In the neighbourhood of our future brewery (hopefully), there is a lot of this beautiful nature going on here.

Currently reading.. The New IPA - A Scientific Guide To Hop Aroma And Flavor by Scott Janish

About to start chapter 3 but very interesting thus far, it feels like I have read a large number of the papers Janish is referring to throughout my studies but it is much more pleasant to read them in a less jargon heavy, more easy to read format.

This tome is definitely the most beautiful beer book I own, thus far.

Looking forward to absorbing it’s knowledge!

Currently reading and being inspired by this book, lots of great designs but also good commentary on how to showcase other people’s artwork whilst maintaining brand consistency. I wanted to have the art of local artists on our cans since we decide on this path but have been concerned about how to do so in a fashion which doesn’t confuse our (tiny) potential customer base. Feeling better about this but have a friend I have yet to meet in the next village who is a designer whose work I enjoy so decisions are yet to be made on what direction we will go in.. possibly both!

Book: Craft Beer Design published by Gestalten

This tourist magazine showcasing places in our prefecture had a one-pager about the brewery I have been interning at.. I appear to have made the cut too as this somewhat hairy Scot can be seen pouring a beer at the taproom.

Also, the local NHK feature about the brewery that has me looking awkward in the background is being shown on national NHK on Saturday.. not sure how to handle this much limelight..

I think the first hop plant has breached the surface of it’s domain!

The Japanese have a word for thistle (azami) so it is seemingly not a species of plant un-encountered in Japan.. but I am increasingly seeing them in places where I live, walk or look.. pretty much exclusively.. which leads me to a pretty indisputable hypothesis..

Scots through some evolutionary genetic mutation, exude some sort of thistle, plant equivalent of spores.. and my understanding of international constitutional laws leads me to believe that land upon which thistles witnessed by Scots, and therefore presumably sown and breathed life within from those Scots, is automatically Scottish..

.. I should note that I have not spotted any roses around here..

.. anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk on how we move Scotland further away from her Tory overlords beyond her Southern border.

We took my folks up to the in-laws’ tea farm the other day and also showed them the likely site of our future brewery. This was our lunchtime view.

The preferred site of our brewery is actually in the photo but due to the land’s designation as government subsidised farm land it is very difficult to have the designation changed despite over half a century passing since the subsidy. It is doable but probably not in the timescales that we are working with, so we will be elsewhere.. probably in close proximity to this area.

Stopped off at Shikoku Karst in the Tengu Highlands for a break on our (very) long drive up to Matsuyama in Ehime. The views were outstanding.

Had most of today off so took my parents to Yasui Valley in Niyodogawa Town. Had a walk up a nice short trail before the rain got too heavy.