Bighand Bros. Brewery

There’s a brewery in Nishijin’s underground making beer like gemstones unearthed by mole brothers.

Bighand Bros. Brewery. It’s in the basement floor of a mixed-use building called Marble in Chiekoin, Nishijin. Under a coffee roastery and cafe, a small taproom appears once you pass through a low brick arch.

That’s why the mascot is a mole. “Bighand” comes from the mole’s big hands, and every beer is named after a mineral. The concept is “a glass like a gemstone, found by digging through the underground.”

The flagship is “Andalusite.” It’s a best bitter at 4.0% ABV, and it won gold at the 2024 World Beer Cup. It has a creamy caramel flavor, and as the temperature rises, notes like crème brûlée come through.

And the head brewer, Tomoya Nakamura, has an interesting background. He was originally an IT programmer from Osaka, but moved to Leeds in the UK in 2018 and got completely hooked on pub culture. He started homebrewing there, trained at North Brewing, and began brewing in Nishijin in 2023.

That’s why classic British styles are at the core. There’s the British golden ale “Zircon” and the porter “Black Jade.” But they also go hard on modern styles like the imperial stout “Cavansite” and the NEIPA “Majorite.” Since each batch is a tiny 150 liters, they can really take the time to face each beer seriously.