orca

There’s a brewpub called orca Ginza Brewery in the basement of Ginza 8-chome, and its roots are impressive. It started as Mondo Bar, a long-established bar founded in 1986.

Exactly. The owner, Ryoji Kodama, took over the place as a bartender, obtained a beer brewing license in 2015, imported a rare brewing machine from Canada, and started brewing on-site. In April 2024, it was renovated and renamed orca.

That’s actually a huge strength here. Because they design beer with the mindset of making cocktails, they keep releasing seasonal experimental brews. They’ve challenged themselves with more than several hundred different beers so far.

They release seasonal limited beers like Sakura Saison in March, and they’re also brewing a Weizen with a new yeast. Everything is unfiltered and unpasteurized, so the freshness is something you can only taste here.

The name orca refers to the killer whale, and it apparently symbolizes advanced communication skills and a small, elite team structure. The appeal is the closeness to drinkers, with staff serving customers beer they brewed themselves.