Isekadoya Beer

The Kamikyu Brewery of Isekadoya Beer is absolutely worth including. It comes from Nikenchaya Mochi Kadoyahonten, a mochi shop founded in Tensho 3, 1575, and the 21st-generation owner, Narimasa Suzuki, launched the beer business in 1997.

Actually, they had been brewing miso and soy sauce since the Taisho era, so they already had a fermentation foundation. But Suzuki's commitment was extraordinary: he invested 270 million yen into a company with annual sales of just 100 million yen at the time.

He himself says, 'It has to be either full throttle or full brake.' What's more, while running the company, he attended graduate school at Mie University and earned a doctorate through research that isolated wild yeast from the forest of Ise Jingu.

That wild yeast became their original strain called KADOYA 1, and Hime White brewed with it is a standout. It brings Japanese nuances to a Belgian-style white ale with yuzu peel. The 'Hime' in the name reflects the beauty of Japanese harmony.

The awards are incredible too. They've won gold four years in a row at the International Brewing Awards, often called the Oscars of the beer world. They also took Brewery of the Year in 2009. Suzuki holds the qualification of an international judge and has evaluated thousands of beers.

That's a collaboration beer with Portland's Culmination Brewing, and it uses the KADOYA 1 yeast. The name comes from Suzuki's cat Gin and the collaborator's cat Abby. Its juicy body and restrained bitterness make it popular.