Kiuchi Brewery

Kiuchi Brewery's Hitachino Nest Beer is an essential name when talking about Japanese craft beer. The Nukata Brewery is the production base, and it's equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

Exactly. But the parent brewery actually dates back to Bunsei 6, 1823, as a sake brewery. A brewery with 200 years of history started making beer in 1996. Toshiyuki Kiuchi, the representative, took on the challenge after a revision to the Liquor Tax Act, and just one year after its debut, it won its first award at an international beer competition.

I definitely think so. They had a huge base of fermentation know-how. And their flagship White Ale is amazing too: it's a Belgian-style beer made with coriander, orange peel, and nutmeg as spices, and it's won gold medals multiple times at the World Beer Cup and the Brewing Industry International Awards.

It's low in bitterness, with a gentle wave of spicy aroma. It's easy to drink even for people who usually don't like beer. They also have Amber Ale, with layered depth from malt and a toasty character, and Daisy Ale, a glamorous brew made with floral herbal tea and honey.

And about 70% of total production is shipped overseas, and it's drunk in more than 35 countries. Their awards total more than 200. A true global brand that emerged from Naka City in Ibaraki and went out into the world.

They've also moved into whisky, and they released a limited product called 'Hinomaru Whisky Signature 1823.' They're even cultivating a domestic barley variety called 'Kaneko Golden' on abandoned farmland in Ibaraki, and they've started making their own malt.