Nuttari Brewery

Do you know Nuttari in Niigata? It’s a “town of fermentation” packed with sake, miso, and soy sauce breweries, and in 2016 a microbrewery was born there.

The president is Yoshimatsu Takano. He was originally from Nuttari and graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Niigata University before joining Daiwa Bank, so he was a full-on finance professional.

His father ran a bakery in Nuttari, and bread and beer are both about fermentation, right? It seems he wanted to preserve the local fermentation culture in a new form. He launched the company together with local volunteers.

That’s the interesting part about the lineup. "Aranami IPA" is a bold, punchy beer made with four kinds of hops. "Amanogawa Pale Ale" strikes a fruity-spicy balance. And "Le Lectier Ale" is a Belgian fruit ale made with Le Lectier, a pear specialty from Niigata.

"Sea of Japan Sunset Stout" is great too. French hops give it red-fruit notes, and that blends with the depth of roasted barley. The name is poetic too, isn’t it?

Yes, and for the 10th-anniversary event they apparently even opened up the inside of the brewery, which is usually off-limits. The beer pub is also within walking distance from Niigata Station, so it’s great that you can just drop by casually.