Ishiyama Rock Brewery

There’s an interesting brewery in Otsu, Shiga. It’s right in front of the main gate of Ishiyama-dera Temple, and it’s called Ishiyama Rock Brewery.

It’s run by Tatsuken Co., Ltd., a local real estate company. The representative, Koichi Sasaki, started it because he had been involved in the community through real estate, but wanted to create liveliness in Ishiyama more directly.

The origin of the name “Rock” is great too. It comes from keikaiseki, a nationally designated natural monument at Ishiyama-dera. The coasters are also designed with keikaiseki and the Seta River, so the beer is packed with the identity of the place.

It’s a new brewery that opened its taproom first in July 2024, then started in-house brewing in April 2025. The regular lineup has six varieties: Ishiyama Rock IPA, Hazy IPA, Pale Ale, Weizen, Black IPA, and Hazy Double IPA. The lineup is centered around hop aroma.

It’s also well known that the store manager, Tetsuya Nakamichi, carefully explains the flavor of each beer one by one. There’s a three-beer tasting set, and you also get a complimentary serving of snack nuts. There isn’t a food menu, but they allow food to be brought in from nearby shops, which is an interesting system.

It’s also one of the participating shops in the Ishiyama-dera stamp rally, and in 2025 it joined the Shiga Craft Beer Association. It’s open only on weekends and holidays, so enjoying an IPA while looking out over the Seta River and Ishiyama-dera is pure luxury.