

and precise message. When I discovered the work that Peter 

Saville did for New Order in the 80’s all my ideas about 

graphic design changed. I realized that it could be about 

diffusing contrasting feelings and that it could be very 

personal. It could be conceptual and self-referential and there 

was no need to provide any clear answers. I guess some of 

those ideas are apparent in my work for To Øl. 

Architecture is also an important source of inspiration. 

Not only the kind of architecture that is designed by 

‘stararchitects’, but the building environment as a whole. 

Many of the designs for To Øl features photos I have shot of 

the forgotten or insignificant parts of the urban landscape 

like a decaying plant, the content of a glass disposal container 

or social housing. 

The Fiat Multipla has almost become a kind of mascot for 

me. It proves a very important point in design: it does not 

have to be beautiful to be interesting. The Pompidou Center 

in Paris and the furniture coming out of the Italian Memphis 

group of the 80’s also exhibit some of the same qualities. I 

would love to have followed the design process of the Fiat 

Multipla. Just think about the board meetings where sketches 

and models of this absurd looking car were shown and 

decisions to make huge investments in further development 

were decided upon. 

I guess the Multipla could only originate from an Italian 

company, with Italian designers and an Italian leadership. 

The essence of this very fascinating, but also highly 

paradoxical country, is deeply embedded in the Multipla. 

Plenty of boring, ugly and insignificant cars have been 

designed in the past, but the special thing about the Multipla 

is that it’s ugly and at the same time, stands out as a true 

icon. A really glorious attempt to develop the aesthetics 

of transportation. It must have taken great courage from 

everybody involved.

| HAVE 

LEARNED 

THAT THERE 

ARE A 

LOT MORE 

|NTERESTING 

BEERS OUT 

THERE THAN 

A FUCk|NG 

CARLSBERG. 

How much has the job influenced your 

relationship with craft beer and vice-versa? 

I have learned a lot about craft beer from working 

at To Øl. To put that in perspective, in one of the 

first interviews I gave as To Øl Art Director I said 

that my favorite beer was Carlsberg. By now I 

have learned that there are a lot more interesting 

beers out there than a fucking Carlsberg. There is, 

however, no way of getting around the fact that 

Carlsberg is really close to my heart since I grew up 

right next to its Copenhagen brewery and global 

headquarters where the business was started back in 

1847. There is literally five meters from the door of 

my parents’ house to the factory perimeter. As kids, 

we used to jump the fence and go on an adventure 

on the brewery site and the first word I could read 

or recognize was “Carlsberg”.

Are you excited about the quality of design and 

illustration in the craft beer market at the moment? Do 

you feel that the Nordic countries are leading the way? 

I’m thinking that a lot of breweries are really starting to 

recognize the power of good design. When To Øl started 

out there was not a lot of interesting stuff around – now the 

situation is completely different. 

I don’t know if the Nordic countries are necessarily leading 

the way, but there is definitely some strong design coming 

out of the Scandinavian craft beer scene. Just think about 

Karl Grandin’s work for Omnipollo or Keith Shore’s work for 

Mikkeller. I don’t see them as being particular ‘Scandinavian’ 

in their aesthetics. Craft beer is a really globalized 

phenomenon so maybe there is no need for a deep regional 

aesthetic foundation. Maybe it is more about connecting 

people across the world through visuals that tells a story and 

stand out from the mainstream breweries. You can properly 

find traces of Scandinavian modernism in my work, since 

that is what I have grown up with. Movements and artists 

completely unrelated to Denmark or the Nordic Countries 

also act as significant sources of inspiration to me, like 

American land art, Brazilian architecture or Italian Futurism, 

just to name a few. I definitely consider my own work rather 

globalized, but standing on a Scandinavian foundation. 

What are you working on at the moment? 

Unfortunately, most of the To Øl stuff that I’m working on at 

any given moment won’t be released for six months, so I can’t 

say a lot. I’m doing an ongoing collaboration with a Danish 

post punk/darkwave band called Boundaries. This mostly 

involves getting hammered at their gigs but once in a while 

some visuals also see light of day. 

I’m also trying to visit some of the great and more 

unknown examples of Danish modernist architectural 

heritage. I’m posting the pictures from the visits on my 

Instagram account. And finally, I’m also working on a new 

personal website with the programmer David Udsen who 

also developed the sites for To Øl and BRUS.

TOP 

5 

THE FIVE 

LABEL 

DESIGNS 

KASPER 

LEDET 

IS MOST 

PROUD OF. 

CLOUDY 9 W|T 

The artwork consists of 

a gradient and a grid of 

crosshairs. The colour 

scheme is referencing the 

two special ingredients in 

the beer: mango and orange 

peel. The grid of crosshairs is 

inspired by the photos from 

the Apollo missions to the 

Moon, where they were used 

to carry out measurements 

and correct distortions. 

