Chichibu Beer
- Address
- Saitama, 3786-1 Shimoyoshida, Chichibu City
- Area
- Saitama Chichibu City
What kind of brewery is Chichibu Beer?
Hop BroCan I tell you about Chichibu Beer? The story of the founder, Kohta Tanihiro, feels like something out of a movie.
MugiWhoa, I want to know! What kind of person is he?
Hop BroHe’s from Hakodate in Hokkaido, and before this he worked as a site supervisor for landslide recovery construction. He also studied sociology of law in law school. Then, because his wife, a doctor, wanted to do remote-area medical care, they moved to Chichibu in the winter of 2014.
MugiFrom construction site supervisor to beer brewer!? How does that happen?
Hop BroWell, right after they moved, the region got the largest snowfall ever recorded. Tan-san just kept helping with snow removal for the community. That earned the trust of local residents, who entrusted him with farmland, and he started farming. From there, he saw the harsh reality faced by farmers in mountainous regions and began thinking about how to add value to agricultural products.
MugiSo snow shoveling led to beer making...! What an amazing story.
Hop BroWhat’s more, he found unused brewing equipment that had been sitting in a sake brewery in Chichibu, and in 2017 he founded the company because he didn’t want to let this town’s sake culture disappear. The company name is Bear Meet Beer, and every label is named after a bear. Naminori Kuma IPA is a West Coast-style beer with a crisp, clean bitterness, while Shirokuma Hazy IPA is a juicy style packed with Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic, and Simcoe.
MugiSo many bears! Cute! Just the name Naminori Kuma IPA makes me want to drink it.
Hop BroThey also have a Black Bear stout, a Hana Bear American Pale Ale, and a Gold Bear pilsner. What’s interesting about Tan-san is that he aims to make beers that even people who haven’t really drunk much beer can enjoy, rather than IPA for hardcore beer fans who drink aggressively.
MugiThat’s incredibly welcome for beginners like me!
Hop BroAnd their connection with the local community is amazing too. Working with mountain experts, they use Chichibu forest ingredients like kuro-moji, dandelion, and sansho in their beer, and they buy mulberries, plums, strawberries, and blueberries from local farmers at market prices in a fair-trade style. They use water from the Yoshida River, which flows from Mt. Ryogami, as their brewing water.
MugiWow, so Chichibu’s nature becomes beer 그대로. I’d love to visit the taproom, Mahoro Bar, too!
articles about bars serving beers from Chichibu Beer
P-144 x Citraba in Ikebukuro lists eight rotating craft beers
Ikebukuro’s P-144 x Citraba publishes an eight-beer craft lineup
Craft Beer Server Land in Kagurazaka taps BLUE MAGIC's Buchi Gire Saison 4
P-144×Citraba lists eight draft craft beers, with June 6 popup at Ikebukuro Living Loop
Beer Pub Ishii, with four in-house taps in Yanaka, rotates Shiga Kogen and Ushitora on draft
Posting 18 Draft Beers for May 30 at Craft Beer Server Land in Kagurazaka
NOMENDO Brew Stand's saison "Zenmei ~Zenmei~" is tapped at Entrance to Beer NOVICE in Kawagoe
Craft Beer Server Land Akasaka-Mitsuke Branch Newly Taps Three Beers, Including Chichibu Beer
SOUL BIRD in Hamamatsucho to Showcase 10 Draft Beers After a Private Booking on the Night of May 25
