Yatsugatake Brewery

Yatsugatake Brewery’s first head brewer, Kazumi Yamada, is the person who created Kirin Beer’s Ichiban Shibori and Heartland.

In 1997, Moe no Village founder Joji Funaki sent Yamada a passionate invitation saying, "I want you to brew your beer in Kiyosato," and Yamada accepted. The head of product development at a major brewery came to a small mountain village and poured all of his experience into it.

The origin of the brand name "Touchdown" is elegant too. Dr. Paul Rusch, the father of Kiyosato’s development, was also the person who introduced American football to Japan, so the name honors that legacy.

And the quality is incredible. Kiyosato Lager placed first in the world at the 2016 World Beer Awards, and won "World's Best Lager" again at the same competition in 2023. It’s the world’s best lager.

Premium Rock Bock also took first place in the world at the International Beer Cup in 2015, and the Weizen did the same in 2017. With a philosophy called Malt Centric Brewing, they bring out the fullest richness and umami of malt. Yatsugatake’s spring water has low chloride content, which gives the beer a clean bitterness without off-flavors.

There’s a brewery in the basement of the Moe no Village restaurant ROCK, and the best way to drink it is straight from the barrel. Pairing it with ROCK’s famous curry is the Kiyosato style. They also actively take part in events around the country, even bringing 15 taps with them.