Bayern Meister Beer

Bayern Meister Beer. You know, it's a brewery run by Stefan Lager from Bad Wiessee, Bavaria, Germany, all by himself in Fujinomiya.

His wife, Yukari, is from Fujinomiya. Stefan started training in 1984 at Brauhaus Tegernsee, a royal-style brewery owned by descendants of Ludwig II. He learned Weissbier at Hopf Weiße, and also attended the University of Weihenstephan, the world's oldest brewing school, as well as the Doemens Beer Academy. He holds both brewer-master and malt-master qualifications.

He came to Japan in 1997, invited amid the deregulation of Japan's craft beer rules. When he drank the spring water near Shiraito Falls in Fujinomiya, he became convinced, "This is the best water for brewing beer in Japan," and in 2004 he renovated a former sake brewery with his own hands and opened the brewery. He brews with Fujisan's spring water drawn from 139 meters underground.

The brewing follows Bavarian Reinheitsgebot to the letter - only four ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast. The pilsner called Prinz uses aroma hops from Hallertau, leaving a gentle aftertaste of orange and grapefruit. Edelweiss is a Hefeweizen made with yeast sourced from Weihenstephan's yeast bank, so all of its fruitiness comes from fermentation. There are no fruits in it at all, yet it tastes fruity.

Their Eisbock, an ice-concentrated bock beer, is also highly rated at 9%. Another interesting point is that it has been designated as the official beer supplier to the German Embassy in Tokyo. It's authentic German beer, recognized by the German Embassy, brewed at the foot of Mount Fuji.

The only German running a German-style brewery in Japan is said to be Stefan. It's small in scale, with a taproom of about 20 seats that he renovated himself from a former sake brewery, and the walls are covered with awards and newspaper clippings. They also serve German-style pretzels in partnership with a local bakery. In a town famous for Fujinomiya yakisoba, having such a serious German beer craftsman there is irresistible.