Baird Brewery Gardens Shuzenji highlights its collaboration beer portfolio
Baird Beer used its latest official blog post to spotlight the collaboration and OEM beers it has brewed over the years. The lineup ranges from Seijo Ishii's Pink Guava IPA to long-running projects for bars, clubs, and event partners.
Hop BroThis one is worth talking about: Baird Shuzenji's blog lays out how far their OEM and collaboration brewing has spread. It comes from Baird Brewery Garden Shuzenji, the place that basically refuses to make flavorless beer.
MugiWait, that collab lineup means the Shuzenji brewery is making beers for all kinds of partners? And one of them is Seijo Ishii's Pink Guava IPA? That got tropical really fast!
Hop BroExactly. Pink Guava IPA is their first collab with Seijo Ishii, and it sounds like bright guava aroma riding on a proper IPA bitterness. Very Baird: vivid and fun, but still balanced.
MugiHold on, OEM project means what, exactly? It sounds less like beer and more like a robot part number!
Hop BroIn this case, it means brewing for partners. A store or company brings the concept, Baird brews it, and the impressive part is that they do not keep reusing one stock recipe for everyone.
MugiWhat! No copy-paste recipes? So every beer is basically custom-tailored, except the tailor hands you hops instead of a jacket.
Hop BroPretty much. They also have long-running collabs while juggling 12 core beers and 26 year-round seasonal releases. Popeye's 'Divine Bump III IBA' goes back to March 2004, and The Aldgate's 'Jack The Ripper IPA' has been brewed since 2009.
MugiThat is wild. Twenty-year relationships in beer is serious commitment. And names like Brompton Ale and Golden Tir na nOg already sound like a pub crawl waiting to happen.
Hop BroThen you add the Tokyo American Club's original IPA and the Oolong Ale for Tokyo Gyoza Stand, and the range gets even wider. What ties it all together is beer is made by people, not by equipment, which is exactly how Bryan Baird frames it.
MugiThat line really lands. People over equipment makes every glass sound more personal, like each beer has its own backstory. Now I want Pink Guava IPA next to Jack The Ripper IPA immediately.
Hop BroSame here. Put me in Shuzenji with balance and complexity in the glass, then finish with Oolong Ale, and that sounds like a very hard plan to refuse.
Baird Brewery Gardens Shuzenji, located in Ohira, Izu City, Shizuoka, is one of the current bases of Baird Beer, a brewery that began in Numazu in 2000. Its core stance is simple: never brew a beer without character. Alongside its core lineup, Baird now offers 12 standard beers and 26 seasonal beers brewed year-round.
In the official blog, the brewery highlighted the OEM and collaboration projects that help express that range. The first example was its new collaboration with Seijo Ishii, the Pink Guava IPA, which started selling last week. From there, the post walked through a long list of recurring projects.
- Popeye's Devine Bump III IBA, first brewed in March 2004
- The Aldgate's Jack The Ripper IPA, brewed since 2009
- Sister-shop beers such as Brompton Ale and Golden Tirna
- An original IPA for the Tokyo American Club
- ZUN Beer for Nico Nico Chokaigi, later paired with Hiroyuki in the concept name
- Rich Island Beer for Grip and Racines Farm to Park
- Oolong Ale for Tokyo Gyoza Stand and Taishu Gyoza Stand
What stands out is that none of these beers share the same recipe. Each one is built around the partner's brief, the ingredients, and the intended drinking occasion. The blog also reiterates Bryan Baird's view that beer is made by people, not by equipment alone. From its Shizuoka base, Baird continues to build beers that aim for the brewery's familiar balance of flavor, complexity, and individuality.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroThis one is worth talking about: Baird Shuzenji's blog lays out how far their OEM and collaboration brewing has spread. It comes from Baird Brewery Garden Shuzenji, the place that basically refuses to make flavorless beer.
MugiWait, that collab lineup means the Shuzenji brewery is making beers for all kinds of partners? And one of them is Seijo Ishii's Pink Guava IPA? That got tropical really fast!
Hop BroExactly. Pink Guava IPA is their first collab with Seijo Ishii, and it sounds like bright guava aroma riding on a proper IPA bitterness. Very Baird: vivid and fun, but still balanced.
MugiHold on, OEM project means what, exactly? It sounds less like beer and more like a robot part number!
Hop BroIn this case, it means brewing for partners. A store or company brings the concept, Baird brews it, and the impressive part is that they do not keep reusing one stock recipe for everyone.
MugiWhat! No copy-paste recipes? So every beer is basically custom-tailored, except the tailor hands you hops instead of a jacket.
Hop BroPretty much. They also have long-running collabs while juggling 12 core beers and 26 year-round seasonal releases. Popeye's 'Divine Bump III IBA' goes back to March 2004, and The Aldgate's 'Jack The Ripper IPA' has been brewed since 2009.
MugiThat is wild. Twenty-year relationships in beer is serious commitment. And names like Brompton Ale and Golden Tir na nOg already sound like a pub crawl waiting to happen.
Hop BroThen you add the Tokyo American Club's original IPA and the Oolong Ale for Tokyo Gyoza Stand, and the range gets even wider. What ties it all together is beer is made by people, not by equipment, which is exactly how Bryan Baird frames it.
MugiThat line really lands. People over equipment makes every glass sound more personal, like each beer has its own backstory. Now I want Pink Guava IPA next to Jack The Ripper IPA immediately.
Hop BroSame here. Put me in Shuzenji with balance and complexity in the glass, then finish with Oolong Ale, and that sounds like a very hard plan to refuse.
