Kagiya Brewery

CAGHIYA from Kagiya Brewery has a representative, Manabu Sato, whose life already feels like a movie. He was born into a farming family in Akita, got deeply into music in college, and toured the country in a van as a musician.

And that’s not all. In 2005, he went to the UK to make music, but at immigration he honestly said he wanted to work, and he was deported once.

But he didn’t give up. He returned to the UK on a language-school visa and spent four and a half years there. During that time, he was shocked by British pub culture, and thought, 'A pub is a place where there is no wall between the performer and the listener, a place where people naturally gather.' That original experience became the starting point for everything.

After returning to Japan, he first started a mobile panini business, then opened 'cafe CLUB KEY' in Kitakase, Kawasaki in 2017, took over a nearby microbrewery when it closed, and began brewing. His idea was, 'If you say pub, house ale is the thing.' In 2023, he opened a brewery with a taproom in Musashi-Nakahara.

Their flagship is a Hazy IPA called 'MELLOW YELLOW.' It uses five kinds of hops, including Citra, Mosaic, and Cascade, for a tropical aroma and a smooth oat-malt mouthfeel. 'Double Decker IPA' is an 8% DIPA, but the sweetness is well balanced, so even people who do not like bitterness can enjoy it.

Exactly. Sato himself says, 'Making beer is similar to writing a song. The world created by living yeast is fascinating,' and he puts musical nuance into the beer names. They also collaborate with other breweries in Kawasaki and actively participate in events such as those on the Tamagawa riverbed.