Kawaguchi Brewery

Kawaguchi was actually a "beer town" with a Sapporo Beer factory since the Taisho era. But in 2003, the factory closed and the flame of brewing went out. About 12 years later, in 2015, Kawaguchi Brewery opened as Kawaguchi's first brewery and beer restaurant.

The concept is "from a city where brewing once was to a city where brewing is." It's an idea that connects American Brooklyn's craft beer culture with the brewing culture of barley miso making that originally existed in Kawaguchi.

The second-generation brewmaster is Osamu Goto. He's still in his 20s and a local kid from Angyo in Kawaguchi. He got into craft beer at 20, joined the company as a new graduate, and then asked to take on the brewing role himself. He's a passionate one.

That's the kind of agility youth gives you. Their signature beers are "Kawaguchi Onarimichi Ale" - a fruity, easy-drinking ale. "Arakawa Sunset IPA" is an IPA whose hop bitterness and aroma linger in the finish. "White Lily Weizen" is characterized by the sweetness and freshness of wheat. And "Cupola Stout" is named after Kawaguchi's casting industry culture.

Onarimichi was the road the Tokugawa shoguns used when going to worship at Nikko, and the Arakawa is the river that flows through Kawaguchi. They actively use locally produced agricultural products too, and their stone-oven pizza baked with Saitama-grown wheat is also a signature menu item. It seems the place has lots of families, and even people who don't like beer can casually drop in.

It's a 5-minute walk from the east exit. What's more, there are four breweries in Kawaguchi, and the city is growing as a craft beer hub to the point where brewers hold roundtable talks together. I like how the memory of the old Sapporo factory from the Taisho era is being carried on in a new form by the younger generation.