Gigantic Brewing Magazine Issue #3

BIG IN JAPAN GIGANTIC BREWING MAGAZINE ISSUE #3

nama biru kudasai !

JAPANESE LEssons “nihongo ressun”

cover art by Nigamushi

We’ve picked up a little Japanese (Nihongo) in our travels. One of the most fascinating aspects of the language is how many foreign words are used in Japanese. Foreign words even have their own alphabet, Katakana. Usually words aren’t quite English once they’ve been filtered through Japanese, though they are very similar when pronounced. For example, “lesson” is “ressun”.

There are some funny ones, too. It turns out it is very difficult for non-native Japanese speakers to say “Makudonarudo” properly. You may recognize it more easily as “McDonalds.” Though we’re sure you would never go there because you would only eat authentic Japanese food in Japan and not be a typical American tourist. (FYI, we swear McDonalds fries are better in Japan.)

Here we’ve decoded the Japanese from the front cover—maybe you’ll learn something useful, like how to order a beer. Plus we don’t want you to run out and accidentally get a tattoo that says “happy hour”. Unless you really want to.

this Kanji can mean “Living”, “Raw” and “fresh”. In the context of DRAFT beer , it is pronounced “NAMA”.

This is katakana for

HAPPY HOUR “happIawa”

“nama biru kudasai” Romanji for “I would like a draft beer please”­­-perhaps the single most important phrase you can learn in any language.

Kanji for “Japanese Language”

Say “Konichiwa” to our 3rd Issue As I write this,

I am snacking on a spicy tuna onigiri rice ball, a fitting symbol of the cultural mind meld that occurs between the West Coast of the U.S. and our nearest major land mass to the west.

The cultural exchange includes food, art, music and increasingly, craft beer.

I think Oregon and Japan have something particularly special going­—maybe it is the towering snowcapped volcanoes, the risk of earthquakes, farming, fishing and a certain dedication to good food and beverages.

In our standard ironic hyperbole, Gigantic sells very little beer in Japan, but we still like to say we are “big in Japan” because we get so much out of our relationships with the people we have met there.

We’ve had at least three Japanese label artists— one of them, Nigamushi, is featured in this issue. (His art is also on the cover.)

Obviously our core brand takes a great deal of inspiration from Japanese toys and cartoons from the 70’s. Even as adults we at Gigantic continue our fascination with giant robots and city-attacking radioactive dinosaurs. But in our travels we’ve learned Japan is a lot more complicated and interesting than its main pop cultural exports.

Of course there are other things in the following pages, including the second installation of the Beery Adventures of B.J. and Wu-G. But we hope you get a little taste for what Gigantic does in Japan and what it means to us.

Ben and Sato-san get ready to age IPA in sake barrels at Shigakogen.

Nigamushi is a Tokyo based painter who has exhibited internationally and in Japan. His Pop Art and Japanese animation influenced work can be found on RSR’s (Rising Sun Rock Festival) t-shirts, Facebook Japan’s office ceiling, Forest for the Trees mural project in Portland, OR, children’s clothing, restaurant logos and billboards, and even package design and original merchandising. Nigamushi also works on a variety of non-commercial individual art projects. Gigantic chatted with Nigamushi over email with the help of a translator.

TOKYO POP!

NIGAMUSHI What is Traffic? It is it all over your Instagram.

Where do you find inspiration in everyday life?

Traffic is a dancehall event that I am part of as art director. We host “Traffic” every other month on Friday nights at small club “Ball” in Shibuya (a neighborhood in Tokyo) with a DJ group called “Kimochiis”, which means “so high”. Since there are too many parties in the area, you really have to stand out to get people to come, so that you can keep throwing the parties. I thought about what art can do, and those party flyers are [an important] promotional tool. But It’s kind of sad to see them usually get thrown away once the event is over, so I wanted to make something different, something that makes you want to keep it for good.

It’s very random what comes to my eyes in everyday life. It’s unexpected, more like things come to me than I go and look for them. Situations like playing with my son, surfing on the internet, or drinking and hanging out with friends.