Here they are placed over 

an abstract gradient and are 

transformed into formal 

aesthetic symbols instead of 

scientific tools. 

THE HAZE CRAZE 

This design consists of a 

photo shot through some 

frosted glass depicting 

some kind of building or 

structure. The image has 

been turned 90 degrees 

and the blurriness of the 

artwork caused by the 

frosted glass is a reference 

to the hazy nature of the 

beer. Furthermore, the image 

is balancing just on the 

verge of abstraction. It could 

be mistaken for a painting 

or a piece of Photoshop 

generated artwork. It is 

not about photography’s 

ability to make believable 

representations of reality. It 

is about the texture of the 

image and the almost tactile 

quality of the final print.

SAY WHAT 

The name of the beer is 

illustrated with simple 

pieces of abstract 

concrete poetry. Text is 

often associated with 

clarity and meaning – it 

should say something or 

mean something. Here an 

exclamation mark and a 

question mark are organized 

in a way that is meant to 

imply a kind sequence, 

rhythm or beat more than 

an actual message or title. 

SUR TANGER|NE 

Sur Tangerine is part of the 

Sur Series and the label 

also features an extremely 

grainy photo like most of 

the other instalments in 

the series. The photo was 

shot in the middle of the 

night and is depicting a tree 

in a park in Copenhagen. 

The ground is covered in 

snow which reflects the 

lights of the city, boosting 

the ambient light and 

making the sky yellow. The 

extremely low light confuses 

the sensor in the camera, 

which makes the branches 

of the tree turn purple. 

TOTEM PASS|ON 

The design features a closeup 

photo of a window 

display where several 

beautiful pieces of wood are 

exhibited. It is not clear what 

the purpose of the display 

is since there are no text or 

signs explaining anything. It 

could be a kind of shop or 

an alternative therapist – 

maybe even a cult or sect or 

something entirely different. 

It is rather refreshing with 

a bit of mystery in our 

structured and repetitive 

everyday lives.

LONDON CALLING 

This is Jonny and Brad’s (of Craft Beer 

Channel fame) second book. Part where 

to drink and part exploration of London’s 

beer culture. Ideal if you are thinking of 

sipping your way around the capital. 

CRAFTY WORLD TOUR 

Award-winning beer and food writer 

Melissa Cole guides you through 100 

of the world’s tastiest brews. Fun and 

beautifully illustrated, a perfect read for 

newcomers and seasoned drinkers alike. 

W A N T Y O U R P R O D U C T F E A T U R E D ? C O

IF YOU CAN’T BE 

DRINKING IT AT LEAST 

BE READING ABOUT IT... 

PEOPLE POWER 

Brew Dog’s Craft Beer for the People 

covers everything from how beer is made 

to the many styles you can enjoy it in 

and pairing it with food. Great if you are 

thinking of brewing your own beer. 

BOOT CAMP FOR BEER GEEKS 

A demystifying breakdown of the beer 

market and beer styles. Structured into 

easily digestable classes you’ll learn how 

to dissect a beer and even how to pair 

beer with food. 

N T A C T U S A T I N F O @ H O P U L I S T . C O M

X ST. ERIKS BRYGGERI 

THORNBRIDGE HALL 

BAkEWELL x STOCkHOLM 

Style: 

|MPER|AL STOUT 

ABV: 10% 

Volume: 500ml 

When a giant of England 

crashed head on with 

a giant of Sweden 

the results were, quite 

frankly, delicious. 

Thornbridge and St. Eriks 

have colluded to put the 

imperial into stout with a 

collaboration that packs 

punches of the rich, dark 

and fruity variety.

What do the 

grounds of 

Thornbridge 

Hall in the picturesque Peak 

District and the beautiful 

islands of the Swedish 

capital Stockholm have in 

common? The answer is not 

an awful lot, that is until 

recently. Two fine brewing 

minds, with their companies 

based in these two stunning 

locations, came together 

in 2013 to create a beerbased 

bond that we think 

is just about on the edge of 

perfection. Thornbrige Hall 

Imperial Raspberry Stout is 

the creation and Rob Lovatt 

of Thronbridge Brewery and 

Jessica Heinrich of St Eriks 

Brewery are the collaborators 

– and boy did they hit the 

jackpot. 

THE 

GOLD 

CLUB 

IN THIS SERIES 

WE EXAMINE THE 

BEERS THAT WE 

THINK HAVE TOUCHED 

PERFECTION. JUST 

HOW DO THEY DO IT?

IT’S A 

BEER 

MADE FOR 

SHARING 

WITH 

FRIENDS 

AND MUCH 

OF THIS 

OWES 

TO ITS 

CREATION. 

