We've really scored big time here. First time imported to Australia comes the uber cool, uber delish beers from cult Japanese brewery Minoh (thanks Black Market Sake for your persistence!). The story goes that liquor shop owner Oshita Masaji was tired of the limited options for beers in Japan - specifically, legislative requirement for breweries to produce massive volumes limited the number of players in the commercial space. But, in 1994 when the roadblocks we removed, craft beer began to flourish.
Masaji enlisted his eldest daughter Kaori as head brewer and started Minoh in 1996 with lots of passion but very little hands on experience. After lots of hard-work, tinkering, experimenting and mentoring from other established brewers, Kaori landed the brewery with a huge international craft beer award and hasn't stopped racking them up since. They've been such a hit that Kaori's two sisters are now in on the business. These are cult beers that rarely ever leave the shores of Japan, until now...
So, what do we actually have? Well, first off a bloody good-time, easy drinking Pilsner for starters. An award winning Weizen that's a bit banana-y, spicey but refreshing and perfectly plays the role of a fancy roadie for a stroll down Enmore road on a balmy summer's evening. We'd drink the Pale Ale at the beach with some fish and chips for sure - it's citrusy, and just hoppy enough to wash everything down perfectly. Bonza. And finally, Osaru IPA, named after the monkeys that make Mino-o Osaka famous. What started as a seasonal beer is now somewhat of a staple. It's fashioned as a more subtle but equally tasty Japanese take on an American IPA. Now, like most cult-ish rare things, we don't have many of these, so it's singles only. Mixed 4-pack anhyone? Have fun.
