Aim Brew Lab

Aim Brew Lab. It’s a brewery on the shore of Saiko, one of the Fuji Five Lakes, and its backstory is pretty interesting.

Exactly. Its parent company is AIM, a web production and design firm. In 2017, they moved their headquarters to Saiko and were supporting local businesses with sales promotion, but from that work came the desire to create their own local specialty, and after about three years they arrived at beer brewing.

In fact, head brewer Junichi Nishimura learned beer making from scratch, obtained a happoshu license in June 2024, and began brewing. Their debut release, "THE BEGINNING," is a SMaSH, a single-malt single-hop IPA, and its hallmarks are a hop aroma like white wine and a malty aftertaste.

They also have labels like "ABSOLUTE SENSE," "CURIOSITY," and "DECISION," and giving them philosophical meanings really shows the sensibility of a company with a design background. The brewing water comes from the underground springs of Mount Fuji.

The building is a renovated traditional house. Its timeworn main pillar and beams are still intact, but the counter is stylish. And through the large windows, you can see the brewing tanks lined up inside.

On top of that, it’s near the trailheads for Mt. Kenashi and Mt. Jyunigatake, so campers and hikers are the main audience. They also do growler fill sales, so you can create the ultimate situation: craft beer at your tent. They even hold a pop-up event called "SING & TAP" at a karaoke snack bar in Fujiyoshida.