Spica Kunst Bier

There’s a beer being brewed in Utsunomiya by a former pro gymnast. It’s called Spica Kunst Bier.

The representative, Haruo Asato, used to compete as a gymnast in Germany’s Bundesliga. While he was there, he got completely into German beer and ended up calling himself someone who likes beer even more than Germans do.

What’s more, during the COVID period, when he had extra time at his gymnastics school, he trained in brewing at Vector Brewing. He opened the brewery in 2022 in Denmacho, Utsunomiya. Even now, he brews mostly solo while running the gymnastics school at the same time.

Because of his German training, the lineup is mostly German styles. kunst LAGER is aged properly for two months to balance hop sharpness and smoothness, and kunst schwarz BiER has the roasted malt aroma with a chocolate-like bitter-sweetness. There’s also a pilsner that tastes similar to Pilsner Urquell.

What’s interesting is that they also brew a beer using Sorachi Ace hops. It has a fresh, spicy aroma and a firm bitterness. They’re building on German tradition while also incorporating Japanese hops. They also run Tochigi Prefecture’s first craft beer kitchen car.