Kakegawa Farm Brewing

Kakegawa Farm Brewing opened in 2018 as the first craft brewery in Kakegawa City, and its origin story is really interesting. The representative, Kenmi Sugiura, used to work in the apparel industry, and in 2009 he opened the cafe restaurant "Funny Farm" in front of Kakegawa Station.

Sugiura was shocked after getting to know local farmers. Kakegawa is rich in agricultural products, but he learned that "more is thrown away than shipped." He realized that beer could use fruits, vegetables, and even tea as adjuncts, so he thought it could reduce food loss while showcasing Kakegawa's appeal.

What's more, head brewer Akito Nishinaka is unusual too. He's from Nara, and his mother is Belgian. He studied for two years at a brewing school in Ghent, Belgium, and worked as an assistant brewer at the Glazen Toren Brewery.

Exactly. After Sugiura spent time visiting breweries across Japan to study, he persuaded Nishinaka, who had been in Belgium, to come back to Japan. And the flagship beers are very much Kakegawa. The "Deep-Steamed Tea Ale" uses deep-steamed tea from Kakegawa, specially roasted at a local tea factory. They also make an amber ale called "SAL" brewed with hojicha.

The fruit beers are impressive too, like the fruit ale called "Funny Farm" made with Kakegawa-grown Benihoppe strawberries, and saisons made with local blueberries, kiwi, and plums. In 2019, they even brewed a beer using discarded bread from a Kakegawa bakery. Their concept is "Farm to Local, Local to World."

The brewery, which is a three-minute walk from Kakegawa Station, has glass walls so you can see the brewing process, and the beer bar "Bucket Here" is just nearby. Then in 2023, they also opened a directly operated shop called "Beer Lodge" inside the Narakoko no Sato campground. Isn't it amazing that you can drink freshly made craft beer while camping?