orca

What kind of brewery is orca?

hop excitedHop Bro

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.

mugi surprisedMugi

Wait, 1986!? So a bar with nearly 40 years of history became a beer brewery?

hop normalHop Bro

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.

mugi thinkingMugi

A bartender making beer is kind of an unexpected combination.

hop proudHop Bro

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.

mugi surprisedMugi

Several hundred!? So you could drink a different beer every time!

hop happyHop Bro

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.

mugi excitedMugi

Sakura Saison! Just hearing that it’s a spring-only beer gets me excited. I’d better hurry before it’s gone!

hop normalHop Bro

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.

mugi movedMugi

Beer poured by the person who made it is exactly the joy of craft beer. I can’t believe there’s a place like this in the basement of Ginza. Maybe I’ll go during the Ginza Street Bar event in April!

Signature beers: Sakura SaisonWeizen

Chuuou craft beer spots in