Karmeliet Tripel Ingredients in Japan

Grains, malts, hops, yeast, water and other ingredients used to brew. Recipe reviews and suggestions.

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Michael Kazeuma
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Karmeliet Tripel Ingredients in Japan

Post by Michael Kazeuma »

Any recommendations for getting the ingredients for a nice triple? I'm in Tokyo.

Thanks for any advice.

Michael
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Ingredients...

Post by lathe »

Hi,

I'm in the states but a quick google seems to indicate that "Seibu Department Stores" may carry something. I'm not sure if that is helpful or not.
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Beer Club of Japan

Post by just-cj »

The only shop I know of in Japan for homebrewing supplies is Beer Club of Japan. They are kind of expensive, but they'll ship anywhere in Japan for a reasonable cost, and they are quick and reliable. A quick look shows they have a BrewFerm kit that may or may not be what you're looking for:
■TRIPLE/Blond Abbeybeer; A heavenly golden cloured abbeybeer: full bodied, soft but strong, a slightly herbaceous taste and well hopped. Makes 9-liters of beer.
Other than that, a lot of US Internet shops will ship to Japan. The ones I use most often are Northern Brewer and Homebrew Adventures (HBA). When I did kits, I liked HBAs a little better because they come with dry malt extract, so shipping is a little less and they stay fresh longer. Other companies that consistently get good comments are Austin Homebrew, Listermanns, and Homebrew Heaven.

If you're doing all grain, you can sometimes pick up grains (sacks only) from microbreweries or brewpubs, especially if you're a regular customer. There's also an importer in Chiba that will sell sacks of grain to individual customers -- don't have the number handy right now, but if you're interested, let me know and I'll dig it out for you.

Finally, Tokyu Hands sometimes has homebrewing kits on sale, but you have to be very careful about the age -- I've found dry yeast packs (just sitting on the shelf, not refrigerated) that were several years beyond their "use by" date, and the extracts usually look old as well. If Seibu has them, I'd be very careful for the same reason.

Homebrewing has a fairly large underground population here. Technically making anything with alcohol over 1% is illegal, but as long as you don't sell it or advertise the fact that you're brewing at home (just be careful who you tell :wink: ), no one will bother you. Importing equipment or ingredients isn't a problem at all. I have a shipment of five pounds of hops coming next week, and I expect it to sail right through.

Hope that helps!
Michael Kazeuma
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Thanks - Ingredients in Japan

Post by Michael Kazeuma »

Very much appreciate the comprehensive answer on locating ingredients in Japan!!!! I would be interested in getting the contact info for the sacks of grain in Chiba. Yes I have used Beer Club and they were very reliable, quick, and more than willing to answer questions. The only thing that seemed strange was that the directions that came in Japanese were different than the English directions, which meant that after reading both I had to shoot for something in between...

Thanks again for the help.

Michael
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Post by just-cj »

How were the directions different? I know that legally shops that sell homebrewing kits (like Tokyu Hands) have to have directions on how to make the beer with under 1% alcohol -- is that what Beer Club is doing? I've never ordered a kit from them, only grains and an occasional emergency ingredient, so I'm not sure.

I can't find the Chiba supplier number right now. I'll check and get back to you.

Cheers,

cj
Michael Kazeuma
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Direction Variations - Japan

Post by Michael Kazeuma »

I took another look at the directions in both Japanese and English. Some of the differences included:

In J: Chuck yeast packet into boiling wort. This is the yeast that comes with the kit and they use this yeast as food for the the yeast that will eventually be pitched.
In E: No mention of this at all.

In J: Cooling Method: submerging in ice is recommended.
In E: It recommends boiling the water the night before and putting it in the fridge.

In J: Fermentation is recommended for 14 days.
In E: It is recommended for 7-10 days.

In J: There are also instructions for getting the lid on and off and of course at the end of the directions it is clearly stated that to maintain the 1% rule that you should only use 1/3 of your malt and put the rest in the fridge.

Anyway I decided to take a third party opinion in brewing the Brown Nut Ale. I would be willing to try Beer Club again especially if I can give that Triple Blonde Ale a boost. The ale turned out a bit watery for my taste. I tend to drink nama genshu (sake) and Belgium brews...

Thanks again for the advice and let me know the phone number for grain if they turn up. I'll be going out to Chiba and be in your neck of the woods today!


Michael
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