The Story of a Craft Brewery Dream
The Love Affair
The dream of Baird Brewing began as a love affair with beer. The love affair started
many years ago as a flirtation. I still remember clearly my first full-throated swallow
of beer. It was a Stroh's beer pilfered from my Dad's cellar stash and enjoyed together
with childhood chum Matt Wolfert. We were twelve or thirteen. I don't believe Matt
enjoyed the flavor experience quite as much as I did, but for both of us mischief in thebasement had never tasted so good!
The flirtation with beer continued during my college rugby playing days. I was smitten
not with the nuanced and sophisticated flavor -- this was sub-premium low-costindustrial lager after all -- but rather with the supreme conviviality and sociability thatbeer so powerfully facilitates. Beer is a beverage of moderate alcohol and extreme
refreshment. It contributes to the joy of living with simplicity and no pretension. It
was this realization that turned the flirtation into a budding love affair.
The love affair blossomed during my early years teaching English in Japan. I spoke nota word of Japanese when I first arrived in summer 1989. I did drink beer and playrugby, though, and these universal activities helped to bring down barriers and forge
human bonds in a way both more efficient and enduring than words. The love affair
moved to an even deeper level as I subsequently discovered the distinct and expressive
flavors of beers that were being crafted by the passionate artisans of the American
microbrewery movement. To the glorious attributes of beer that I had come to love
were now added wonderful facets such as depth and complexity of flavor, nuanced
balance and ... drum roll ... hop aroma, flavor and bitterness! I don't think I knew whathops actually tasted and smelled like until my first pint of real craft beer. My love forbeer now had reached the point where I knew it would never wane.

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The DreamThe transition from beer love affair to the dream of Baird Brewing happened in theheated alchemy of my love affair with a woman -- my now wife and co-founding
partner Sayuri. Our torrid relationship began in Tokyo in 1996 (though we had known
each other since 1993). Beer was a common pleasure. We enjoyed drinking it
together, talking about it, and exploring the vastness of its world. This time coincided
propitiously with the dawn of the craft beer (ji-biiru) movement in Japan and there wasmuch excitement in Tokyo about the emergence of this new boutique beer scene. I
wanted to be a player in it; Sayuri shared this desire. The goal of together building a
craft beer brewery in Japan was the shared vision that cemented our bond and led to the
dream of Baird Brewing.

The Struggle
In reality, life dreams often don't come true, and when they do it generally is only after
the expenditure of much time, effort and anguish. This has proved true in our case. In
fact, if we had fully understood how much time, effort and anguish would be required, I
don't think we would have gone forward. But we didn't know, and we plunged in. We
quit our jobs and headed for the Pacific Northwest, ground zero for the U.S. craft beerrenaissance, to study brewing and explore the teeming culture of American craft
beer. This was intoxicating fun. The hard work was ahead of us, back in Japan, where
the ji-biiru boom was already turning bust. Brewing jobs were disappearing, foreign
equipment suppliers were going home, consumers were losing interest. This is themilieu in which we incorporated Baird Brewing Company in March 2000 and thenopened the doors of our Numazu Fishmarket Taprom pub in July 2000.
We launched Baird Brewing with the encouragement and financial support of four of
my closest life friends. We were capitalized to the tune of 12 million yen. Within six
months of opening the Taproom doors, to great quiet and much local indifference, we
knew we needed more money to survive. My brother became a fifth leg of support, andtwo of the founding four further opened their wallets. Shortly thereafter my parents
2gifted Sayuri and me some family money which we used to further invest in Baird
Brewing. This enabled us to scrap through and withstand the lean early years. The
odds were against us and these displays of love, confidence and loyal support will never
be forgotten. Beer, though, has a way of inspiring this sort of fortuitous magic.
Why weren't we more successful out of the gate? A little bit of a lot of things probably
contributed to our struggles, but one thing stands out -- many people either weren't
interested in or didn't much like our beer. We were brewing mostly ales, not lagers likepeople were used to, and we didn't process the beer like most other breweries (big or
small). Baird Beer is unfiltered and fermented twice, once in package. It thus isnaturally carbonated and we serve it appropriately at moderate levels of carbonation andcool not cold temperatures. Visitors would call it “warm” or “flat.” We would
respond: “No, it's at the appropriate temperature for maximum flavor enjoyment...”and then we would explain, to those who would listen, why this was so. We looked in
the mirror often and did many gut checks and we concluded, time after time, that wewere right and that we would stay the course. Although most people were slow tocome around, or never did, those who got it, got it. They loved Baird Beer and theyultimately turned our business with their unwavering patronage and their almost
messianic word-of-mouth proselytizing. They were our fans, our friends and our
unpaid marketing department.

