Highland Port Brewery

Highland Port Brewery. Hearing Mr. Tatsuo Otani's former job title will surprise you - weather forecaster.

When he was a company employee, he was on long-term assignment in Portland and fell deeply in love with the local craft beer culture. After leaving the company, he stayed in Munich with his wife for a month and toured hop fields, then opened the brewery in Nishigo Village in 2018. The labels use weather maps, and they also make limited brews for the Japan Weather Forecasting Society.

It's the English translation of the 'higher ground exit' at Shin-Shirakawa Station. Highland = higher ground, Port = exit. And the beer names are interesting too - they use local mountains and place names in order of elevation. Beers with more hop character are given the names of higher mountains.

Exactly! 'Shirakawa Weizen' is a gentle wheat beer at 356 m elevation with IBU 10. On the other hand, 'Sambonyari-dake IPA' is a punchy IPA with IBU 70, named after the highest peak of the Nasu mountain range at 1,916.9 m. It has grapefruit notes with smoky nuances. It's the flagship beer.

They're a regular at the JGBA. 'Akamendake Stout' is a daring IPA stout with IBU 100 and won silver in 2021. 'Kurokawa Stout' won silver in 2022 and 2026. In 2026, 'Tomato Ale' also won silver. Their fruit beers using local tomatoes and yuzu are highly regarded as well.

At the eastern foot of the Nasu mountain range, near the entrance to Nikko National Park. They brew with groundwater from the source of the Abukuma River. The detached warehouse is the brewery, and there is also a cafe run by his wife that bakes natural-yeast German bread. The reservation-only brewpub has 6 taps.