The Imperial Stout pours rich 

and dark and blossoms with fruity 

aromas, hints of liquorice and 

chocolate, all generously infused 

with Scottish raspberries. The aroma 

alone is one of the most distinct we 

have been fortunate enough to try, 

but it doesn’t get overpowered with 

sweetness on the first taste. Malty, 

chocolate and raspberry flavours 

combine with a roasted finish to 

make it very drinkable indeed. The 

balance that has been achieved with 

this beer does a great job of masking 

the relatively strong 10% ABV. We 

feel this would be just at home on 

a hot summer’s evening as it would 

in front of a cosy roaring fire – it is 

is everything you would like a good 

stout to be! 

It’s a beer made for sharing with 

friends and much of this owes to 

its creation – showcasing just what 

friendship and sharing inspiration 

among your peers can inspire. 

For those who don’t know, 

Thornbridge is one of England’s 

oldest craft breweries and began 

brewing way back in 2005. Its initial 

focus was on traditional recipes with 

a modern twist – something that 

shines through in this collaboration. 

Head brewer Rob Lovatt studied 

microbiology at Sunderland 

University and has always had 

a vision of brewing that infuses 

modernity and tradition. Having 

been around the beer game for quite 

some time, he has come to know 

many of his peers well, including 

Jessica Heinrich of St Eriks Brewery. 

St Eriks can be dated back as far 

as 1859, and Jessica was the head 

of a revamping of the company 

and brand that began in 2009. Her 

aims have always been to champion 

Stockholm’s proud beer making 

history, whilst also keeping things 

new and exciting. Sharing a similar 

ethos to Rob, Jessica has always 

aimed to equally excite demanding 

beer enthusiasts and casual drinkers 

thanks to the brewery’s age-old 

knowledge and modern techniques. 

This collaboration is one of those 

where you can tell just how easy 

it felt for these two brewers to 

work together, while at the same 

time they got a measure of each 

other’s differences in approach and 

technique. 

It’s lucky for us that such 

friendship and sharing exists in 

craft beer, because it bestows us 

with wonderful tipples such as this. 

Reach for the raspberries today.

LAND 

OF THE 

RISING 

CRAFT 

JAPAN IS A COUNTRY OF GREAT HISTORIC TRADITION 

AND CUTTING-EDGE MODERNITY, SO IT SHOULD BE NO 

SURPRISE THAT THESE TWO ATTRIBUTES HAVE COMBINED 

SEAMLESSLY TO CREATE A THRIVING AND INNOVATIVE 

CRAFT BEER INDUSTRY. HOPULIST TRAVELLED TO THE FAR 

EAST TO SAMPLE IT FOR OURSELVES.

JAPAN 

日本国 

• KYOTO 

OSAKA • 

TOKYO 

By David Guest 

There’s something about Tokyo at night that 

intoxicates you in a way that no other city 

can quite manage. The gentle hum of the 

traffic, the hypnotic glow of neon, the inexhaustible 

cacophony of jingles emanating from shops, street 

crossings and vehicles. The city has a heartbeat that 

never stops, but it also never feels overbearing or 

threatening – it’s just somewhere that feels like no 

matter who you are, you’ll find a place. And if like 

us, a cosy craft beer bar with locally-brewed and 

international beers is ‘your place’, then Tokyo and 

the rest of Japan welcomes you with open arms. 

And that is exactly what happened on our recent 

visit to the country. 

The original motivation for this expedition was 

pretty far removed from craft beer – I was on a 

mission to tick the Tokyo Marathon off my running 

bucket list – but it soon emerged that Japan was a 

serious craft beer destination. 

The country has a long association with brewing, 

with Japanese Sake dating back to as long ago as 

the third century, and its beer brewing pedigree 

also has ancient roots. Craft beer has naturally 

developed in the country, borrowing traditions 

and styles of the ancients and combining them 

with its love of staying current, experimenting with 

innovation and doing it all in its own über cool 

style. Despite the power of huge beer players like 

Asahi, Kirin and Sapporro, Japan’s craft beer scene 

is absolutely thriving. Brewers of all shapes and 

sizes have been springing up around the country 

for years, as Japanese drinkers crave the inspiring 

stories behind the beer they consume. 

One thing unites them all is a genuine passion for 

making great beer, telling great stories and sharing 

good times together. The spirit of craft is alive and 

kicking in Japan. So, as we staggered around (and 

believe me, I was staggering after that marathon) 

the metropolis that is Tokyo and into the first craft 

beer pub of the trip, we opened a Pandora’s box 

of fantastic brewers and wonderfully warm and 

welcoming people.

