Mitsuke Local Brewery

Mitsuke Local Brewery, or MLB for short. The history of the owner, Masakazu Nakajima, is interesting. He originally worked as a bartender.

He was born in Mitsuke City in 1971, and after graduating from high school, he became a bartender in Saitama after being influenced by a TV program and the manga "BAR Lemon Heart." He's a specialist in single malt and cocktails. After returning to his hometown, he opened the shot bar "Cafe ho.cca" in 2006, but in 2012, his life changed after drinking BrewDog's "Punk IPA" at a bartenders' competition.

Not right away. In 2018, when he commissioned contract brewing from Utsunomiya's Blue Magic Brewery for Cafe ho.cca's 10th anniversary, he became fascinated by the appeal of small-scale brewing. And then he went ahead and built a brewery right next to his own bar. It's an ultra-micro brewery with an annual production of 7,000 liters.

That's what makes them unique: they don't keep any fixed regular beers. They change the recipe almost every week, and they've made more than 50 varieties so far. "Opening Pale Ale" was the first beer. And the pale ale called "That Feeling Back Then" recreates the sensation Nakajima had when he first encountered craft beer; the naming sense really does feel like that of a bartender, doesn't it?

There's an IPA called "Sewing Girl," and a California Common called "Mitsuke Komon," inspired by Mitsuke's traditional woven textiles. They even have one called "Sensitive Saison." The naming sense and attention to aroma he developed during his bartender days really shine through. They mainly use American hops, and many of their beers feature citrus and floral aromas.

They brew beer using glutinous rice from Mitsuke as an adjunct, and what's amazing is that they've been testing hop cultivation at three locations in Mitsuke City together with local farmers. They've also started experimental barley cultivation, and their ultimate goal is to make an "all-Mitsuke craft beer." From inside Cafe ho.cca, the brewing equipment is fully visible, so you can sit at the counter, drink, and watch the tanks.