Hop 10 Cubed

[NRB]

Damn -- any Monday but the 22nd is free -- only on the 22nd I have tests at school that it's impossible for me to get out of.

No sweat - I'll wander around Tokyo for a number of hours. I'm sure I'll be able to occupy my time well!

I have a lot of free time during that period, so if you are in the Tokyo area, most likely I'll have time to meet up with you. Or if you're anywhere near Numazu in Shizuoka, I can run down to Baird Beer for the best micros in Japan.

I'll do my best CJ.

When you do set your schedule, let me know and we'll see what we can work out.
Hell, you give me an address and I'll send you a care package. Shipping is cheap here, so no worries there. I'll just have to make sure that I have some of the good stuff bottled up for you -- right now most of my beers are in kegs of various sizes. But, I should be able to get a nice box of 12 beers or so ready for you in time -- IPAs, the Hop 10 Cubed, a Schwarzbier Ale that I just made up, an IIPA, and maybe even a fruit beer or two, if those are something you might like. Might as well have at least a few good beers while you're here. B)

That's what this hobby is so good for - I haven't met a selfish hombrewer yet; I'd go further and say we're more selfless. My mate is going to give me the address in English and Japanese (I need it to send my snowboarding gear anyway)... Could be a change from drinking Yebisu all the time. I know the people I'm staying with have stocked up with my impending arrival h34r:

Okay, I'll get that keg of the Hop 10 moved to the front of the beer fridge so I can taste and post on Sunday.

I look forward to the review. :beer:

 

[cj in j]

Okay, 6:30 am and the football game is about to begin -- I just poured my first "sampler" glass. Slightly overcarbonated, but not too bad. Nice deep golden color, amazingly clear for such a highly hopped beer. Most of the really hoppy beers I've made have remained cloudy until the bitter end (no pun intended). Aroma is like opening a bag of hops combined with taking a whiff inside a keg of IPA just after it blows foam. Really pleasant, in other words! And the flavor . . . there's a hint of malt in there, followed by a burst of hoppiness (not really bitterness) all around your mouth. It kinds of attacks all the tastebuds, the sides of the mouth, the roof of the mouth -- you can even taste it through the enamel on your teeth. Again, really pleasant. Swallowing brings out the bitterness -- POW! Now I know where all those old cartoons got their sound effects from -- their creators were drinking Hop 10 Cubed! Sometimes in IPAs, the bitterness sneaks up on you until you get this symphony of hop goodness playing on your tongue -- not this one! It's there as soon as you swallow and it lingers. It's been three or four minutes since I swallowed that first mouthful of beer and the bitterness is still lingering, slowly fading.

Overall evalutaion: This beer doesn't suck! :super: :beer:

 

[Doc]

Awesome.
Post a picture in the Whats in your glass topic CJ

Doc

 

[cj in j]

I was going to post a pic here, but my digital camera's batteries were dead. I'm charging now, and as soon as I can, I'll post a pic both places.

I just burped -- mmmmmm, hops!

 

[Doc]

This topic is good too CJ.
And I wondered where that hop aroma was coming from ........ across the Pacific

Doc

 

[cj in j]

 

[Steve Lacey]

My plan is to set aside six or so for sampling over the next year to see how this many hops holds up over long conditioning/aging, but most I'll just drink.

I don't blame you! But do keep just one sample aside for when we next get together.

Guys, I may have the distinction of being the only other member of this board to have drunk CJ's beers. Truly Awesome with a capital A. The Double Imperial IPA you put through the Randall at Numazu in 2005 was like a trailor of hops being towed by a tractor of malt -- a hop-laced glass of heaven. I can only begin to imagine what the 10 cubed will be like, especially with its lower gravity. And that ume (green plum) ale you surprised us with at Dom's place, truly innovative.

Anyway, great to see you here. I have had my head down over Christmas/New Year and only just found this thread. I have what promises to be a nice Doppelbock in the fermenter at Bryan's, so I look forward to exchanging some beers soon.

Steve

 

[Steve Lacey]

After my Vancouver leg, I return to Tokyo on Tuesday 31 Jan at 3:20pm. At this stage I may head to Osaka/Nara to catch up with a couple of friends prior to heading to Takaoka for the rest of my stay in Japan. I haven't confirmed any actual train trips yet.

