This may seem sudden, but I think that "delicious food" and "memorable taste" are completely different things.
No matter how delicious it is, I don't remember the taste of food when I eat it with someone who makes me nervous, and when I was a child, I didn't think the Nagoya-style dote-ni made by my grandmother was particularly tasty, but now when I eat dote-ni out, I think, ``Oh, my grandmother's food was better,'' and I remember her cooking quite vividly (partly because I've only come to appreciate its deliciousness as an adult).
When I think back on it later, I think how delicious it was, and I wonder if being able to taste it over and over again means it is truly delicious.
With that in mind, today I'd like to talk about beer.
Nowadays I only work with New Zealand wines, but back in the day, like most older guys, beer was my go-to drink.
There are about three beer flavors that I remember fondly.
The first time was when I was a student.
A friend contacted me and said, "I got a great video," so we decided to have a video viewing party with seven guys. After that, we decided to drink and talk about our impressions of the video.
However, I was the only one who thought, "That kind of video isn't something everyone should watch together (you can guess which one)," and I quickly opened a beer in another room and waited for the viewing party to end. And before I knew it, I was completely drunk. When everyone finished the viewing party and came to my room, I threw my socks at my friends, saying, "You're too late!", and immediately after that, I dangled a plastic bag from my ear.
I still vividly remember the taste of that first Budweiser I drank (and then returned to the bag).
Next, when I was working as a radio director.
When I was in charge of a morning program, I would come to the station at 4am, check the news, write scripts, calculate the time, and then go on air, so my schedule was measured down to the minute.
That's why I always felt a sense of relief when the broadcast finished at 10 o'clock. After the broadcast, I would prepare for the next day until the evening, but sometimes, if the conditions were favorable, I would be able to leave the station at around 1 o'clock in the afternoon.
At times like that, I would signal with my colleagues, "Shall we go? Shall we go?" We would go to a restaurant that served delicious lunch sets, and while being a little concerned about the people around us, we would pour ourselves a bottle of Kirin Lager into a small glass and toast in a small voice. The pleasant bitterness was boosted by the sense of guilt of the midday beer, and it felt irresistibly delicious.
And the other thing was after I started running a restaurant.
When Bokumo first opened, we served beer from major manufacturers like other stores, but somewhere along the way we started to realize that we really wanted to serve craft beer.
Why is that?
Before the opening, I went to a pub in New York. The place didn't advertise itself as a beer pub or a beer specialty shop, but there were about 20 taps lined up on the wall, all of which were local craft beers. Spectacular! I tried about three of them, and they were all unique and delicious. I realized that craft beer has become established in America, and that pubs have the function of introducing local beers.
Then, Nagoya's first craft beer specialty store opened near Bokumo, and I felt that the time was finally ripe in Japan. Okay, let's do it. I searched around for a good beer and found Kinshachi Beer .
At the time, Kinshachi had a restaurant in Nagoya that they operated directly, and I sampled all of their brands there. The one that I thought was the most delicious was "Platinum Ale." I thought, "This is it! I've found it!" I felt a sense of mission that I had to introduce this delicious local beer to the world.
Since then, Platinum Ale has become a staple beer at Bokumo. I was also able to tour the factory (it was actually very close to my parents' house), and now I have become good friends with the factory managers, Yamaguchi-san and Sugiyama-san. Thank you.
Looking back on it like this, I realize once again that for me "flavor" is "part of a memorable story ."
Bokumo is currently undergoing interior renovations and is scheduled to reopen on March 22nd. I hope that the dining experience at the new Bokumo will once again become part of everyone's good stories. To that end, I need to get ready.
This week's pairing
Continuing on the topic of beer, we'd like to introduce you to some New Zealand craft beers that Bokumo Wine has started carrying from this month.
Although it is not yet imported much to Japan, there are quite a few small breweries in New Zealand.
Nelson in particular is known among craft beer connoisseurs as a town where hop cultivation is active. Hops are exported all over the world, and there are companies in Japan that use hops grown in Nelson.
This time, we have two types of "Stoke" beer from McCashin's Brewery, which is based in Nelson, a city famous for its hops.
Stoke is the name of a district in Nelson. When I visited Nelson, I stayed at a hotel near Stoke and drove around the area, but I couldn't find the brewery. I regret it. I'd like to visit it next time.
The newly arrived Stork NPA and IPA were tasted by beer taster Mana Nagai (my friend's wife). She gave us some comments on the flavor and some suggestions for pairings, so please feel free to use them as a reference.
NPA (Nelson Pale Ale)
The aroma is soft passion fruit.
The moment you put it in your mouth, you feel the fizz of carbonation and a slight bitterness. The aftertaste has a faint, refreshing scent of mango, which then fades away. You can also feel a light malt aroma.
Pairing examples: Cooked salmon, carpaccio, pizza, fried foods
IPA (India Pale Ale)
It has a bitter taste, but not from the trendy, flamboyant hops, but from a traditional, orthodox English-style pale ale base. It doesn't have much of a hop aroma, and has a refreshing bitterness that doesn't linger too much. The aftertaste is round.
Pairing examples: Oven-baked lamb, curry, beef stew (liver may not be a good match due to its bitter taste)
Neither beer seems to clash with soy sauce, and is close to the bitterness of major Japanese beers that Japanese people love, so I think they can be enjoyed casually.
Your way of expressing yourself is different from mine and very methodical. It's wonderful. I'll follow your example!
The story that came to my mind was that I sampled this beer at Bokumo, which was currently under renovation, while being impressed by the descriptions given by beer taster Mana.
