"The only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water." In 1516, Wilhelm IV of the Duchy of Bavaria stated this in the laws of beer or the "Reinheitsgebot," said to be the oldest law concerning quality assurance of food that’s still in use today.
The practical reason behind the law was to secure wheat and rye as sources of food, so they wouldn’t be mixed in with barley when brewing beer. But these days, Reinheitsgebot serves as a source of pride for German brewers. The fact that delicious beer can be made with only three basic ingredients has become proof of their distinguished brewing technology and excellent quality.
The United States and Japan commonly brew according to the Reinheitsgebot. For example, Chofu Beer Works' St. Robinson's brand produces "Maria," a craft beer made only from barley, hops, and water. Similar to how chefs bring out the flavor of simple ingredients by altering the amount of seasoning, the owner of this brewery limits the ingredients to make the original taste of the beer itself stand out.
The owner of Chofu Beer Works actually has a background in the restaurant business. He was a professional mogul skier in his early twenties, but by 27 he changed his career path and went into the restaurant business, opening his own shops in Chofu City and Naeba Ski Resort. His cooking skills are showcased in the food of the beer bar "Jackson Hole" and the craft beer of Chofu Beer Works.
The owner of Chofu Beer Works has been busy from the get-go. Since he started brewing in 2015, he's made a new original beer nearly every week. Some of them are seasonal beers and some are traditional beers created with the “World Beer Cup” in mind, which is the beer equivalent of the Olympics. But even with all of his overflowing ideas, he remains loyal to the classic flavor of “Maria.”
Maria is made in the style of ESB, Extra Special Bitter, reminiscent of the first craft beer he drank in 1999. Since then, he’s been pursuing his own style at St. Robinson while studying a variety of ESBs.
"St. Robinson's four classics are Maria in ESB style, Adele the House IPA, Lucia the Juniper Berry IPA, and the seasonal beer, Theodora. There’s still room for improvement, but all we can do is keep trying until we figure out what’s missing. That’s the fun of it."
The owner continues to search for his missing piece. Craft beer brewing, among other things, is also a journey to pursue your best self.