Sorry to hijack CJ's thread. NRB, there are two craft beer events during your longer stay in Japan. One will be at Numazu, 150 or so km south-west of Tokyo on the weekend of the 3-4 February. The other is a real ale festival that will be in Tokyo on the 11th February. Some more details posted in below. If you head to Osaka, you might be able to time it to stopover in Numazu as it is on the way. You might also be interested in exploring back issues of Brews News for Japan-related craft beer information. If you end up spending any amount of time in Tokyo, please try to drop me an email at stlacey at gmail dot com and I'll see if I can get a few beer afficionados together for a beer at Beer Club Popeye in Ryogoku.

2nd Annual Baird Big Beer Winter Weekend
February 3-4
The Fishmarket Taproom
Numazu, Shizuoka

Two new Baird Seasonals, Dark Sky Imperial Stout (abv 8.2%) and Ganko Oyaji Barley
Wine (abv 8.6%) will be featured at the 2nd Annual Baird Big Beer Winter Weekend,
slated for February 3 and 4. Other featured brews will be West Coast Wheat Wine,
Yabai Yabai Strong Scotch Ale, the Hatsujozo 2007 Double IPA released on January
1st as well as a first-time brewed English-style Strong Ale. Details on the event
will be announced later be sure to check www.bairdbeer.com

5th Annual Tokyo Real Ale Festival
February 11th 2007
1 to 5 pm / 2,800 yen

Japans premier cask-conditioned ale event celebrates its 5th anniversary next
month at the Sumida Riverside Hall, the same location as last year. The event
schedule and has not been released yet, but things should be similar to last year,
with entertainment and lots of speeches and talking. Tickets are 2,800 yen and
include admission as well as a commemorative beer glass and tickets for eight 120
ml pours of ale.

As of this writing there will be beers from the following breweries: Baird,
Hakkaisan Izumi, Hakusekikan, Harvest Moon, Hitachino Nest, Iki-iki, Ise Kadoya,
Iwate Kura, Minoh Beer, Sankt Gallen, Swan Lake, and Yona Yona. The types of beers
these breweries will be offering has not been announced.

Only 400 tickets will be available for this event, so those hoping to attend
should get tickets as soon as possible. While they can be purchased from the Web
site (www.tokyorealale.org), its easier to buy them at cooperating pubs
throughout Tokyo, including The Aldgate, Ale House, Beer Club Popeye, Beer House
Ken, La Cachette, The Grafton, The Green Sheep, Inishmore, Kura Kura, McCanns,
Trafalgar, Ushitora, Vivo!, and Yokohama Cheers. For details in English on these
places, see http://www.tokyorealale.org/pc/ticketlist.php

 

[cj in j]

No problem with the hijack -- it's all about tracking down and drinking good beer!

And thanks for the praise on the beer -- I'm always happy to share beers with people who appreciate them.

 

[cj in j]

I'm hopefully bottling up some of the hop monster tomorrow, if this damn cold holds off long enough. A couple bottles are reserved for Steve L and NRB. Anyone else going to be in town?

 

[cj in j]

I still didn't get around to bottling any of this, but the beer did make it's "public" debut yesterday. A couple friends came over to have a few beers before we went out to have a few beers, and they each drank a small glass. One loved it and pour himself a full pint. The other didn't like it as much, but at the end of the session here at my house, he refilled his glass as well. Mmmmmm.

 

[NRB]

I forgot to add my thoughts on this beer!

First of all, here's the picture:


I didn't quite know what to expect with this one and lifted the glass with trepidation. The aroma was so intense, like a freshly opened bag of vaccuum sealed hops. Then came the taste... will it be ridiculously bitter? Will it be like fresh cut lawn? Will I even taste malt?

Well, it was the most amazing beer tasting in that it was nothing like I expected. It didn't seem overly bitter and the malt was clear in the flavour profile. Sure it was hardcore in all respects and there was a lingering bitterness for quite some time, but it was not harsh. I'm actually having trouble describing what I tasted as it's completely like any experience I've had.

Well done CJ, it's an amazing beer. :super:

If a mate allows, I'll post pics of him when tasting, heh...

 

[cj in j]

Thanks for the compliment. I gave a couple bottles to a pro brewer, and he came back with a "Wow, I think I just lost all the enamel off my teeth." Not sure if that's supposed to be good or bad. I had a bottle and a pint from the remaining keg of the Hop Cubed on Thursday, and it is getting better all the time. I'm going to have to be careful to keep some in the keg for a party I'm having in May -- could be difficult.

But, I looked in my hop freezer yesterday during my brew -- damn I have a lot of hops in there! I might have to brew up another one, just go say I did -- and to put those hops to good use.