Many different flavors of craft beer can be made by changing the formula slightly or even just altering the ratio of malt and hop. But where things get interesting is when you start adding additional ingredients. With ingredients such as fruits, herbs, spices, and honey, the taste and aroma of the beer are brought to life. But did you know you can add almost anything, such as oysters, miso, and other unexpected ingredients? Adding these different ingredients and lowering the ratio of malt will technically change the category from “beer” to “low-malt beer” or “happoshu” in the context of Japan, but globally this still falls under the category of craft beer. The fact that you can add anything and call it craft beer is what has led to its inclusive and extensive genre.
T.T BREWERY in Kawasaki is an example of a place that continues to make unique craft beer using special ingredients. When I visited in mid-October, they offered me a limited-time "Pumpkin Ale" for Halloween. A dark orange beer reminiscent of pumpkin, the sweet scent tickles your nose when you lift the glass up to meet your lips. With each sip, the rich pumpkin flavor spreads in your mouth. As unique as it is, it still has a distinct beer flavor, proving once again the endless possibilities of craft beer.
T.T BREWERY mainly brews seasonal beers on-site, changing the selection every few months. So when you go visit you know that the flavor you’re tasting is unique to that very moment.
Any of the seasonal beers found at T.T BREWERY are unique in their own way. Take, for instance, the cherry blossom-infused “Sakura Pils,” or the tomato and basil aged “Toma Bazier,” and let’s not forget the local flavors of Japanese pepper and kelp in the “Pepper Ale.” When the owner decided to open a brewery, he did so because he “wants everyone to drink interesting beer!”
His first project was making a summer-time beer, but he challenged himself to use tomatoes, a vegetable he strongly dislikes. But he thought, how interesting would it be if he could make a delicious tasting beer with something like tomatoes? Through endless trials and countless formulas, he landed on a mix of tomato and basil in his “Toma Bazier.”
With the endless array of ingredients in craft beer, it's easy to get caught up in the novelty of an idea and lose focus on solidifying the flavor and aroma. But that’s not the case at T.T BREWERY, where they follow through to the end and make the most interesting and enjoyable beers they can. For example, with Toma Bazier, at first, the owner couldn’t get the color of the beer right, and the beer and tomato ingredients wouldn’t mix well. But through much trial and error, they figured out how to maintain the desired beer color by only using the water content from the tomatoes instead of using additional water. There was also the separation issue, which came down to the ratio of beer to tomato. Another unique beer that required some innovation to reach its ideal flavor palette is the Pumpkin Ale. They add the pumpkin during the aging stage of brewing, rather than in the wort-making process, allowing the taste and aroma to come through. Other brewers also use pumpkin as an additional ingredient, but it's the way T.T BREWERY uses it that makes them stand out.
The owner of T.T BREWERY exclaims that “craft beer has an infinite amount of possibilities!” New flavors are being created each day that you cannot imagine until you try them for yourself.