I get inspired at random moments.

I decided to totally ignore informational elements, and just express more of our concept or imagination for the party as a visual [expression]. The date and place and such information is written by hand like an artist’s signature. This strategy is quite successful as we are drawing attention from people like yourself who find it curious. We just did the art show entitled “Traffic”, so the project is evolving not just a party, but more as a collective for music and art.

It’s also interesting how internet platforms like Tumblr or Youtube trace my interests and show me their “curations”. It’s very unexpected and accidental, like auto play on Youtube. Unlike TV or other mass media, they are less controlled and I enjoy those accidental encounters.

How did you learn to make art?

I wanted to work in the field of design in Tokyo so I went to design college learning various mediums like metal, woods, ceramic, glass and even product design. But I feel that I never really studied “art”. Drawing and painting have been with me since I was little. Art to me is whatever I output, it’s like a life journey that I am still learning everyday.

Do you have any thoughts about what it is like to be an artist in Japan right now?

I have a lot to say and feel about this including both negative and positive. It all comes down to your creativity in the end, keeping your radar polished and always having eyes on potential and possible interesting projects. That’s the only way to keep going, and I think this mindset applies not only in Japan, but every other place.

What is your favorite thing (or things) about Tokyo?

Diversity and lots of input, impulse and attraction.

[I like that] the city welcomes outsiders.

Do you have a favorite beer? You don’t have to say Gigantic.

Solid for sure! It’s a Hoppy American wheat ale by the one and only Gigantic Brewing. I enjoy IPAs and other beers that my favorite beer joints Hatos and Ohka Thebestdays recommend. They are both in Naka-Meguro, a neighborhood in Tokyo. I don’t get too geeky about kinds or styles but beer does matter.

Special thanks to Koki Noguchi for translation

More about Nigamushi

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nigamushi.t instagram: instagram.com/nigamushit/ interweb: www.nigamushi-tsuyoshi.com/ If you are in Portland, you can visit Nigamushi’s Forest for the Trees project mural at 412 NW Couch.

TRAVEL DIARIES

TOKYO AND NAGANO

This past March, Ben Love went to Japan

on official Gigantic business. There he visited our friends who sell our beer in Tokyo and then headed to the mountains outside Nagano for the Snow Monkey Beer Festival.

The trip began with a Tokyo pub crawl to a couple of bars that carry Gigantic beer. The night kicked off at Ohka Thebestdays, a gyoza shop in the Naka-Meguro neighborhood. They serve handmade gyoza in traditional flavors as well as some more experimental versions, including a cheese style and a salsa flavored version. All the pan-fried dumplings were delicious and hit the spot with Gigantic IPA. Next stop was Hatos Bar, the flagship location for all things Gigantic in Tokyo. Hatos is a super cool BBQ and craft beer place not far from Ohka Thebestdays.

A few years ago, Hatos introduced Gigantic to Shiga Kogen Beer. That led to a collaboration brew last summer when Eigo Sato, owner/brewmaster at Tamamura Honten (aka Shiga Kogen Beer), came to Portland for the Oregon Brewers Festival. Sato-san brewed a Japanese inspired lager with us, named Oki Lager. Oki translates to “Big” or “Gigantic”. It was during this collabo brew that Sato-san invited Gigantic to take part in his annual beer and music festival, Snow Monkey Beer Live. How could we turn that down?

Snow Monkey Beer Live takes place in the ski resort town of Shiga Kogen, located about an hour outside of Nagano. You may remember it as the site the of the 1998 Olympic ski and snowboard competitions. The two day festival features seventeen breweries from around Japan and four breweries from the US: Gigantic and Hair of the Dog from Portland, Jester King from Texas and Oxbow from Maine, along with performances from some of Japan’s best bands and DJs.

The beer from the Japanese brewers was excellent, with a number of them using locally grown ingredients such as apples, sansho pepper, cherry blossoms and plums. The beers drew inspiration from British, Belgian, German and American brewing traditions, but were somehow distinctly Japanese.

