The Old Grey Brewery

There's a brewery called The Old Grey Brewery in Shiraoi, and it's really interesting. Representative Tatsunori Kikuchi originally ran the hostel "haku" in Shiraoi, and in 2019 he met Fumihide Sogo, who had been brewing in Obihiro, and they hit it off, which led to them starting to make beer.

The origin of the brand name is great too. They translated the "old" in Shiraoi into English as "Old," and combined it with a legendary British music program. Sogo is the head brewer, and all the beers are matured for more than 60 days before shipment. Their commitment is creating fine bubbles through a natural carbonation method.

"Orooro Black" is their flagship dark beer, made with malt from Tokachi and white birch tea from Shiraoi. "Horohoro Sunset" is an amber-style beer inspired by the sunset over Mount Tarumae, and "Poroto no Tsuki" is an IPL with a hoppy dry finish. The names all sound Ainu-like and carry a strong sense of place, don't they?

It's a 3-minute walk from Shiraoi Station, and it's within walking distance of Upopoy too. But the most amazing thing about this brewery is how it uses byproducts. They make a fruit beer called "Roto Raspberry" once a year, using wild raspberries from Tokachi, but—

Instead of throwing away the raspberry pomace left over from brewing, they partner with local Italian restaurants, bakeries, and gelato shops to develop it into new ingredients and products. They also plan to sell the spent malt to local dairy farmers as cattle feed, aiming to circulate raw materials within the region all the way to the end.

It's also available in cans, so you might be able to get it online too. If you visit Shiraoi, this is definitely a brewery worth stopping by together with Upopoy.