Ikedaya Liquor Store

Ikedaya Liquor Store in Makinohara is a long-established sake shop founded in Meiji 4, or 1871. The family had spent generations on the side that sells alcohol, and with the seventh generation they finally switched to the side that makes it themselves.

What's more, that seventh generation member is Miai Asami, the eldest daughter of the sixth-generation owner, Hideki Suzuki. She and her husband, Kazumasa, trained at Haneda Brewery in Tokyo starting in 2019, then returned to Makinohara and opened their own brewery. Her husband works another job on weekdays and helps brew together on weekends.

What stands out most is something the sixth-generation father said: "I want people to taste the true deliciousness of beer created by yeast." The starting point of their brewing is the desire to deliver a flavor where the yeast is alive, different from mass-produced beer from major brewers.

"Makinohara Ale." And the one to watch is the "Kawanehon Town Yuzu Pale Ale." It's a pale ale made with yuzu sourced from neighboring Kawanehon Town, and it won a silver medal at the 2023 Japan Great Beer Awards. For a 150-liter small batch, a silver medal is a big deal.

They also make Weizen and IPA, and the IPA is designed to keep bitterness modest while bringing out the aroma. Their "Happy HOP IPA" even includes seaweed from Amakusa. The labels are drawn by a local illustrator from Makinohara.

It still has the look of a traditional liquor store, and you can drink beer poured from the tap at the counter. On Saturday mornings, you can apparently tour the brewing operation if you make a reservation. Makinohara is Japan's top producer of deep-steamed tea, so they also seem to be planning beers using tea and citrus going forward.