Kanasago Brewery

There’s a brewery in Hitachiota, Ibaraki, that was created by a landscaping company. Kanasago Brewery.

Its parent company, Kamozu Co., Ltd., has been a landscaping business for 67 years, and Master Brewer Mr. Kamoshida originally worked as a landscape designer. While traveling the world, he fell in love with the golden rural scenery of the former Kanasago district and decided to move there.

Their concept is "to taste the landscape." Because they’re landscapers, their idea is that people should see, smell, and drink the scenery. What’s more, they lease farmland that had fallen into disuse because of a shortage of successors, and grow their own hops, wheat, and even rice.

Their three core beers are great. KANASAGO ALE is a golden ale at 5%, crisp and refreshing. Botanical Craft-ENJU is a white ale named after the enju tree, and it includes orange peel, coriander, elderflower, and spearmint. It has almost no bitterness and a bright, floral character.

Exactly. That specialized botanical knowledge is their edge, something most breweries don’t have. Their other beer, PARK-HAZY IPA, is a 6% hazy IPA with a tropical aroma from citrusy hops.

Botanical Craft-Scarlet, yes. Buryu Winery, also in Hitachiota City, has over 50 years of grape-growing history, and they upcycle its Pinot Noir into beer. Mito Plaza Hotel even planned a tour that visits both places. It’s still a new brewery, but it’s already getting a lot of attention.