Signal from the Pacific Rim: the four Japanese motherships are being scanned for price coordination. Japan’s Fair Trade Commission inspected Asahi Breweries, Kirin Brewery, Suntory Spirits and Sapporo Breweries on Oct. 7, 2026, in a suspected Japan beer price-fixing case under the Antimonopoly Act, according to a Vinetur report that cites The Beer Post, Reuters,…
Bureau taste-sensor alert: a porter brewed with soup stock. Sketchbook Brewing’s Umami Porter, a smoked porter made with Japan’s Wakayama Brewery and its owner-brewer Tomoyuki Yoshida, tapped at noon Friday, Oct. 9, at both Sketchbook taprooms in Evanston and Skokie, Illinois, per JollyPint. Sketchbook’s own draft menus list it at 6.0% ABV. One naming wrinkle:…
Daimon Brewery, a craft sake brewery established in 1826, today announced that it will unveil a new limited-edition series called the Toji Series. Toji (杜氏) is the Japanese name for the Sake Master Brewer, and this series is a tribute to the many Toji’s that have brought their knowledge and experiences to Daimon Brewery and…
Nanbu Bijin Co., Ltd. (President: Kosuke Kuji), in Ninohe, Iwate Prefecture, has been making sake for over five generations since the Meiji Period with a spirit to discover new things. On January 25th, 2019, they successfully acquired vegan certification both domestically and internationally (Japan: NPO Vege Project Japan, Overseas: The Vegan Society), following their acquisition…
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