京都市 

TOKYO 

That first craft beer establishment of the trip was 

Hitachino Brewing Lab, located on the outer 

perimeter of Tokyo’s central railway station 

(crucially also just a short wobble from the finish 

line of the Tokyo Martahon). Hitachino is probably 

one of the best-known Japanese craft brewers on 

a global scale as it’s been around for a number of 

years and managed to work hard on its export to a 

point where it is relatively commonplace in Europe 

and even the USA. This bar is a prime spot for 

starting your Japanese craft beer adventure, not 

only because its location is practically impossible to 

miss, but also because Hitachino is a nice middleof-the-road 

brewer that’s well established. The 

bar is modern, clean and offers the core range of 

Hitachino beers on tap. There’s also the occasional 

special or limited edition beer that makes it onto 

the roster, as well as a good selection of pub snacktype 

food. One of the other great things about the 

bar is the view – floor to ceiling windows look out 

onto a sky scraper-lined avenue that typifies Tokyo. 

From a personal point of view, I’m not sure I’ve 

sampled a more satisfying beer – a Dai Dai Pale 

Ale, with 42 kilometers in my legs, watching the 

world go by in this fantastic city. 

After a few days for emotions to settle down 

and legs to recover, we decided to visit a bar that 

showcases why Tokyo should really be considered 

a serious city when it comes to craft beer. 

Influential Danish brewer Mikkeller has its own 

Tokyo bar that has been established for several 

years, becoming an important part of its global 

business. But despite this being an arm of a fairly 

large and well-known European brewer, the bar 

has a local atmosphere that could fool you into 

thinking it was born and bred in Japan. The art 

deco exterior is perfectly paired with a stripped 

back and minimal interior where you’ll find a 

fantastic array of Mikkeller beers and a few from 

other local producers too. The bar is located a very 

short walk from one of Tokyo’s most iconic sights 

– Shibuya crossing. If you don’t know what that is, 

imagine literally hundreds of people crossing at a 

road intersection at a time, set against a backdrop 

of flashing neon and lit up advertisements. 

The Mikkeller bar has huge windows at the front 

that in summer open up onto the street to create 

an exclusive block party environment that we 

imagine is unrivalled elsewhere in the city. Also, 

in keeping with the theme of running, there’s a

thriving Mikkeller running club based out of the 

bar too. 

Craft beer is becoming such an intrinsic part 

of life in Tokyo that we even ran into some while 

taking in some of the sights of the city. After 

ascending the Eifel Tower-esuque Tokyo Tower to 

take in 360-degree views of this sprawling urban 

playground, we noticed a mobile craft beer bar 

had been set up by the entrance. The open-sided 

truck spewed comfortable looking chairs and 

tables out onto the pavement while craft beers 

from the nearby Shinagawa-based TY Harbour 

Brewery were served. This brewer predominantly 

serves its beers in its 11 restaurants around the 

city but clearly wants to capitalise on the growing 

thirst for craft beer by showcasing its produce 

to a wider audience in this format. The foot of 

Tokyo Tower could be one of the best locations 

in the city for attracting passers by, and not just 

Japanese ones of course, it’s a tourism hotspot. As 

we arrived, the van was only just setting up for 

the afternoon’s trade, but we were told by locals 

that TY Harbour’s beer is some of the best on this 

southeastern side of the city. Looks like we’ll just 

have to come back to sample it. 

On the final night in Tokyo, we made a date 

with the devil – DevilCraft bar in Hanamatsucho. 

This brewpub-style venue has a focus on pairing 

food with the craft beer it produces and thanks 

to the influence of one of its American owners, it 

offers some of the best Chicago-style pizzas you 

will find in the city. The bar itself is bustling, and 

not with tourists. Locals packed in from all walks 

of life when we visited and the vibe was one of 

fun and laughter. There was a good selection of

CRAFT BEER 

IS BECOMING 

SUCH AN 

INTRINSIC 

PART OF LIFE 

IN TOKYO 

THAT WE 

EVEN RAN 

INTO SOME 

WHILE 

TAKING IN 

SOME OF 

THE SIGHTS 

OF THE CITY. 

DevilCraft’s own beers as well as many American favourites from 

brewers like Stone and Left Hand Brewing. There are three of these 

bars in the city, the other two being in Gotanda and Kanda, making 

this an accessible place to enjoy craft beer wherever you are in 

Tokyo. Not that getting around in Tokyo is ever an issue – the city 

has the best public transport on the planet and it doesn’t come at a 

ridiculous cost. This was a great place to round off our visit to the 

Japanese capital and prepare for a journey to its anagram lover’s 

cousin Kyoto, 450km to the west. 