The Progress
These passionate few who were both cheering us and fighting for us included some
important players in the craft beer pub and restaurant business. Despite being thesmallest licensed brewery in Japan (30-liter single keg batches) and possessing nobottling equipment, we began in 2002 selling Baird Beer in kegs to these fervently
committed outside accounts. I remember driving with Sayuri the Tomei highway to
Aobadai in Kanagawa prefecture to hand deliver the first keg of Baird Beer ever soldoutside our Fishmarket Taproom. The account was a wonderful Belgian beer restaurant
named COPA, which still carries our beer today. The beer we delivered was Teikoku
IPA. Pioneering craft beer pub Popeye in Tokyo's Ryogoku area was the second
account, followed shortly thereafter by the chic sake and shochu restaurant Takara in3

downtown Tokyo. Baird Beer is still served at all of these places, and now hundreds
more like it. We had turned a corner.
This momentum gave us confidence to further invest in and expand our tiny
brewery. We purchased our first 'proper' brewing system late in 2002; we were up andbrewing on this new 250-liter batch equipment in June 2003. We also took this asopportunity to begin bottling Baird Beer and, importantly, to develop artwork for our
individual year-round beers. Per our word-of-mouth orientation we were introduced bya customer-friend to graphic design artist Ms. Eiko Nishida. Eiko-san is immensely
talented and she immediately intuited how to express the true spirit and character of
Baird Beer through her rustically elegant artwork. She continues to this day
passionately crafting each piece of Baird Beer artwork.
The fruits of these various efforts came in the form of growing brand recognition andaccelerating sales growth. Before long we were in need of more capacity and this led
to our second brewery expansion in 2005. We were fortunate to find adecommissioned 1,000-liter batch brewing system that had once belonged to the now
defunct Suruga Beer Company. The Fishmarket Taproom location was not large
enough to house this brewery so we relocated our brewing operation to its current
location a few hundred meters down the road. The project required more capital than
we had available and we were compelled once again to raise additional equity. We
looked to ourselves first and the response was unanimous -- every partner contributed
more money. And then -- as hard work, honesty, and characterful beer would have it -four passionate Taproom friends and Baird Beer enthusiasts decided to invest theirhard-earned savings in support of the Baird Brewing dream. Our owner-partner familyof seven was now eleven and we were more determined and committed than ever. The
inaugural brew at the new facility was conducted on January 1, 2006, coinciding withthe 5-year anniversary of the debut of Baird Beer at the Fishmarket Taproom. It had
been a tough five years, but we were making real progress.
To continue progressing we now needed to move beyond infrastructure capacity
enhancements and equity capital infusions. The time had come to begin growing ourfamily of employee-colleagues. Five years in and two breweries later we still had only
three full-time workers (two of whom were myself and Sayuri). I was the lone brewer4

