Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Spring seems already to have arrived here in Numazu and fortunately Baird Beer has readied some wonderful seasonal beers to greet it.

(1) Temple Garden Yuzu Ale (ABV 5.7%):

Yuzu is the Japanese name for a citron (a slightly less acidic lemon-lime
type fruit). It is a wonderfully aromatic fruit with a snappy zest that is much prized in Japan. We received our portion from the Temple grounds of the family of one of Baird Beers' closest friends. We proceeded to shave off and collect the outer peels and hand-squeeze the juice. We then added both the peels and the juice to a rich, malted-wheat accented wort at the end of kettle boil. The end result is, in a word, divine!

Hazy golden-orange in color, Temple Garden Yuzu Ale sports a cloud-like creamy white head that immediately conjures images of a higher being. The brisk citric aroma of Yuzu quickly invades the olfactory senses. The mouthfeel is softy coating and fruity-sweet but a playful carbonation and citric acidity keep the palate in an alert state of attention. Finally, a kiss of malt roundness and honeyed sweetness send the Yuzu fruit flavor into paroxysms of Nirvana-like joy. Temple Garden Yuzu Ale surely is a beery sign that, in the apocryphal words of Benjamin Franklin, "God loves us and wants us to be happy."

(2) The Professor Munchner Dunkel (ABV 4.9%):

This classic dark lager is brewed in the tradition of Munich Dunkel lager
beers and is inspired by a Professor of German history who loves passionately the city of Munich. Much like the Professor himself, Munchner Dunkels are beers of great nuance and balance that display an unpretentious sophistication that only grows with age.

The Professor Munchner Dunkel is brewed with German Munich, Pilsner, Vienna, Carared and Melanoidan malts. The clean malty flavor is balanced sublimely with just the right touch of hop bitterness and punch. A quiet yeast-derived fruitiness lingers pleasingly in the background. If you enjoy this classic Munich dark brew with a plate of veal and German potatoes and close your eyes you may imagine yourself somehow transported to the Augustiner Brauhaus -- the Professor's favorite Munich beer hall. Prost to the Professor!

Both beers are now being poured from the taps of the Fishmarket Taproom and will be available throughout Japan at select Baird Beer retailers.

Cheers!

Bryan Baird