Konoyubitomare

There’s a brewery called Konoyubitomare in Kota Town, and the first unusual thing is its station-front location, just a 1-minute walk from JR Kota Station.

The parent company here is Kinsei Kogyo, a manufacturing firm. President Fumihisa Matsumoto kept traveling to the U.S. on business from 2003, discovered craft beer at a brewpub there, was deeply inspired, and launched this as a new business so he could do the same in Japan.

And the head brewer, Yoshihide Iwase, has an interesting background too. He was originally an employee at Kinsei Kogyo, then learned brewing at ONE's BREWERY in Osaka and switched careers to become a brewer. I love that a brewer emerged from a manufacturing company.

The beers are solid too. Their D-IPA is 8% ABV and uses four hops: CHINOOK, NUGGET, CASCADE, and CRYO CITRA. It really hits hard. Their IPA uses CHINOOK and MOSAIC, with a bright, juicy aroma of pineapple and citrus.

Their Weizen has a fruity banana-like character from SAPHIR hops, and they also make a Porter. The brewing water comes from Kota, and they use hops from the U.S., Germany, and Canada depending on the beer.

It’s true. They have an actual LEXUS LFA on display inside, plus a racing simulator. The interior has a British pub feel, with over 100 seats, a glass view into the brewhouse, and Italian food as well. That kind of playful setup makes sense coming from a manufacturing background.