A connecting and expanding spiral
~ "Let's Make Monosas Beer" 3rd Edition @2023~

Let's go back three years to 2020.
Okubo and I, who have an extremely passionate passion for beer, took advantage of the "exploratory" system that allows us to try what we want to do using the budget of the Monosasu site, and had the opportunity to make Monosasu Beer at Hitachino Nest Beer's handmade beer workshop . This experience made us even more passionate about beer, and in 2022, we made the second Monosasu Beer. And this year, in 2023, we are taking on the third edition.
In this two-part series, we present a passionate reflection on the insights and learnings gained from these experiences in dialogue format.
This is the second part. It is a look back at the third installment. ( Click here for the first article (look back at the second installment) )

Introduction: The concept of the third installment

Before starting to brew our third beer, we took some time to think back on what we wanted to do this time.

1. ①I want to make even more delicious beer.
   Learning from the lessons learned from the first and second rounds, we don't just want to make beer, we also want to take careful steps to decide where and how to serve it.
2. ② I want to revitalize communication within the company. Furthermore, I would be happy if I could be a link of communication not only within the company, but also with your family and those around you.
   I thought it would be great if beer could be the catalyst for this.
   I hope that by steadily and carefully creating an opportunity through Monosasu Beer to smooth communication with everyone in the company and those around you and to expand your circle, we can gradually promote various kinds of circulation (before you know it, it will develop into a snowball effect? A chain reaction?).

With these thoughts in mind, the third installment has begun.

Meeting with OGA BREWING

Kojima 's second beer, the white ale, is almost perfect! I think it turned out well, but I was disappointed with the IPA. Maybe the workshop-like framework had reached its limit. For the third beer, I'd like to try a different brewer.

When I went to OGA BREWING in Okubo Mitaka to drink, I asked about it, and they told me that they could make an original beer, so I decided to give it a try!

When I looked at the OGA BREWING website after being introduced to it by Okubo Kojima , it said, "We want to create a place through beer that will inspire communication and smiles across generations."
I thought to myself, maybe I could make beer with the same passion as this brewer!
I visited the store and had a chat with him over a beer, and the beer was delicious and the atmosphere was great. I decided to definitely ask him to help me.

Biggest challenge: 800 bottles! ~ A crisis turns into a breakthrough!

Okubo: But then the issue of the number of books came up.
Hitachino Nest's minimum order quantity was 90 bottles in total for white ale and IPA, but OGA BREWING's minimum order quantity is 800 bottles.

Kojima : The biggest challenge this time was how to handle 800 bottles.
So, what kind of places could we provide them and how many bottles could we provide there? We licked our pencils and made a calculation table, but we could only come up with a list of about 350 bottles.
What should I do? Should I make it easier to drink? We've even talked about making it a white ale instead of an IPA, which might sell better.

Okubo: Even so, I wasn't confident that I could sell 800 bottles.

Kojima: So we decided to call a beer meeting.

The Okubo Beer Conference was attended by Mr. Arai, who oversees MONOSUS Shokken, which operates employee cafeterias, school lunches, and grocery stores, Mr. Iino, the executive chef, and Mr. Harazawa, who is knowledgeable about craft beer.
When I told him about my worries about 800 bottles, he immediately replied, "I thought there would be more than that. It's fine!". He said that there would be plenty of catering to handle a large number of bottles towards the end of the year, in addition to selling them in the store, so there was nothing to worry about. It was a moment when I felt truly confident that Monosus had a food business. My worries were blown away in an instant.

Kojima: From there, the project unfolded and expanded.
The idea of a company cafeteria came up as we were thinking it would be nice to have a place where we could drink regularly, and wanted to open a "Bar Monosasu", which then expanded into "Izakaya Monosasu", and before we knew it we were holding it every month.
Coincidentally, there was a workshop retreat hosted by the Suo-Oshima office in November, and we were able to send beer there as well.

There were a lot of people looking forward to the beer at the Okubo Sports Day, and they drank quite a lot. I could feel everyone's anticipation for the beer.
Also, this time we will be doing new internal sales as well.
What was interesting was that even though you could buy just one bottle, there were very few people who bought just one or two, and many people who bought large quantities, like two six-packs. I guess people who like beer want to buy it regardless of the price. Each bottle is quite expensive. I also learned who likes beer. (laughs)

Another challenge: Punch – in search of the flavor we wanted to create

The continuing theme from Kojima's first release is flavor, "punch."
Even though I had decided not to be too nervous in the second part of the review, the weight of 800 articles almost made me lose my way (bitter laugh).
But the words "It's okay!" at the beer conference helped me get back on track.