Chiyoda 

千代田区 

Kokyogaien 

National 

Park 

皇居外苑 

403 

01 

Tokyo Station 東京駅 

Yoyogi Park 

代々木公園 

Shibuya 

渋谷区 

04 

413 

Shibuya 渋谷駅 

Tokyo 

東京都 

02 

Minato 

港区 

Shiba Park 

芝公園 

Hibiya Park 

日比谷公園 

301 

Onarimon 御成門駅 

03 

C h ıu ıo 

中央区 

Hamamatsucho 浜松町駅 

Shinsen 神泉駅 

01 Hitachino Brewing Lab Tokyo Station | www.hitachino.cc 

02 Craft Beer Van | www.kyoto-craftman.com 

03 DevilCraft Hamamatsucho | www.devilcraft.jp 

04 Mikkeller Tokyo | www.mikkeller.jp

京都市 

KYOTO 

The next leg of our craft beer adventure saw us 

arrive in Japan’s ancient capital Kyoto after hurtling 

across the countryside in a train fired from the 

barrel of a gun. Kyoto has a very different vibe as 

a city compared to Tokyo, but the craft beer scene 

is no less dominant. If anything, craft beer seems 

to be a bigger deal in Kyoto, which one Japanese 

person described to us as a more hipster, Los 

Angeles-style city, likening Tokyo to New York. 

Interesting comparison and we could kind of see 

what they were getting at as we entered the openair 

bar Bungalow in Shijo Dori, right near the 

city centre. This stylish bar features stools around 

overturned barrels which serve as tables for the 

clientele to enjoy the fine craft beers on offer – most 

of which came from the Kyoto Brewing Co on our 

visit. Sampling Kyoto-brewed beer in the heart 

of the city itself helped us feel like we were truly 

experiencing the ‘real’ craft beer scene of Japan. 

Bungalow actually has two locations in Kyoto, the 

other being in Teramachi, but the low key setting 

really fits in with the city itself. Kyoto is packed 

with temples and shrines and there are many strict 

building laws, which mean buildings cannot be 

over a certain height, so there’s no skyscrapers 

at all. The public transport is also limited for the 

same reason – planning permission to build more 

underground metro lines is simply too much of 

a pain – so getting taxis is a good option, as is the 

humble bicycle. We’ve already likened this city 

to LA, but to us it felt more like Copenhagen or 

Amsterdam with the constant whizzing of bicycles 

on every corner. 

Using said bicycles, we jettisoned off to another 

watering hole – CraftMan in Dojisacho. This bar 

is much more of a local’s affair and has the typical 

standing bar that many Japanese establishments 

employ. The bar was surrounded by workers who 

we presume were drinking away the stresses of the 

day in the humble bar’s setting. There was laughter, 

there was heated debate, there was a great selection 

of bar snacks and food – this place has the feel of 

something more traditionally Japanese, less like the 

usual format of craft beer bars. That doesn’t detract 

from our enjoyment as we sample some beers from 

the wide range of Japanese brewed beers on offer 

and drink in the surroundings. Even though we 

can’t understand a word anyone is saying, we can 

fill the gaps with our imagination. “I’m a strict IPA 

man, I don’t like to try other beers.” “You can’t say

you like craft if you only stick to one kind of beer, 

try this stout, it’s so well balanced.” “Stout!? No way, 

that’s what my grandfather drinks.” “Just try it.” 

“Okay… it’s… wow. That’s pretty good. Barman! I’ll 

have a stout!” Okay, so maybe that isn’t what they 

were saying, but what’s sitting in a bar if you can’t 

people watch occasionally? 

The main shopping street in Kyoto is like going 

back in time. The promenades are covered by 

elaborate shelters which bathe the pavements 

below in a golden light as people make their way 

up and down it. Classic Toyotas are commonly 

used as taxis and consistently make you feel like 

you are walking down a street in the 1980s. There 

is definitely a love of all things retro in this city, 

and that’s evident in our next stop Beer Komachi. 

Hidden down a quiet side street, Komachi has a 

really old school feel thanks to its simple interior, 

worn furniture and the fact that the kitchen is 

basically in the bar with you. We order a couple of 

beers from Aomori Brewing and relax in the dingy 

and dark corner of the bar, this time surrounded 

by a few other European tourists from Italy and 

Austria. It’s such a quiet and peaceful street that 

you’d forget that Kyoto’s bustling Nishiki Market is 

just a couple of blocks away. That’s what’s nice about 

the craft beer bars here, they are sanctuaries that 

offer a perfect place to enjoy each other’s company 

and meet other keen craft connesuirs. One keen 

Japanese gentleman recommends another Kyoto 

Brewing Beer that we try before we leave and is 

keen to learn more about craft beer in the UK. 

Thankfully, I’m wearing my Beavertown cap, so I’m 

able to get one brewer’s name across to him even 

with the language barrier.

