Stone brewing collaboration for Japanese tsunami victims

The New School Brew blogspot has reported on Stone Brewings latest collaboration, this time in support of victims of the Japanese Tsunami. Stone has long been one of my favourite US craft brewers, ever since I got my first taste of Arrogant Bastard. They have done many collaborations over the past few years with small like-minded brewers across the globe, but this particular collaboration is close to my heart. Having lived in Japan for just over three years it is like my second home and with my wife also being Japanese the devastating tsunami affected us greatly. If you can drink a great beer and also aid in helping people recover from disaster then that is what I call a win win.

Escondido, CA | July 11, 2011 Stone Brewing Co. is proud to announce the release of its latest collaboration beer, Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA, hitting shelves today.

Toshi Ishii—former Stone Brewing intern cum brewer (’98-’01) and now owner of Ishii Brewing Co. in Guam—got in touch with Stone Brewmaster Mitch Steele shortly after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster with a proposal to make a beer that could help with recovery efforts. Bryan Baird of Baird Brewing Company in Numazu, Japan was brought on board and ideas were soon flying.

“We wanted the beer to have a Japanese spirit, so we decided early on that we would be using green tea in the recipe,” explains Baird.

“We decided to brew an IPA to accentuate the tea’s herbal character,” adds Steele. “But this won’t be the typical, citrusy West Coast IPA flavor. We’re using Sorachi Ace, a variety of hops originally developed in Japan, as well as Pacifica, Crystal, Warrior, and Aramis, a brand new cultivar from the Alsace region of France.”

All proceeds (minimum $50,000) will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross Society. “We hope that Japan and its people will bounce back from the tsunami tragedy stronger than ever!” exclaims Ishii.

“A collaboration beer like this is a great way to demonstrate to Japan that they’re not alone,” Baird asserts. “They have friends, supporters, and empathizers all around the world.”