Early yesterday morning we drove 1.5 hours out to the town of Mitsuke where our friends own a craft beer bar called cafe Hocca , they have 4 taps of craft beer from all over Japan and a fantastic range of single malt. But as I was driving home I could not indulge . We took a big selection of pies and some leather craft and along with a few other locals selling hand made items we all had a fantastic day . I also gave a jaw harp show for the lunchtime customers which everybody enjoyed. Posted below are a few photos from yesterday !

 With some free time this morning on our day off , we drove out to our organic farm and planted some fruit trees and organic seed potatoes , in the next few days we will return to plant the remaining seeds for this years organic vegetable crop . 

Hi Everybody , Albannach is holding an informal Hanami party on the bank of the Shinano river this coming Sunday from 12pm . If you are free come along , bring an instrument if you have one and the party is BYO so just bring along whatever you want to eat and drink . Pictured below is the map of the location and some chap in a kilt next to the cherry blossoms that was taken last weekend. 

Just put on a new keg this evening - Black Isle Scotch Ale ABV 6.2 % , Here is what the crew at Black Isle Brewery have to say about it
​
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.

 I would like to say a big thanks to everybody who came along to the Brazilian session last night . it was great fun and there are some very talented Brazilian musicians in Niigata . This is the 3rd time we have hosted the session so keep an eye out on the blog to see when the next one will be. 

Down on the farm - Today it was a fantastic spring day with a high of 22 deg , unheard of in early April in Niigata , so we drove out to our community organic farm and prepared 5 plots for some trees that we have just bought. The trees that will will plant are - Bilberry , Blackberry, cooking Apples . We have put some organic fertilizer in the ground so come the middle of April we will plant them along with this years new organic vegetables !​

This Friday , April the 1st is our monthly Celtic session , if you love live Celtic music or want to learn to play a Celtic instrument just come along anytime from 7pm this Friday - the session is very informal and usually finishes around 12am . It is a great night so come along and check it out. Posted below is a great video from the famous Niigata film maker Maxime Carteron 

​

As the weather is getting warmer we have just put on Black Isle - red Kite Ale 4.2% , the perfect beer to accompany any of our traditional Celtic dishes , Here is what the team at Black Isle have to say about it - As the name suggests, this amber ale lifts the spirits by infusing classic British hops with a malty backbone to create this medium bodied thirst quencher. It's the perfect year-round beer - refreshing in summer and satisfying in winter.

A corker with a winter vegetable soup and equally at home when sharing your mouth with a Glenmorangie 18-year-old malt.

. Today was our regular day off and it was a beautiful 15 deg sunny day , so it looks like spring has come early to Niigata this year. With such fantastic weather we drove out to our community organic farm and  weeded our vege patch , racked up the soil, spread a mixture of organic fertilizer over our vege patch , and even put down two new patches as we would like to grow more vegetables this year. Then we covered everything in plastic garden sheets which will come off in a months time , then we can plant out this seasons new organic vegetables. The onions and garlic that we planted late last year are looking really good and have survived our mild winter , they should be ready in June to harvest. Also we would like to say a big thank you to Abe san who helped us this morning. After 3 hours of gardening this morning some pints of Guinness will taste pretty good tonight , after all it is St Patrick's day today !

Hi Everybody , Just a reminder that this Friday night from 7pm is our monthly Celtic session , always a great night for live Celtic music and if you are interested in learning to play an instrument there are plenty of people to give you some advice. Also Sat night is your last chance to see the popular local Celtic band fireflies preform before they graduate from Uni . Doors open at 7pm and they start playing from 7.30pm - and it is free !