Nakagyo Ward 

中京区 

367 

Karasuma Oike 烏丸御池駅 

Underground & train stations 

Sanjo 三条駅 

143 

04 

Higashiyama 東山駅 

38 

Kamo River 鴨川 

01 

02 

Karasuma 烏丸駅 

Shijo 四条駅 

03 

Kawaramachi 河原町駅 

Gion-Shijo 祇園四条駅 

Maruyama Park 

円山公園 

Higashiyama Ward 

東山区 

01 Bungalow バンガロー | www.bungalow.jp 

02 Craft Man クラフトマン | www.kyoto-craftman.com 

03 Beer Pub ICHI-YA | facebook.com/ICHIYA.Beerpub/ 

04 Beer Komachi | www.beerkomachi.com 

Kyoto 

京都市 

THE BEER 

COMMUNITY 

HERE SEEMS 

A LITTLE 

MORE TIGHT- 

KNIT AND 

THE BARS A 

LITTLE MORE 

HOMELY, 

WITH FAR 

MORE 

LOCALS IN 

THEM. 

The final stop in Kyoto is Beer Pub Ichi-Ya – a bright and modern 

bar that is owned by the Ichijoji Brewery, also based in Kyoto. The 

beers on offer are largely from Ichijoji and the current tap selection is 

displayed on the wall in a flavor chart, describing what the different 

beers are like in graphical format if you don’t fancy trying to decipher 

the Japanese menu. We go for the most Japanese bar snack we can 

think of – endamame beans – to go with our two Ichijoji beers and 

summarise what we think of Kyoto as a drinking destination. It’s a 

totally different proposition to Tokyo, but no less intriguing. The beer 

community here seems a little more tight-knit and the bars a little 

more homely, with far more locals in them, compared to the slightly 

more tourist-infested Tokyo venues. Ichi-Ya has slightly overzealous 

staff who seem eager to impress to foreign visitors, but overall it’s a 

pleasant bar that you could probably make your first stop in Kyoto, as 

it’s relatively central and a welcoming environment. We are told that 

the food here is particularly good, though we have a date with some 

late-night ramen, so we noodle off into the night.

大阪市 

OSAKA 

Speaking candidly, Osaka is my favourite city in 

Japan. I have visited on a couple of occasions before 

and it’s home to some of the best food you will 

find in the country (okonomiyaki pancakes and 

octopus balls) as well as a more relaxed vibe than 

other cities in the country. It is just half an hour 

from Kyoto on the train but feels like a world away. 

Sky scrapers return and with them comes a little 

more wealth – there’s a big banking industry here 

as well as some designer shopping streets to rival 

London or Paris. But none of that is why I love the 

city – it’s the people. To showcase that, we headed 

to a bar I’d actually attended before, Yellow Ape 

Craft Bar in the Kitahama area of the city. Having 

recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, this bar is 

well-established among locals and we get a warm 

and friendly welcome as we take up a couple of 

stools around the bar. The menu has offerings from 

Japan, the USA and in particular Scandinavia – 

they are big fans of To Øl here, it turns out. We take 

recommendations on a couple of beers and then 

get chatting to the staff about their bar and how it 

has grown in popularity over the years. Eventually 

a regular customer enters and is eager to show 

off a few cans he has bought from a nearby craft 

bottle shop. A couple are American and a few are 

British, so we immediately get involved chatting 

to him (albeit in broken English). Eventually, the 

chap decides he wants to share one of his cans 

with all of us and orders six glasses so we can 

all sample it, including the bar staff. It’s Rogue’s 

Straight Outta Newport IPA, which is a belter, 

and we enjoy several toasts of ‘Kampei’ together. 

We only intended to stay for one drink here, but 

the atmosphere carries us away and we end up 

staying for a few more. The conversation eventually 

reaches a point where one of the charismatic bar 

staff wants a photo of our hair so he can tell his 

barber he wants it dying this colour next time he 

gets a cut. Many laughs are had, and we are seen 

off by the staff all coming to the door to wave at us 

as we stagger down the street. Yellow Ape is a fine 

example of Japanese people’s genuine keenness for 

craft beer. They wanted to know what we normally 

drank, what we would recommend as British craft 

drinkers and to share thoughts and ideas on their 

favourite beers. I can’t recommend enough going to 

this bar if you ever make it to Osaka. 

But undoubtedly, one of Osaka’s biggest names 

is Minoh. It has grown at a strong rate since its

Reading material 

There’s a few beer magazines and 

journals in Japan, but the daddy is 

Japan Beer Times. Billing itself as ‘the’ 

craft beer magazine of Japan, Craft 

Beer Times features regular focuses 

on brewers, bars, taprooms and 

other issues surrounding the industry. 