in our new facility and this was not sustainable. We began the process of recruiting,hiring and training would-be brewers. We didn't know what we were getting into. Our
first problem was attracting interested candidates. There just weren't many. Brewing
beer is a tough, often monotonous, detail-oriented job where the bulk of one's time isspent not brewing but cleaning. The sexiness comes in what you are making -beer! The few candidates that did appear clearly were drawn to the allure of beer; thearduous nature of the work was a harder sell. Our second problem was ourselves -- weweren't sufficiently prepared for the difficulty inherent in the task of moving beyond
doing everything ourselves to teaching and mentoring, systematizing processes and thenentrusting others with high levels of responsibility. This is a supreme challenge facedby all young and growing businesses. We were not unique, but it sure felt like we wereat the time.
We failed as much as we succeeded in our early efforts at hiring, training and retaining
staff. But we learned along the way and we got better. At the end of the day, people
are a business' most important asset. Equipment doesn't brew beer; trained,knowledgeable, passionate and committed people do. Likewise in a restaurant -- it is
the comprehensive skill and professionalism of the staff that makes or breaks
it. Fortunately, we understood this and we have pursued with relentless purpose thegoal of creating a flourishing family of worker-colleagues. Today, there are aroundthirty of us working full-time at Baird Brewing. We have turned what was a weakness
into strength. Not all of us in the Baird Brewing family are connected by blood, but weare by beer. And like blood, beer runs thick!
For Sayuri and me, the goal for Baird Brewing was, from the outset, more than just thecrafting and distribution of characterful beer. It was the "celebration of beer," which
we define as "the comprehensive enjoyment of beer in a way that enhances the overall
experience of life." The best strategy to achieve this was obvious to us -- create
English-style public house environments for people to enjoy Baird Beer. We do thisthrough our brewery-owned and brewery-operated Taproom pubs. All are welcome at
our Taprooms, including families with children (we raised four daughters within thewalls of the Fishmarket Taproom). These are not dark dens of drinking
iniquity. They are social, convivial places focused on human interaction andcamaraderie. We consider them a sort of analogue Facebook. Interaction with patrons5at our Taproom pubs is the most efficacious way for us to spark in others the flame ofpassion for characterful beer that we ourselves possess. In the end, terrific beer
enjoyed in a wonderful public house environment is all about one simple thing -- people
being happier than they otherwise would.
In 2008, with plenty of brewing capacity and accumulated skill running the Fishmarket
Taproom, we decided it was high time to expand our pub business. Tokyo was theobvious choice as it is by far the largest market for Baird Beer. We opened the doors of
our Nakameguro Taproom on May 10, 2008, celebrating its birth on the same day as
Sayuri's forty-first birthday. The Harajuku Taproom came next, opening in August
2009. We followed that with the Bashamichi Taproom in Yokohama, opening its doors
in January 2011. While each Taproom shares common Baird Beer roots and the samephilosophical orientation, each also is unique in important ways, including food concept
and staff personality. If Baird Beer is our bread, the Taproom pubs are ourbutter. We're planning more of both.
A final, and surprising, component of our progress has come in the form ofexports. Back in the 1990s when I was studying brewing in the U.S., the market forcraft beer tended to be overwhelmingly local and segmented. Not only were there
really no national craft beer brands to speak of, the idea of an international market forthese flavorful and idiosyncratic beers was not in the realm of anyone's wildest
imagination. Well, the Internet changed all that. Global information dissemination
through the Internet has quite literally sparked an internationalization of the market forcraft beers from boutique breweries the world over. We began our export odyssey in2008, shipping to the United States the first overseas container of Baird Beer. Since
then, we have gained import partners and niche access to beer markets in Canada,
Australia and New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong, and the list continues to grow.
If you happen to be passionate about beer, it's a great time to be alive. And it's only
going to keep getting better!

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The Destination
During the 13-plus year struggle for incremental growth and progress, Sayuri and I
never lost sight of our ultimate goal -- to build a beautiful rural brewery that
demonstrates naturally the intricate connection existing between land and beer. Despite
the modern industrial face of beer brewing, dominated as it is by large-scale enterprises
governed primarily by economy-of-scale efficiency considerations, it is true thatthroughout most of history beer brewing was a local, rural activity engaged in by
farmers. It has even been hypothesized by some historians and anthropologists thathuman beings first abandoned the nomadic life of hunters and gatherers and settled incommunities in order to cultivate grain so as to brew beer.
What is beer brewing traditionally? It is a process that includes the following:(1) Outside the brewery:Cultivation of grain (mainly barley and wheat) that becomes the starch source
for ultimate fermentation by yeast.

Malting of grain to help produce the enzymes to convert the grain starch into
fermentable carbohydrates.

Cultivation of hops, and other herbs/spices, by which to further flavor the beer,balancing it with bitter and other flavor attributes.



Cultivation of sugar and fruit to supply additional and/or alternative sources offermentable carbohydrates to yeast.

(2) Inside the brewery:

Mashing: The combining of milled grains with water to produce sweet
sugar-laden liquid called wort.



Lautering: The separation of the spent grain from the sweet liquid wort.
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Boiling: Heating of the liquid wort and addition of bittering hops and/or otherflavor components. The act of boiling effectively sterilizes the wort and the
addition of hops provides flavor balance and contributes an antiseptic function.

Cooling: The liquid wort needs to be cooled before the introduction of yeast for
fermentation.

Fermentation: Metabolism of wort carbohydrates by yeast and theirtransformation into alcohol and CO2 gas.

Packaging/Conditioning: Once primary fermentation is complete, the green beer
can either be conditioned in tank for flavor maturation and then packaged, or
packaged young and then conditioned in package for flavor maturation.

