OGA BREWING COMPANY

OGA BREWING is the only brewery in Mitaka, and the founder, Keisuke Ogasawara, has a really interesting background. He used to be a designer. A job designing craft beer labels sparked his interest in the world of small-batch breweries, and he made the leap to become a brewer.

At first, he spent three years doing OEM brewing under the name "Cool Air One Brewing" to build experience, then changed the name to "OGA BREWING COMPANY" in 2018. Self-brewing began in January 2019. OGA stands for "Original Gravity Area," the initial specific gravity that marks the starting point of beer brewing.

The head brewer is Atsushi Ueda, a former physical therapist. He says, "The most enjoyable part is the time spent building ideas for what kind of flavor the beer should have," and he has brewed more than 500 kinds of beer so far.

Their regular lineup includes "Mitaka Pale Ale," "Mitaka Wheat Ale," and "Kichijoji KICHIJOJI IPA." They also make a seasonal series called the "M.C" series using agricultural products from Mitaka, including beer made with juice and pulp from kiwifruit grown in Mitaka. Mitaka produces the most kiwifruit in Tokyo.

Their annual spring "Graduation Beer" series is also a big topic. The hefeweizen "Uraura" was inspired by the classic wheat beers from the local beer era, and it has a gentle taste with restrained bitterness, making it perfect for a spring afternoon at 4.0% ABV.

At the cafe attached to the brewery, you can drink freshly poured beer from eight taps. The style is to enjoy a drink while looking out at the tanks. Ogasawara's words, "We always want to deliver the excitement of someone's first craft beer," capture the atmosphere of this place very well.