Better still, the articles are printed 

in both Japanese and English, making 

it accessible to most. You can usually 

grab a free copy in any decent craft 

beer drinking establishment. 

www.japanbeertimes.com

foundation in 1996 and remains a family-run affair, 

with the eldest daughter of the family, Kaori Oshita, 

the well-regarded head brewer. The brewer has its 

own bars in the city, known as Beer Belly, and we 

checked one out on our last evening with Japan. 

The bar is filled with tanks in the front section 

where much of the beer on offer is brewed and 

stored and again we get an all-too-familiar warm 

Japanese welcome. Minoh’s beers are some of the 

highest rated in Japan and the brewer has a focus 

on history and tradition. I sampled the classic 

stout, which was actually one of the best beers I 

had during the entire trip. It’s clear that Japanese 

brewers know how to do the classics very well, as 

well as doing their own thing with unusual and 

varied ingredients. 

The Beer Belly bar is right on the river bank in 

the city, views of which can be seen just behind 

the bar staff. It’s a perfect place to reflect upon our 

trip, where we’ve learned so much about Japanese 

craft beer that it’s hard to take it all in. Japan should 

rightly be considered a big player in the industry, 

and even though we might not 

know the brewers or beers as 

everyday names in western Europe, 

it is probably only a matter of time 

before we do. This country is not 

just jumping on a bandwagon, it 

feels like craft beer would have 

developed here no matter what was 

happening elsewhere in the world. 

It’s a natural evolution of its cultural 

development and its strong heritage 

in fine food and drink. Arigato 

Japan, you’ve been wonderful. 

MINOH’S BEERS ARE 

SOME OF THE HIGHEST 

RATED IN JAPAN AND 

THE BREWER HAS A 

FOCUS ON HISTORY 

AND TRADITION. 

02 

Tenjinbashisuji 6-chome 

天神橋筋六丁目駅 

Ogimachi 

Park 

扇町公園 

Naniwabashi なにわ橋駅 

Kitahama 北浜駅 

14 

01 

Temma 天満駅 

Osaka 

大阪市 

Kita 

北区 

O River 大川 

Chuo 

中央区 

Underground & train stations 

01 Beer Belly Tenma ビアベリー天満 | www.beerbelly.jp 

Osaka Castle 

大阪城 

02 Yellow Ape Craft 大阪クラフトビール | www.yellowapecraft.com

THE TOP 

5 

BREWERS 

FROM 

J 

日 

本 

国 

A 

P 

A 

N 

Kyoto Brewing 

Company 

京都醸造株式会社 

The combined brainchild 

of a Welshman, a Canadian 

and an American who met 

in Japan, Kyoto Brewing 

Company is the product 

of ten years of friendship 

and love of beer in Japan. 

The company is proud 

to be based in Kyoto, the 

Japanese city that the trio 

of owners claim there is 

nowhere with a stronger 

artisanal history or 

particularity about quality 

and flavour. 

The sole mantra for Kyoto 

Brew Co is ‘brew the beers 

you want to drink’, which 

is exactly what they have 

done, with a focus on being 

ethical, and combining the 

unique characteristics of 

brewing powerhouses the 

USA and Belgium. 

Baird Beer 

A Japanese brewer with 

heavy roots in the Pacific 

Northwest of the United 

States, Baird Beer started 

when husband and wife 

Bryan and Sayuri Baird quit 

their jobs in Japan to take 

up brewing in the USA. 

Eventually they found their 

way back to Japan and set 

up their company with the 

sole intention of celebrating 

great beer. Baird is based 

in Shuzenji in the Shizuoka 

Prefecture close to Mount 

Fuji and boasts making beer 

with minimally processed 

ingredients. They exclusively 

use whole flower hops and 

floor-malted barley. The 

brewer has six taprooms 

dotted around the 

southeast of Japan. 

HOPULIST BEER 

RECOMMENDATION: 

Purple People Eater, a collab 

sour saison with Heretic 

Brewing, made using ume 

juice and red shiso leaves. 

Red Rose Amber Ale, a rich, 

fruity and malty ale that has 

refreshing crispness and dry 

mouthfeel.

Hitachino Nest 

Beer - Kiuchi 

木内酒造 

As one of the Japanese 

brewers that has managed 

to gain some serious 

traction on the global stage, 

the little red owl logo of 

Hitachino will probably be 

familiar to many of you. The 

many beers of this brand 

are brewed by the Kiuchi 

Brewery, which is an eightgeneration 

family business 

that has been brewing 

Japanese sake since 1823. 

The brand uses western 

hops and malts but brews 

them in traditional Japanese 

styles to create beers 

of depth and character. 