Following the festival we traveled down the hill to the Tamamura Honten Brewery, home of Shiga Kogen Beer and brewer Eigo Sato. For our collaboration we choose to make an Americanstyle IPA with Marris Otter malt, wheat and sake rice. We judiciously hopped the beer with Citra, Simcoe and Cascade hops.

“The guys at Hatos Bar were the first to import Gigantic into Japan.”

A portion of the IPA was then aged in fresh sake barrels. Sake barrels are made of Japanese cedar. We hoped the barrels would impart their fruity, almost citrus-like cedar aromas and intense spicy wood character. The aged beer was then blended with the un-aged beer. The resulting beer is a mix of citrus-y hop flavor and complex cedar sake barrel notes, combined in a beguilingly cloudy beer.

We named the beer Kagami-Biraki IPA after a traditional sake barrel breaking ceremony that occurs at happy events like weddings and ceremonial openings. The beer was released in Japan in May and sold out within a few days.

We are getting a few kegs of Kagami-Biraki IPA shipped to Gigantic soon, so keep an eye out for it in our tap room.

Gigantic IPA is perfect with ribs @ Hatos Bar

Hatos Bar is the first place to carry Gigantic

beer in Japan. This tiny bar is known for their craft beer selection, stellar American style barbecue, and arty laid back vibe. English and Japanese are both spoken freely, making this a great stop for English speakers visiting Tokyo. Owner/operators Dubrai and Blunt can be found most nights in their respective spots—Dubrai behind the bar slingin’ beers and mixing shochu lemon sours, and Blunt in the kitchen kicking out his world class barbeque. Blunt spent his formative years in Maine going to high school and snowboarding before moving to the Carolinas for University. There he worked in real Southern kitchens and learned to make authentic barbecue.

Blunt makes some of the most sublime pork belly we’ve ever had-—the secret must be in the quality of Japanese pork. Reservations recommended.

Tamamura Honten Brewery is a fam-

ily owned and operated brewery that has been producing sake for over 200 years. It only recently began brewing beer when Eigo Sato succeeded his father as general manager and brewmaster. The brewery is located in an area known as Shibu Onsen, a hot spring resort that has a history going back 1,300 years. Cobblestone lanes are surrounded by traditional wooden ryokan (Japanese inns), which all have their own onsen, or hot spring bath. One of the pleasures of Shibu Onsen is visiting its nine public baths, each of which is said to help people with specific ailments. The town is also known for its Snow Monkeys. You can walk from Shibu Onsen to the Monkey Park where you can see the wild monkeys bathing in the hot springs. It truly is a beautiful and magical part of the world.

Ben and Sato-San add hops during their collaboration.

Who says American wheat beers need to be mild flavored? Not us. We’re redefining what wheat beer can be—boldly hoppy, crisp, clear-ish and absolutely solid! Flavor abounds with huge notes of fresh squeezed citrus, with pineapple hop aroma and flavor. Wheat adds a crisp and refreshing edge, with orange peel bitterness in the finish.

ABV: 6% IBUs: 45

Color: Hazy Gold Ideal Serving Temp: 43-48 F Suggested Glassware: Pint Glass

Ingredients: Local Bull Run water, barley, hops, yeast Malts: Northwest pale malt, malted wheat Hops: Citra, Simcoe, Cascade

SOLID! Hoppy American Wheat

LABEL ARTIST: NIGAMUshi SONG: DEPTH OF THE CLOUDS BAND: Michael Kaneko

Hear an exclusive track from Michael Kaneko “Depth of the Clouds” off of his album “Sounds From the Den” from Oragami productions. GiganticBrewing.com/pages/solid

NIGAMUSHI

is a Tokyo native who lives and works in his hometown. His colorful work is influenced by classic Japanese animation, 1930’s Japanese advertising and American Pop Art. Although he attended design college, Nigamushi has been drawing and painting since he was a child. His work today straddles two worlds—commercial design and personal expression.

