Ryusendo Wakka

Ryusendo Wakka in Iwaizumi Town is a brewery that makes beer with water from Ryusendo Cave.

Exactly. The water is weakly alkaline, has a well-balanced mineral profile, and pairs excellently with beer yeast. The local Izumin Kin Shuzo has long used this water. It's the brewery behind the sake "Yaezakura," and it's a venerable house that even stores its drinks inside the Ryusendo Cave.

In April 2023, this "Wakka" opened after renovating the former rest area right in front of Ryusendo Cave. It's a facility that combines a brewery and taproom, a coffee shop that brews coffee with Ryusendo water, and a shop selling local products.

And the first beer is "Ryusendo Vibeer." What's interesting about it is that, in addition to German barley and wheat, it uses ancient grains from Iwate Prefecture such as hiei and awa, making it a multigrain Weizen.

Iwaizumi Town is also a producer of grains. It has the soft mouthfeel typical of a Weizen, with the flavor of the grains added for a refreshing, highly drinkable finish. It's 4% alcohol and costs 800 yen for 350 ml. The fermentation management skills cultivated through sake brewing are also put to use in the beer.

They're planning to roll out flavors using mountain grape, apple, and even salt. They're so rooted in the community that they even set up a stall at the Miyako Hairy Crab Festival with sake and beer, and they're becoming a new highlight for Iwaizumi tourism.