Himitsu Beer

There’s a farmhouse brewery in Ise, Mie called Himitsu Beer, and it’s honestly something else.

Exactly. The founders, Keita Yabuki and Motoki Sasaki, were high school classmates and had promised each other since their student days that they’d start a beer company together someday. Yabuki quit his job in advertising and trained at Shigakogen Beer, Minami Shinshu Beer, and Yorocco Beer. Sasaki worked in sake research at Nihonsakari before switching over to become a brewer at Ise Kadoya Beer.

And the brewery itself is great too. They renovated an agricultural barn that had been used by Yabuki’s grandfather and turned it into the brewery. In the rural Futami-cho area, they cultivate their own fields, growing rice, herbs, and fruit, and use those as adjuncts.

Exactly. They also champion a philosophy they call "yeast first," so they brew according to the yeast’s schedule rather than human schedules, which makes the completion date unpredictable. They don’t have a standard flagship beer; instead, their brewing is tied to the harvest from their fields.

Their signature beer is "Azarashi Milk." It’s a milky triple IPA made with Mie’s local milk, Ouchiyama Milk, and their own homegrown Koshihikari rice. It’s even said to be the first commercial beer in Japan to use milk. The tropical aroma from Sabro hops blends with the milk character and creates something incredible.

More recently, they’ve also released a seasonal IPA made with hassaku citrus and "Mangorilla White," loaded with mango. They also have a series called "RICE HACK" that uses a large amount of rice from Mie Prefecture, as an experiment to reduce dependence on imported malt. The packaging is illustrated by their friend, illustrator aoi, featuring animals from Mie, so it’s especially irresistible for raccoon dog fans and Toba Aquarium fans.