kibi's first craft beer prototype using sorghum harvested in Shinshu has been completed!
``First of all, who should I ask to try it?'' I asked a former chef at an affiliated company, and the person who decided to do so was Takao Makinae, who agreed to be interviewed this time. He is a food professional who worked as a manager at a famous French restaurant for many years and is currently active as a senior manager.
When I was young and in my 20s, I was so excited and nervous that I would be able to meet the man who welcomed customers at the French restaurant that I admired so much.When I sent him an email, he was very happy to accept my request, and the day of the interview arrived.
In the interview, we asked him about the taste of sorghum beer and its future development from the perspective of a food professional.
The taste of sorghum beer according to food professionals
Q: Please tell us candidly about your first impression of the taste.
You can feel the scent of plants and soil. It tastes like lactic acidic yogurt, and the overall taste is thick. There is a category of beer called ``Ale'' that allows you to enjoy a strong aroma and rich taste, and this sorghum beer has a healthy feel that is good for the body. Also, it is said that a temperature of around 18 degrees Celsius is ideal for bringing out the charm of rich red wine, but the taste and character of this sorghum beer may be better if it is not too cold.
Q : What kind of atmosphere do you think it would suit a store?
This is an image that goes well with Japanese food. For example, boiled food or hot pot. In French terms, it would go well with rich appetizers such as foie gras.
Q: This beer is made with a ratio of 50 parts sorghum to 50 parts barley, but sorghum is a gluten-free ingredient to begin with. Since you work closely with customers, do you feel that the demand for these types of health-conscious foods is increasing?
The main premise of a restaurant is for customers to enjoy their meal time. Some stores collect detailed information about customers before they visit, such as whether they have any allergies or whether there are any ingredients that may cause health problems. Recently, customer requests have been diverse, such as avoiding certain ingredients such as food additives such as thickeners and coloring agents from Rosaceae plants, specifying ingredients that cannot be eaten religiously, and responding to gluten-free diets depending on dietary habits. I feel that the demand for this product is increasing.
A unique story created by ingredients and the region
Q: You work in a place where food is served to customers. Do you feel any difference when the food you provide has a story or not?
The word terroir is derived from the French word terre , which means "land." The idea is that the wines produced by region, district, and vineyard have their own unique characteristics. The appearance, taste, and aroma of grapes are affected by all kinds of natural environments, such as sunlight hours, amount of rain, temperature, and soil. Recently, the word terroir has spread to Japanese sake as well, and some sake breweries are now promoting the soil in which the raw rice is grown, the quality of the water essential for brewing, and the passion of the local brewers. So, I thought it would be interesting to develop a lineup of sorghum beers based on production area. I think it will be important to decide what to connect and how to connect them with sorghum as a theme.
Q: Sorghum grains are used as ingredients and processed foods, including beer like this one, but their stems and roots can be used as clean energy. What do you think about new food options such as "Eat this because it's environmentally friendly"?
If we can see that the seemingly completely different genres of food and energy can be connected well as a story, and if we all work together, we can actually solve even the big environmental problem, then we will become human beings. I think it's about taking action. To be extreme, if I were to tell you how many bottles of sorghum beer you drink in a year and how many times the temperature will drop, it would feel very new and interest you (lol).
