Fujizakura Highland Beer

Did you know Fujizakura Highland Beer’s head brewer, Tentsu Miyashita, is known in the industry as "Tentsu"?

Because Tentsu comes from Ten-tsu, since his name means 102. He’s a specialist who studied brewing in depth at the Doemens Academy in Germany. Apparently, when he drank Weihenstephaner Weizen at Munich Airport, he decided in one sip, "I want to make beer that conveys the brewer’s feelings too."

After that, he dedicated more than 25 years exclusively to German-style beer. Their flagship Rauchbier is a masterpiece that won a double award at both the World Beer Cup and the World Beer Awards in 2012, with the smokiness and sweetness of smoked malt beautifully balanced.

It’s like capturing the aroma of bacon in beer. Their Weizen is also a regular at international competitions, an orthodox style with banana and clove aromas that still goes down smoothly. The brewing water is natural water that passed through Mount Fuji’s lava layers over more than ten years, with a mineral balance ideal for yeast fermentation.

They also have a track record of 12 total awards at the Japan Great Beer Awards: 2 gold, 4 silver, and 6 bronze. They’ve even released a new beer called French Pilsner, brewed with 100% French hops. Their total award count now exceeds 150.

Tentsu-san is also taking on a challenge with a "New England Weizen," a fusion of German style and hazy IPA, in response to the IPA boom. It’s impressive that someone who has protected tradition for 25 years is now pushing into new territory.