Kyoto Machiya Beer Brewery

Kyoto Machiya Beer Brewery is based on Kinshi Masamune, a long-established sake brewery founded in Tenmei 1, or 1781. It is rare enough that a sake brewery started making craft beer, but the core of this place is its water.

They use 'Momo no I,' a famous spring that wells up from beneath the brewery. It is soft water from the same underground water vein as Somei, one of Kyoto's three famous waters, and it was originally used for sake brewing. This water gives the beer a clean, elegant taste.

Exactly. And the brewer is Chizuko Miyoshi, a woman. She studied German at university and joined Kinshi Masamune as a new graduate in 1997. She was put in charge of the new beer-brewing business and is now the plant manager. She has been nurturing this beer almost single-handedly since the very beginning.

Miyoshi's brewing philosophy is 'beer that complements food.' Their flagship label, 'Karuosu,' is a Kölsch-style beer, and the reason it was chosen is interesting. Kyoto and Cologne in Germany are sister cities, and Kölsch's crisp finish pairs well with Kyoto cuisine.

'Mattari' is an Altbier with deep richness, while 'Kuroosu' is a dry stout with the roasted aroma of malt and a clean finish. 'Hannari IPA' is a light IPA with 4% alcohol. It's also nice that all the brand names are in Kyoto dialect.

Miyoshi recommends a pairing, too: if you put tofu with matcha salt and pair it with 'Karuosu,' apparently it's exquisite. You can also sample beer at the adjacent Horino Memorial Hall, so you can enjoy beer while looking at the historic brewery buildings.