The next Celtic session at Albannach will be held on Dec Friday the 4th from 7pm - 12pm . If you have not already attended a session, you should come along  or join in if you like. It is a very informal session and beginners are most welcome. There is a wide variety of traditional instruments being played that you do not often hear so it is a great chance to learn about traditional Celtic music . 

As you may have read we are now growing our own organic vegetables at a community farm, this has been our 1st year doing this, but so far have had great success and now some of our seasonal organic fresh vege is featured on our menu for you to enjoy. Pictured below is what we harvested last week.  

New Menu item : By popular demand with have recently added traditional Fish & Chips to our menu as well

1/2 portion 2 x beer battered cod fillets & potato wedges from Hokkaido  700 yen
1 portion 4 x beer battered cod fillets & potato wedges from Hokkaido      950 yen

Extras 
Curry sauce    50 yen
Tomato sauce 50 yen
​Tartare sauce  50 yen  ​

I never thought I'd see the day when Albannach could serve award winning NZ craft beer in bottles , up until not long ago there was no NZ craft beer available at all in Japan but luckily that has recently changed and now there are several breweries from NZ exporting to Japan.  So yesterday at our local Yamaya liquor store we picked up some Renaissance Paradox Pilsner  in bottles .  

Here is what the team at Renaissance have to say about it : 
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Paradox PilsnerExplosion of passionfruit and citrus aromas - the signature of the Riwaka hop variety. On the palate the initial biscuity malt sweetness is soon joined by those zingy tropical fruit hop notes and leads into a racy tart finish.

Yesterday Albannach joined the Loten 5 street festival in Honcho, the festival was organised by our friend Junko who owns Chillin Mama a craft cafe located on Honcho street. There were lots of interesting shops including Marcus an American from Sado Island who bakes bread and a French man who has just started a winery on the Island. There were also people selling craft items and vegetables and Maui store  an organic shop was there too. The weather was overcast and a wee bit chilly but that didn't stop people attending as we sold out of pies around lunch time after starting at 10am, Also our friends from Anam Celtic band were playing right next to us which was nice  . Pictured below are some photos that I took yesterday. Now we try to attend as many festivals as we can as it's a great way to introduce Albannach to new customers !

Albannach is holding it's monthly Celtic Session tonight so if you are free come along and enjoy Niigata's best live Celtic music , great food & craft beer !

Just put on a new keg this morning - Black Isle Scotch Ale ABV 6.2 % , Here is what the crew at Black Isle Brewery have to say about it
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Believed to have originated from Edinburgh in the 1800s, the brewing of Scotch ales is now more of a focus for the US craft brewers than for those in its homeland. This beer, however, is a distillation of all that is good in Scotland. A liquid fruit cake with a malty foundation and a rich spice finish, this will fill your palate and astound you for minutes as you unlock the multi-layers of flavour.
A blinding pairing with roast lamb and equally good with a dram of Glenmorangie Lasanta.