Spartan Daily

SJ Beer Walk brews public awareness of Japantown shops

Jeffrey Cianci, Spartan Daily

Jordan Trigg, owner of Jack's Bar and Lounge, teamed up with event manager Charlie Mann and Tracy Lee of Dishcrawl to coordinate the event.

"We wanted to create a social event that would bring people into Japantown and get a feel for the community that's out here,"  Trigg said.

Participants received a tasting glass and a "passport" — a map showing them all the tasting locations.

The layout of the passport guided participants through the center of Japantown on Jackson Street, between 4^th and 6th Streets.

"I've never been to a Beer Walk, so I wanted to check it out," senior recreational therapy major Tiffany Choi said. "I've always wanted to explore Japantown more too, so that was a plus to this event,"

Local and imported seasonal microbrews and craft beers were featured, including Portland's Shipyard Brewery's newest brew, Applehead, which tastes like apple pie in a beer bottle.

Favorites of many people attending the event included the Nepal-imported Real Gold lager, a light beer, and its darker brother, Mustang Lager, both brewed with water from the Himalayas.

Of the local breweries, Eureka's Lost World Brewery, contributed their Great White beer, a light crispy wheat beer with a hint of citrus.

San Francisco's Anchor Brewery brought out its signature Anchor Steam beer, a dark brown ale.

Eighteen shops hosted the tasting locations, varying from urban boutiques like Cukui and Headliners to art galleries and studios tucked away behind restaurants.

"Most people only know Japantown as a place to grab a bite on Saturday night," Trigg said "but there's so much more here that gets overlooked,"

Trigg is also on the board of the Japantown Business Association (JBA), a non-profit organization which focuses on promoting Japantown as a unique, ethnic neighborhood in San Jose.

The JBA has over 130 members from local businesses, associations, and community organizations, all working towards the promotion and appreciation of Japantown as a cultural and historical resource, according to the passport guide.

With the tasting locations spread throughout the neighborhood, participants of the Beer Walk are brought to some shops often overlooked in Japantown, like Nichi Bei Bussan, which has been here for decades.

The shop, which specializes in Japanese goods like kimonos and martial arts gear, first moved into its current Japantown location in 1948.

"I still find that there are people who have lived here forever, much less newcomers who have no idea that there is a Japantown, that don't know we're in Japantown," said the store's manager Arlene Damron. "This is a good opportunity for people who normally don't come into the store because they don't know its here to come in and see what we do."

Japantown plays host to many events to promote public awareness, like the "Spirit of Japantown" Festival, the Wine Walk and Sake San Jose, a sake tasting event scheduled for May 2012.

The SJ Beer Walk is scheduled to continue on as a monthly event and will feature a greater variety of brews and wines to taste and enjoy.