Aoi Brewing

Aoi Brewing was founded in 2014, and it was Shizuoka City's first craft beer brewery. What's more, the building housing the brewery is a renovated soy sauce factory built in 1947.

Tracing it back, it was originally a sake and soy sauce maker founded in 1863. And one especially interesting thing is the head brewer, Hiroki Miyawaki. He used to work as a train conductor.

He says he encountered craft beer while working as a conductor and felt something like a shock. That led him to jump into the brewing world, and now he champions the philosophy that 'making beer is about freedom.'

But this brewery actually went bankrupt once. In February 2021, it filed for bankruptcy because of COVID-19 and overexpansion. From there, a former staff member, Hideki Fukushima, then 39, bought the equipment at auction and restarted brewing in January 2022. It was a comeback driven by the voices of fans who wanted to see it return.

The beers are packed with Shizuoka character too. 'Ocha Ale' is an IPA-style beer made with a rare tea cultivar called Tsuroko, bringing out the delicate aroma of tea rather than bitterness. 'Kiyosawa Lemon Wheat' is a wheat beer made with lemons from Shizuoka City's Kiyosawa district. 'Hirono Peach Ale' uses local Odashi peaches, tasting like Shizuoka's early summer in a glass.

The brewing water comes from the subsoil water of the Abe River too. The taproom, 'BEER GARAGE,' is near Asama Shrine, and its U-shaped counter creates an atmosphere where regulars and first-time visitors naturally end up talking. There are also beers named after the area, like Asama Golden Ale and Asama Alt. The logo, inspired by the Aoi hollyhock crest, comes from Aoi Ward, the castle town of the Tokugawa family.