As is evident, beer brewing is an activity deeply dependent upon and intertwined withnature and man’s harmonious cultivation of it. Our dream has been to build a brewerythat completely reflects and embraces this reality, and helps to nudge modern brewing
back onto its historical foundations.
After a 3-year process of intensively scouting Numazu and its environs for a suitablelocation, we have at long last found our future. We are building this back-to-nature
farm-type brewery on a lovely three hectare parcel of property in the Shuzenji area of
Izu city, right on the banks of the same Kano river that runs past our current Numazu
facility, where it empties into the Suruga bay.
Our new brewery property will be called: Baird Brewery Gardens Shuzenji.
We began hop garden and fruit orchard planting on the property back in March of thisyear. We broke ground on brewery construction in August. Our new brewery
equipment from Germany will begin to arrive on site in December. Building
construction is scheduled for completion by the end of February 2014. Brewerycommissioning is slated for March 2014. Should the stars align and the gods be ingood humor, Baird Brewery Gardens Shuzenji will be spiritedly transforming nature'sbounty into liquid gold beginning April 2014.

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The move to our new Brewery Gardens Shuzenji location will include there-installation of our current small brewing systems at the new site. We thus will havethree brewhouses operational under one roof. On the third floor of the new brewery
will be located the Brewery Gardens Taproom -- a tasting room open to the publicthat includes an observation gallery overlooking the brewery and an outdoor beerdeck. The space in front of the brewery, between it and the Kano river, will be turned
into a natural outdoor beer garden. Eventually, we plan to operate part of the grounds
as a campsite open to overnight guests.
The main activity on the grounds, of course, will be the one from which all else springs-- the crafting of beer that bursts with flavor and character. What kind of character
specifically? The acclaimed international wine critic, Robert Parker, has spelled out
seven "characteristics of a great wine." We believe the same characteristics areapplicable to "great beer." Baird Beer endeavors to contain them all. They are:(1) “The ability to please both the palate and the intellect.
(2) The ability to hold the taster’s interest.
(3) The ability to offer intense aromas and flavors without heaviness.
(4) The ability to taste better with each sip.
(5) The ability to improve with age.
(6) The ability to display a singular personality.
(7) The ability to reflect the place of origin.”
Beers of this kind are works of art that have their origin both in the heart of thecraftsman and in the bounty of nature. This makes them distinct from mass-produced,
mass-distributed, and mass-consumed industrial beers. Our move to Izu and theestablishment of Baird Brewery Gardens Shuzenji will allow us to pursue theachievement of these seven characteristics of “great beer" with renewed vigor,
heightened context, and a larger tool box.
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It is a wonderful moment to be a Baird Beer brewer. It is a fantastic time to be in lovewith beer. Whatever one’s dream, making it come true is happiness fulfilled. We can't
wait to welcome you to our new brewery home and to share the joy!
Cheers!
Bryan Baird
September 201310

Accompanying Photos

College Rugby 1987 -- Camaraderie through Sport & Beer

Osaka Rugby 1989 -- Sport & Beer as International Language

11Due Diligence 1996 -- Visiting Sankt Gallen Brewpub in Roppongi

Brewing School in California 199712

Due Diligence 1997 -- Visiting Seattle's Pyramid Brewing.
Fish Tap August 2000 -- No Customers, Just Workers

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2001 -- Current Draught Beer Manager Chris Madere as Taproom Patron"What do you mean the beer's warm? Let me tell you something ..."

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The Original 30-Liter Batch Brewhouse

A Visit from Popeye Owner Aoki-san -- 2001

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Our Fans, Our Friends, Our Marketing Department

250-Liter Batch Brewhouse16

250-Liter Brewery Cellar

2003 -- Debut of Bottle-Conditioned Baird Beer17

Artist & Friend -- Eiko-san

New Brewey Opening January 2006

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New Brewery Brewhouse

2006 - Jay & Sally Baird visiting Son's Japan Brewery for the very first time

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Tap Fun 2002 -- Co-Managing Partner John and Wife Yumi have traveled the Journeywith us for 13 years

2010 -- Together with Tokyo-area Taproom Staff

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2010 -- Owner-Partner Family at the 10-Year Anniversary Party

2013 -- Baird Brewer Family: Brothers through Beer

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The Four Baird Sisters -- An Experiment in Pub Rearing

Friendship & Happiness

22Love & Bliss

Nakameguro Taproom Opening May 200823

Baird Beer to the USA

Gazing Upstream from the Baird Brewery Gardens Shuzenji Site

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Gazing Downstream from the Baird Brewery Gardens Shuzenji Site

Lovely Soft Brewing Water from our own on-site Well

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Building a Hop Garden

Hop Poles are Set

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Hops are PlantedPlanting Fruit Trees

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A Fruit Orchard is Born

Ready to Build28

Blessing the Grounds

Ground Breaking Ceremony

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Visiting Germany where our new 60-HL brewhouse is being fabricatedFuture Outdoor Beer Garden in front of the Brewery30