Bryan Baird is the founder of Baird Beer, a craft beer brewery now based in Shuzenji, Shizuoka that is celebrating twenty years of operation this year. Baird Beer has multiple taprooms throughout Japan, including the Bashamichi Taproom in Yokohama. This cozy, three-story bar and restaurant offers an array of authentic American-style barbecue to go along with roughly two-dozen styles of craft beer.
Baird Beer has gained international recognition since its founding and is certainly an influential brewery. In the early 2000s, when many breweries were sticking to traditional European styles, Baird was ambitious with its experimentation. On a monthly basis, it offered new seasonal beers and specialty releases, bringing excitement to Japan’s growing craft beer scene. This practice that Baird pioneered has now become a standard in Japan. Baird went on to win several World Beer Cup gold medals for its specialty beers.
With Baird’s success came necessary growth. Several years ago, the family-owned business unveiled its beautiful and expansive new production facility in Shuzenji. It’s located on a former campground and Baird Beer has worked hard to restore the grounds–that’s right, it’s a brewery campground complete with a bar. It’s an easy day trip from Yokohama and highly recommended. But Bashamichi Taproom in central Yokohama is a good introduction if you want to stay local. Here, we speak with Bryan Baird about this popular establishment.
Bashamichi Taproom was your fourth retail location after Numazu (Shizuoka), Nakameguro (Tokyo), and Harajuku (Tokyo). Why did you choose Yokohama?
We decided on Yokohama for our fourth Taproom because we felt the food concept fit well with the cultural vibe of Yokohama. Our pitmaster-to-be Charles Morrow lived in greater Yokohama and we lucked upon the right location at the right time.
Why American-style barbecue as your theme?
I had met a homebrewer and very passionate barbecue maven in the person of Morrow. He and I spoke on several occasions about the affinity between authentic American barbecue and characterful craft beer. Morrow then invited me, Sayuri (Baird co-founder & Bryan’s wife) and John Chesen (Senior Partner and General Manager) to his home for a sampling of his home-smoked barbecue. We were hooked in an instant. Chuck’s long-standing dream was to introduce real American-style barbecue to Japan and we raised our hand to make our fourth taproom the vehicle for that. Great beer and genuine barbecue is a pairing gifted to us by God.
You have quite a special oven in the Bashamichi Taproom. What’s the story?
On our requisite barbecue due-diligence tour around the state of Texas, we visited a few pit (barbecue smoker) manufacturers. The smoker we thought most practical to bring to Japan was the ‘Big Red’ smoker made by a little company in Mesquite, Texas. Its performance has been glorious. The meat coming out of it now after nine years of use and ‘conditioning’ is truly sublime!
You have a craft beer unique to Yokohama in Bashamichi Taproom, too.
Yes, our Bashamichi Ale is a smoked Brown Ale served as Real Ale on hand-pump exclusively at Bashamichi Taproom (“Real Ale” carbonation occurs naturally; it is traditionally served by pump). The idea was to craft a beer with a nuanced smoky character that would complement the smokiness of our barbecue. The malt we use to accomplish this is produced in Germany and smoked with beechwood. Try a Bashamichi Ale together with a plate of our brisket. You’ll never be the same!
What do you personally like about Yokohama?
I like the open and international feel of the city and its sort of Meiji-era vibe. I also like its intimacy and the ability to really walk the city in a day.
What are some aspects of the Bashamichi Taproom you hope will appeal to Yokohama families, residents and visitors?
Like the city itself, I think Bashamichi Taproom is both intensely local and yet open and international at the same time. It manages to be authentically American and genuinely Japanese in one stroke. We are always family-friendly and our staff is so experienced and earnestly passionate.
Thank you Bryan. Congrats on twenty years of business and making Yokohama a part of that.