Representative Okubo , Mr. Hayashi, also gave us a push by saying, "It's important to think about everyone, but first you have to make what you want to make yourself."

Since it's Kojima , I'll focus on exploring punches!
First, we consulted with a professional! We had OGA look at the recipes for the first and second editions, and we explained and consulted with him in detail about the things we had improved on and the points we were particular about. Through our dialogue and fine-tuning, we decided on this year's recipe.

Okubo: He let me try some of OGA BREWING's beers and we discussed what kind of style we should go with.

Kojima : First of all, we talked about how we wanted it to have a punch and a citrus feel.
The citrus flavor can be piney or lemony, or orange or tropical. The hops used are different. So I asked for a tropical flavor, not a piney one, and a juicy, gooey flavor.

OGA also answered many of the questions posed by Okubo Iino.

Kojima: Although there are still some issues with the taste of the finished beer, I think it's pretty close to what I wanted, about 80 points.

Okubo: That's right. They're coming.

Kojima : When you take a sip, you first get a nice, fragrant aroma, then a rich, full-bodied flavor, and finally the bitterness of an IPA. What surprised me this time was the firm aftertaste. IPAs tend to leave a bitter, harsh taste, but this one faded away in a refreshing way, leaving an amazingly easy-to-drink aftertaste that didn't even hint at the 7% alcohol content.
However, I wish it had a little more punch. But I think it turned out much better than the second installment.
By the way, I always tell everyone to "burp after drinking" (laughs).

Okubo : The scent wafts out from your nose.
But it definitely lacks a bit of punch.

It goes really well with Kojima's food, but beer on its own only has about half the punch.

Okubo : Yes. But the quality has improved considerably, and I think it's becoming a beer that sells.

Kojima: Seeing everyone drinking it made me realize how delicious it really was.
The other day, I sent a case (30 bottles) of "Izakaya Monosasu" to coincide with a workshop in Suo-Oshima, but I was surprised when they all disappeared, even though there were only about 15 people in attendance!!

KojimaAlso , something we tried for the first time, draft beer from a beer server!
This had a strong aroma and flavor and was delicious!!

OkuboIt was delicious!
You drank it in no time.

Kojima : I was also glad that it didn't have that weird toughness (a strong, distinctive flavor) that is typical of craft beer.
At the sports day, some people had come from far away, and some were there for the first time in a long time, and I was deeply moved by the sight of beer blending in with the lively company of everyone.
I think the reason people come to Izakaya Monosasu is because Iino's food is so delicious, so I was happy to be able to support that, and I was also happy when people said, "The food and beer go really well together."
So I think I've been able to become one of those bonds that connects people together in many ways!

A Connected and Expanding Spiral①

Kojima Beer connects people not only in the places where it is served, but also in the "brewing process."
On the day of brewing, Takeda and Hayashi Yosuke, who are in charge of label design, and Tazaki from the back office, joined us.
The brewing process was not done entirely by hand from start to finish like in the previous events, but rather it was done using OGA BREWING's authentic equipment, with us basically helping OGA with measuring and adding ingredients at various key points, and it took about a day to make the wort.

Kojima: What I thought was amazing about the preparations this time was our trauma, " Superzing "!
Up until the second release, it was all done by hand, with a watering can and pitcher, but OGA's kettle has a shower-like device inside that sparges automatically!!
The authentic facilities were wonderful.
Another thing I thought was that OGA is definitely a beer geek (lol).
A few days after the brewing date, he sent me a video saying, "The yeast is eating up the sugar vigorously."

Okubo: The tube coming out of the tank is submerged in water, and if it's fermenting properly, bubbles of carbon dioxide will come out of it. You said that you can drink alcohol just by looking at it. (laughs)

I think there is love for Kojima Beer. I met a really nice person. OGA-san, he came to the "Izakaya Monosasu" where we unveiled the finished beer.

Okubo : You blended in so well with Monosas that no one knew where you were.
He loves people. Oga-san loves people and beer.
When I first went to OGA's shop to ask for advice, he was so friendly from the start, like we knew each other.

Kojima: He's very friendly and seems to be very caring.
It was nice to be able to connect with OGA and everyone at Monosus and meet and talk with the makers directly.

