"A Visit to Umenishiki -- Home of Good Beer and Sake" PAGE2
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A Tour of the Brewery
If you look to the right of the garden, you can see the restaurant At the front entrance of the restaurant, we find a shop that sells herb-related goods, such as homemade ham and smoked sausages. On the shelves is a wall full of Umenishiki brand sake including premium dai-ginjo sake. Further inside is the brewery. Behind the glass walls, we see the brewery staff making beer. "Do you want to go inside?" asks Mr. Watanabe. "Of course!" So we go inside the brewery, which seems more like a cozy atelier. "I didn't think I would be making beer when I joined the company" says Mr. Toyoda, the person in charge. He is an expert brewer, having in-depth knowledge of both beer and sake. In the wintertime, Mr. Toyoda takes part in sake brewing as well. The biggest concern when brewing beer is how to handle bacteria. "The flavor of beer changes even with the slightest presence of bacteria" A ton of beer is prepared every day and tasting takes place every morning and afternoon. Since Umenishiki makes 8 types of beer now, it's quite a job. We asked Mr. Toyoda which he prefers, beer or sake. "Personally, I prefer cold sake," was his modest reply, though we're sure he's fond of both, no doubt.		The garden building structures are "barrier free," having the least possible difference in level. Wheelchairs are also available Four "Umenishiki Art Gallery" series designed by Mizumaru Anzai, a famous Japanese illustrator, available here only Various herbs for sale You can create labels with your photo with this PC. Makes a great gift Mr. Toyoda: "This is caramel malt, the ingredient for making dark beer"