Echigo Beer

Let me tell you about Echigo Beer. This is Japan's first local beer brewery. In other words, it's fair to say Japanese craft beer culture began here.

In 1994, the Liquor Tax Law was revised, making it possible to brew beer on a small scale. Echigo Beer obtained its brewing license that year and opened Japan's first brewpub in February 1995.

Here's the dramatic part: the founder, Seiichiro Uehara, has quite a story. In the late 1970s, he went to Rome and, while studying dance, also appeared in theater and film as a former stage actor.

While in Europe, he met the German picture-book author Antje Gammels, and when he visited her hometown of Regensburg, he was stunned by Germany's deep beer culture. He thought, "I want to spread this from my hometown of Niigata to all of Japan."

You know your stuff! The goat logo holding a beer glass was designed by his wife, Antje. They built the brewery in a nature-rich area at the foot of Mt. Kakuda, and they make staples like Pilsner and FLYING IPA, as well as "Koshihikari Echigo Beer" made with Niigata's Koshihikari rice.

For their 30th anniversary, they released revival bottled beers and commemorative brews. They've also put a new plant into operation in Nasu, Tochigi. The birthplace of Japanese craft beer is still evolving today.