Kinsei Brewery

There’s a place in Misawa where a long-established liquor store started brewing craft beer. Kinsei Brewery — Kinsei Brewery Misawa

He’s a man in his 30s named Ryo Nakai, the son of Nakai Liquor Store, founded in 1949. After graduating from a university in the Kanto region and working as a bartender, he returned to Misawa 10 years ago and ran the liquor store with his father. The trigger came in 2022, when he hit it off with the owner of a craft brewery during a business trip to Iwate.

It was a time when banquet demand had dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and alcohol sales were also declining, so they were looking for a new business. He studied brewing in Hanamaki and Tokyo, obtained a brewing license in 2024, installed four 300-liter tanks inside the liquor store, and added a pub next door.

The beer lineup is distinctive, with offerings like Kinsei IPA, Kinsei Sour Ale, ESPRESSO STOUT Asia Edition, and KUSANAGI BLADE APPLE LAGER. A key feature is the use of carefully selected overseas hops to bring out bright citrus aromas.

And three of their beers won silver medals at the Japan Great Beer Awards. Considering they only recently started brewing, that result is seriously impressive.

Their annual production is only about 15,000 liters, so it’s small-scale, but that means they put real care into every single glass. A medium draft at the pub costs 800 yen. If you go to Misawa, this is definitely a place worth visiting.