Nigamushi will be featured in this year’s Forest for the Trees mural festival in Portland, Oregon.

If you find yourself in Portland before then, you can visit the mural he created in a past festival at 412 NW Couch.

www.nigamushi-tsuyoshi.com

MicHAel Kaneko

is a singer-songwriter born in the bustling city of Tokyo and raised under the sunny skies of Southern California.

Subsequent to graduating university in 2013, Michael has been active as a musician in Japan, where he currently lives.

His album, “Sounds From the Den” is a collection of demos recorded in his college dorm room.

Michael will be releasing his first proper studio EP album in the fall of 2017.

Gigantic’s Ben Love first met Michael at the 2017 Snow Monkey Beer Festival in Nagano, Japan. Michael’s band was performing at Snow Monkey Live, the music venue associated with the festival. Ben liked what he heard and made a connection with Michael after the show—the rest as they say, is history. michaelkaneko.com/giganticbeer/

With Solid!, we set out to make an Americanized version of a German Hefe Weizen. We used a clean fermenting ale yeast, which has no traditional banana or clove flavors. Traditionally, German brewers use a substantial percentage of wheat malt, but we experimented to find the perfect amount to create a crsip and highly drinkable beer. We turned up the citrus-y hops, and viola!— a great American wheat beer was born.

MikkelLer Beer Celebration

Copenhagen, Denmark In May, GIGANTIC

participated in the Mikkeller Beer Celebration in Copenhagen, Denmark for the third year in a row. The invite-only event features some of the best and most innovative craft breweries in the world. Three Floyds from Indiana, Omnipollo from Sweden, Other Half from Brooklyn and more than 75 other breweries poured their hearts out in four different sessions over two days. Unlike other festivals, the brewers are required to attend in person and staff their booths. This aspect encourages brewers from all over the planet to exchange ideas and forge friendships and future collaborations.

Attendees also get a chance to meet the brewers and ask questions of the people who actually made their beer.

If you’ve ever wondered

what a European beer festival might be like, watch the official post-event video. (Though we admit Copenhagen might not be typical.) The video includes footage of Rick Astley launching his Mikkeller collaboration beer, adults dressed as Orval bottles, and an appearance from Gigantic’s Van Havig at 3:50. Featured Oregon breweries include De Garde, Gigantic and Boneyard. You will also learn that just like you, European beer enthusiasts really like beer, enjoy a wide variety facial hair, and really seem keen on running. No utilikilts spotted, however. youtube.com/watch?v=BWhTymCAhPg

D.I.Y. GIGANTIC BEER SOLID

Hoppy American Wheat RECIPE* 6% ABV 13.3 Plato For 5 Gallons

Malt

9 lbs Great Western NW Pale 3 lbs Malted White Wheat

GIGANTIC IPA RECIPE* 6.9% ABV 15 Plato For 5 Gallons

Malt

13 lbs Great Western NW Pale .75 lbs Weyermann Munich I

Mash at 149F 90 minute boil

Hops

0 min - Boil Start: 1oz Cascade 90 min: 2oz Cascade, 1oz Simcoe (rest for 45 min before cooling) Dry Hop: 6oz Citra (Dry hop day after reaching terminal gravity, 68F for 4 days)

Yeast

Wyeast 1728 Ferment at 68F

Mash at 150F 90 minute boil

Hops

0 min Boil Start: .25oz Nugget 70 min: .75oz Cascade, .5oz Centennial .75oz Crystal 90 min: 1oz Cascade, .75oz Centennial, 1.25oz Crystal, 1oz Simcoe (rest for 45 min before cooling) Dry Hop: 2oz Cascade, 4oz Simcoe (Dry hop day after reaching terminal gravity, 68F for 4 days)

Yeast

Wyeast 1728 Ferment at 68F *These are our exact recipes scaled down to 5 gallons. You may need to make adjustments for your own home brew setup in terms of brewhouse efficiency, color from boiling, and hop isomerization. These recipes are meant to be a guide. More recipes available at giganticbrewing.com/ pages/gigantic-beer-recipes

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