Ucciare

There’s a brewery called Ucciare in Yaguchinowatashi, Ota Ward, and its origin story is amazing. Hasa-san, who originally ran a pizzeria, spent years searching for a property from 2018 onward, and finally found the former site of Tamiya Clinic, where he built the brewery right in.

And here’s the great part. Do you know about "utchari"? It’s a sumo move, a comeback throw used right at the edge of the ring. They gave it an Italian-style twist and made it "Ucciare." It’s a name that reflects the resolve of someone starting with zero brewing experience. Even the brewery name is unified in Italian as "BIRRIFICIO UCCIARE."

Exactly. That’s why, at first, he said he wanted to "build a solid foundation first," and limited the lineup to three styles: pale ale, IPA, and lager. In his own words, it was about "perfecting truly delicious pale ales and IPAs before taking on original creations." And the fact that he later released a saison means he’s finally stepping into his own world.

That’s where it gets even more intense. The flour is 100% domestically produced in Japan, blended from three varieties from Kumamoto and one from Saitama. The Saitama variety is Norin 61, an ultra-rare wheat available only from a farmer named Anzai in Misato City. The dough is fermented at room temperature for 60 hours, and everything is hand-kneaded.

Exactly. And the oven is a Mastro Ernesto model made by a family of craftsmen who are among Naples’ oldest kiln makers. It weighs 8 tons, and there are only a few like it in Japan. Hasa-san’s affiliated shop, "PIZZERIA Bakka M'unica," has won Tabelog’s Top 100 Pizzeria award for more than five consecutive years, so the pizza credentials are beyond doubt.

The concept is "craft beer made specifically for pizza." The beer is designed not to get in the way of the food. It’s also nice how it sits quietly in a residential neighborhood. It’s about a 6- to 7-minute walk from Yaguchinowatashi Station, so it’s easy to just drop by.