Kashiwa Brewery Main Shop

Kashiwa Brewery started as a brewery founded by Katsu Umezaki, who originally ran an izakaya called Kashiwatei. He left his salaried job, entered the food and beverage business, and after about 30 years of experience, obtained a brewing license in 2018 and stepped into beer making.

And Umezaki wasn't just trying to make beer; his first motivation was "to revitalize Kashiwa" and "to create a drink that helps build a local community." That's why the flagship "Kashiwa Ale" uses local agricultural products heavily.

This is the impressive part: Koshihikari rice from Chiba Prefecture, peanuts, pears, ginger, turnips, and locally roasted coffee beans. They offer six kinds of Kashiwa Ale using six different adjunct ingredients. The pear ale is finished with bottle-conditioned secondary fermentation, so the brewing itself is carefully crafted too.

It's called "Josho Kabu," and the name is auspicious too. What's more, it also serves as a measure against local abandoned farmland. By using farmers' crops in beer, it creates a cycle of local production for local consumption. They also run projects with the Faculty of Horticulture at Chiba University and Reitaku University.

They also have a beer called "Chi-ba-kun Ale," a collaboration with Chiba Prefecture's mascot character, and part of the sales is returned to Chiba Prefecture. Everything is made by hand, and even the label application is Umezaki's handiwork.