Zao Brewery

Zao Brewery opened in 2022 and is Yamagata City's first craft beer brewery. It's located at the gateway to Zao Onsen, right next to that red torii gate.

The person behind it is Yasuhiro Kaiya. He's the second-generation owner who took over the food wholesaler Yamazato-na from his father, but he couldn't forget the bustle of Zao he saw as a child - back when people waited one to two hours for ski lifts and the hot spring town was lively. As it declined year by year and then sank even further with COVID, he stepped up and said, 'I want to bring it back.'

He also wanted to make the company a new pillar for his employees' future. And he connected that to craft beer by focusing on the excellence of Zao's spring water. He even says, 'About 90% of beer making is water.'

Without a doubt, 'SNOW MONSTER.' It's Japan's first white craft beer inspired by Zao's snow monsters. There's no other beer this white in Japan, but apparently they struggled at first because it wouldn't turn as white as they wanted during the initial production runs.

There's 'YAMAGATA Sakuranbo ALE,' made with juice from Yamagata Prefecture's Satonishiki cherries, 'MATSUNOMORI ALE,' inspired by Zao's pines and forest, and 'ZAO CLASSIC IPA,' a punchy beer at 7% ABV. For their fourth anniversary, they also released 'YUZU KAZE ALE' made with yuzu.

Yes, 'Crang Dining.' They serve dishes made with vegetables from their own Zao Brewery Farm, local farmers' produce, and branded meats from Yamagata. Kaiya aims to become the best-known brewery in the prefecture, and they're also planning a taproom near the station and a second factory. Their determination to revitalize Zao is seriously impressive.