Nat Brew

NAT.BREW in Nanto City, Toyama is a brewery founded by a former winemaker. The name NAT. is short for Native, and the theme is "local brewing."

The brewer, Shunsuke Mochizuki, is from Yamanashi and spent 20 years making wine at a major winery. After that career, he moved to Inami in Nanto City and started brewing alcoholic drinks using local ingredients.

Inami is one of Japan's leading wood-carving towns, and it has long welcomed artisans from all over the country. It's a place that has traditionally been open to outsiders. A local construction team called Jisou Lab supported the renovation of an old residence into the brewery. It opened in 2023.

Their flagship beer, 'HEY HEY HOO,' is a pale ale made with kuro-moji, a fragrant wood from Toga in Nanto City. Combined with Cascade hops, it has a bright citrus aroma and a firm bitterness in the low-30s IBU. 5.5%.

That's exactly a terroir-driven idea developed through winegrowing, isn't it? And 'KUMA MASSIGURA' is a hazy IPA made with Nanto's specialty dried persimmons, giving it the sweetness of malt and persimmon along with the smooth thickness of oats. 6.5%.

At the 2025 Japan Great Beer Awards, 'VOODOO LILY' and 'JOZO NINGEN 1GOU' won gold medals. VOODOO LILY is a porter made with coffee beans from haiz coffee roastery in local Inami. Getting that result within two years of opening is impressive.