The brewery also began 

growing its own hops in 

Japan in 2014, with the 

beers to be brewed with 

those hops yet to arrive on 

the market. 

Minoh 

大阪・箕面 

The leading light in craft 

beer in Osaka, Minoh 

Brewing has an emphasis 

on making beer with 

feel. Its brewers are 

hugely experienced and 

encouraged to make great 

beer with sight and taste 

and trial and error that only 

comes with going through 

the process many times. 

It has grown at a strong 

rate since its foundation in 

1996 and remains a familyrun 

affair, with the eldest 

daughter of the family, 

Kaori Oshita, the wellregarded 

head brewer. The 

brewery has several pubs 

in the Kansai region by the 

name of Beer Belly and has 

some stylish branding with 

its iconic purple monkey 

adorning the taps of craft 

bars around Japan. 

DevilCraft 

DevilCraft is a beer 

pub and pizza joint with 

several locations in Tokyo 

– however, it’s also a 

well-established brewer 

in its own right and uses 

ideas and inspiration from 

Japan and the USA, as it 

is a combined business 

venture by folk from these 

two nations. The brewpub 

mentality of DevilCraft 

is enhanced by its focus 

on creating great food to 

match its great beers (it’s 

Chicago-style deep pan 

pizzas are pretty famous in 

Tokyo). Great beer paired 

with great food has helped 

DevilCraft become one of 

Tokyo craft beer lovers’ 

best-kept secrets. 

Dai Dai Ale, a fruity IPA made 

with fukuremikan orange, 

combined with Bourgogne, 

Chinhook and Hallertau hops. 

Imperial Stout, a stout with a 

fine blend of roasted malts and 

sweetness, followed by hints of 

chocolate and coffee. 

Patriot Crush New England 

IPA, an absolute cracker of 

an IPA, hazy, fruity and hardhitting 

on a hop front.

Our favourite 

craft beers of 

the moment. 

So good we are 

drinking them 

at home.

TIME AND TIDE 

THE KRAKEN 

COFFEE STOUT 

This dark stout ouses 

roasted malt and 

coffee but with a subtle 

creaminess that really 

makes it so distinct. 

Time And Tide use 

bespoke green-roasted 

coffee beans that are 

microroasted and cold 

brewed. Ideal for coffee 

lovers. Release the 

Kraken! 

ABV: 7.4% 

Colour: Black 

Aroma: Coffee/Malt 

Taste: Coffee

WYLAM 

REMEMBER 430 

DDH PALE ALE 

Housed in the Palace 

of Art in Exhibition 

Park, Newcastle, Wylam 

Brewery really is worth a 

visit if you get the chance. 

This is just one of our 

favourites from their 

core range, an American 

pale ale strong in pink 

grapefruit/tropical fruit 

aromas and taste. Very 

drinkable indeed. 

ABV: 5.5% 

Colour: Hazy gold 

Aroma: Pink grapefruit 

Taste: Tropical fruit

FALLEN BREWING 

CHEW CHEW 

SALTED CARAMEL 

MILK STOUT 

Forming a part of the 

core beers from these 

Scottish brewers this is 

a smooth salted caramel 

milk stout with notes of 

toffee, belgian chocolate 

and butterscotch. Smooth, 

sweet and creamy this 

felt stronger on the milk 

than it did on the salted 

element. 

ABV: 6% 

Colour: Jet black 

Aroma: Caramel fudge 

Taste: Chocolate, salted 

caramel, ice cream

BRIXTON X 

DURATION BREWING 

NUCLEAR DAWN 

BOTANICAL SOUR 

The first in Brixton’s 

small-batch range of 

experimental beers. 

Brewed in collaboration 

with Duration, Nuclear 

Dawn is a kettle soured 

beer with layers of 

botanical and fruity 

flavours. Each batch is only 

available for a limited time 

so be quick. 

ABV: 4.7% 

Colour: Clear gold 

Aroma: Mango, fennel 

Taste: Sour citrus fruit

MIKKELLER 

HALLO ICH BIN 

BERLINER WEISSE 

One of the more 

interesting beers in 

Mikkeller’s Hallo Ich Bin 

Berliner Weisse range, this 

one is for fans of citrus 

and, obviously, pineapple. 

The pineapple flavour is 

nicely balanced with a 

malty aroma and a slightly 

sour finish. This is an easydrinking, 

palate-cleansing 

crowd pleaser. 

ABV: 3.7% 

Colour: Hazy yellow 

Aroma: Pineapple, malty 

Taste: Tart pineapple

NEXT ISSUE READY FOR CONSUMPTION 

JUNE 2018

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EDITORIAL: DAVID GUEST 

DESIGN: MARK GRAFTON

hopulist issue 4

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