Minami Aizu Mountain Brewing

Minami Aizu Mountain Brewing has an interesting owner, Takehiro Sekine. He is the third-generation head of Sekine Wood Industry, which means he runs a lumber mill.

He was born in Tajima, Minamiaizu, graduated from a university in Tokyo, trained at a lumber wholesaler, and returned home at 25. While on a business trip to the U.S., he visited a brewery in Breckenridge, a mountain town in Colorado, and thought, "This feels a lot like Tajima." That was the beginning.

Then in 2017, they opened a microbrewery. What makes it especially unique for a lumber company is that they installed a biomass boiler at the brewery and use scraps from lumber processing as fuel. Their core business and beer-making are part of the same cycle.

The beer is also deeply rooted in the local area. Their "Coffee Amber" is an amber ale made with original blend beans from a cafe in town. They also make a tomato saison using Nango tomatoes grown by a farming friend.

Their standard "Minami Aizu IPA" is a serious beer with strong hop bitterness and aroma, while "Minami Aizu Pale Ale" has notes of mandarin orange and green citrus with an American hop character. They also release a canned beer called "POWPOW."

In 2024, they built a new factory, where you can tour the brewing process through the windows and there is also a direct sales corner. Their taproom, "Beer Fridge," is open Thursday through Saturday nights. They also host events with lumber tours and BBQ.