Grow Brew House

There’s a brewpub called "GROW BREW HOUSE" about a 3-minute walk from Nishi-Kawaguchi Station, and what makes it interesting is that it’s a renovated former lumber store. They’ve kept the 1978 building intact and put it to use as-is.

The owner, Masato Kawamoto, has been running the malt whisky bar "CASK AND STILL" since 1997 and has even been to Scotland. Opening a brewery had been his dream since then, and he made it happen in 2019 after more than 20 years.

And the head brewer, Yoshihiro Iwadate, is unusual too. He used to work as a French cook. He worked at a wedding hall, and when he went to Canada on a working holiday, he was shocked by the variety of craft beer.

He says the trigger was thinking, "Craft beer is expensive, but if I brew it myself, I can drink a lot of it" (laughs). He’s in his 30s and from Toda City, and because he loves talking with people, he’s at the taproom as much as possible.

Their first release, "IPA#1," is 6.5% ABV and uses Simcoe and Mosaic hops. It’s an amber-colored IPA with a strong citrus aroma. At the sister bar, CASK AND STILL, they also pour "Bitter#1" on a hand pump, so you can drink a British-style real ale there, which is pretty cool.

They also work with farmers in Kawaguchi to brew limited beers using local citrus and other agricultural products. In addition to the standard black, white, and gold beers, they always have fruity limited releases in rotation. With four 400-liter tanks and small-batch, wide-variety production, there’s always something new to discover every time you visit.