The first organic craft beer in Japan! - MAVI
We would like to introduce you to " organic craft beer that can be enjoyed like wine, " carefully selected by the owner of a specialty organic wine store.
Located on the border between France and Germany, the Alsace region of France has a strong German influence due to its history. It is famous for producing high-quality white wine, but beer is also popular here.
The Blessing family's beer that Mavi encountered is made using hops and malt from Alsace , and the brewing water is groundwater from the local Vosges Mountains.After the secondary fermentation in the bottle , the beer is finished unfiltered and unsterilized .
Furthermore, the beer is made using only four ingredients - water, hops, malt, and yeast - and produces a variety of flavors through roasting and fermentation without the use of any secondary ingredients.
Please try Mavi's organic craft beer, which changes flavor depending on the temperature and can be enjoyed with meals.
Organic craft beer from precious small breweries
Craft beer is becoming more and more popular in Japan every year. Unlike mass-produced products from major manufacturers, craft beer is characterized by the attention to detail and unique flavors that can only be achieved by hand.
Small breweries that produce craft beer are also called microbreweries , and in the United States, they are defined as breweries with an annual production of less than approximately 1.8 million liters.
Mavi introduces the Blessing family of Alsace, an ultra-small brewery with an annual production of about 40,000 liters , well below the standard, and most of the beer they produce is consumed domestically.
Of course, this beer is only available at Mavi in Japan, making it the first time it has arrived in the country.
Blessings Organic Craft Beer
・Production area : Alsace, France
・Brewery name : Brasserie Blessing
(Brasserie atrisanale BLESSING)
・Organic history : Since 2014 (Certification: ECOCERT)
This brewery is run by a father and son in a small village at the foot of the Vosges Mountains. They started out by experimenting in their kitchen at home. They then converted a garage and used dairy equipment to create a truly "handmade" brewery.
Although the facilities have a handmade feel to them, the Blessings are a biotechnology researcher and an architect , and they were able to utilize their respective knowledge to pursue uncompromising flavor and brewing facilities .
As a result, in 2016, two years after starting winemaking in earnest , the winery won a gold and silver medal at the Paris Agricultural Competition .
They continued to win medals in 2017 and 2018, winning the highest award, the Prix d'Excellence, over the course of three years, and have risen to the top level of craft beer producers in France.
They are currently renovating their facilities, and a brewery with a tasting room is scheduled to be completed in 2021. They are aiming to eventually produce 90,000 liters per year (which will still be a very rare amount!).
Five things the Blessing family is particular about
Local Alsatian malt and hops
The Blessing family's beer is made using only four ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast . The hops and malt are organic and from Alsace , and the water used in brewing is from the local Vosges mountain range.
Uses groundwater from the Vosges mountains
The Blessings use groundwater from the local Vosges mountains for their beer. Thanks to the forested area and clay soil, the groundwater is soft . This water quality is more suitable for soft-tasting Altbier (top-fermented) and Weizenbier than for Pilsner, which is brewed with hard water from Northern Germany and the Czech Republic.
Secondary fermentation in the bottle, the same as champagne production
This method is often used in craft breweries in Belgium and elsewhere, but for aging and secondary fermentation, like champagne, bubbles are naturally created by secondary fermentation in the bottle . These bubbles are very delicate and bring out the aroma well. This is a time-consuming and labor-intensive manufacturing method, but we are particular about how we do it.
Unfiltered and unsterilized
It takes one week to prepare. After that, it is left to rest for about two weeks (as it is not filtered, foreign matter is allowed to settle), and then it is aged and fermented for about two weeks. Organic craft beer that is finished without filtration still has live yeast remaining. This yeast consumes minute amounts of oxygen and prevents oxidation, so it lasts a long time. The flavor makes the most of the natural goodness of the ingredients, and you can enjoy a beer that reflects the cultivation environment and the work of the brewer.
A diverse lineup created without using secondary ingredients
The Blessings use only four ingredients: hops, barley, water, and yeast , and do not use any secondary ingredients such as herbs or spices . They produce many different types of beer with different flavors, using only the roasting and fermentation of malt. The range of flavors is very wide, from refreshing to full-bodied, and can be used in a variety of situations.
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