A Connected and Expanding Spiral②

Okubo : Just like with the second installment, we thought it would be better to have the designers come to the site so they could get a clearer idea of what was going on, so both Takeda and Yosuke joined us and we swirled the wort together.
I also learned about how the label designs are created, but I don't think I would have had the chance to hear those stories if we hadn't been brewing beer together.

Kojima : Our jobs are in different fields so we don't have much in common, and I never thought we'd be able to work together.

Okubo : After that, he came up with about four different label designs. He even changed the colors of one design and came up with several more.

Kojima: The first draft that came out was so well-crafted that I was a little taken aback at first, but after listening to his explanation and sticking the labels I made on beer bottles, the feeling of what I wanted to create gradually started to permeate my cells (laughs).
Some of them are coded, and when you input the beer recipe it takes shape, like you're creating the beer together. All of the ideas were great, and I had a lot of trouble deciding along the way.
So I approached people passing by at work and asked their opinions, and narrowed it down.

In the end, I was really torn about the colors. I was calculating and nervous, thinking that white on a black background might make it easier to expand in the future.
So we discussed it at the designer meeting (a monthly gathering of designers). "If 'kasugai' (a bond) means connecting people, then pink feels more alive. The green background also reminds us of hops. Why not go for pink against the green?" was the opinion we received.
Up until then, I thought that green and pink for a beer was a bit too bold, but after hearing that comment, it immediately made sense to me that the more colorful it was, the more Monosus-like it was. So I decided on that label.

Okubo : We also had members of FarmMart & Friends, who will actually be selling the products, take a look at them. They gave us advice on which colors would stand out better on the shelves.

Kojima : I didn't want to make it look too over the top or too assertive, but when lined up with other products, the shape and colour of the clamp gave it just the right amount of presence and looked great.

I was really happy when both Takeda- san and Yosuke-san said they had enjoyed designing it.

Kojima: This is also a connection that beer has made. Starting with Takeda-san and Yosuke-san, everyone brought their wisdom, knowledge, skills, and what they could to lend a hand. I was happy to see the idea take shape, or rather, grow deeper, as we connected with people.

Summary: Towards the fourth installment

Many people were involved in the 3rd Kojima project, and I feel that Okubo and I were the ones who benefited from their bond more than anyone else, so I am filled with gratitude to everyone .
I thought that if I continued doing this, it might grow into a business little by little, and that this might be what it means to wave the flag. This experience was huge for me, and I learned a lot not only about work, but about life in general.

At this age, or rather when you're used to doing a job you're used to and have experience in, you can imagine to some extent how the work will proceed. But then I had the opportunity to try brewing beer, and it gave me more opportunities to encounter things I didn't know, so it was a lot of fun. It felt like I was experiencing a new workplace, and it was very refreshing. Starting with the system and rules of alcohol sales, brewing with full-scale equipment, creating forms for company sales, and even the backstage catering! There was a lot of world I would never have been exposed to if it weren't for this connection.

Okubo: Brewing beer is really fun. The excitement before drinking it is just irresistible.

Kojima: There were times when I was nervous, but it was also a lot of excitement.
So, I would like to continue doing this in the future.
So, I'm hoping to do the fourth installment next year!
In the fourth installment, I'm seriously thinking about finding a way to make the project self-sustaining. In order to continue the project for a long time, I think we need to circulate the money. We can't run the project without at least some profit, so I want to expand it little by little.
Also, the other day, I heard from MONOSUS Shokuken's Tomita and Iino that the customers who were served the catering service were very happy and said, "It was delicious!" I wanted to expand the connections that beer can make, and in order to do that, I wanted to create opportunities to meet people in various places! That's what made me feel that way.

Kojima: And then, something I realized when I did it this time was that because beer is a draft product, you have to really think about the perfect timing to serve it.

Okubo: Because it's a refrigerated item, you have to secure a storage space in advance, so it requires a lot of care.

Kojima : Also, I think it will be easier to spread if advance notices and explanations are given carefully.
We discovered a new challenge: the more the quantity handled, the more detailed planning is required to coordinate the timing of various factors.

Okubo : And then there's the cost involved.
If you want to keep making them for a long time, you have to think about that.

I feel that the Kojima flavor issue will be resolved once I've had some more discussion with OGA and we've agreed on what's best, so I'd like to release it about twice next year.
Let's work hard to graduate from the inquiry-based approach and turn it into a full-fledged personal project!

Thank you very much. I look forward to working with you in the future.