Izumisano Brewing

Izumisano Brewing, commonly known as KIX BEER. The name alone gives off a huge sense of scale. KIX is the airport code for Kansai International Airport, and the concept is “craft beer that takes flight around the world.”

And the brewery is located under the Nankai Electric Railway elevated tracks, with a view toward Kansai Airport. It opened in July 2020 and has one of the largest brewing setups in southern Osaka. The brewing supervision is also impressive. Tomohiro Shimura started his career at Miyoshi Beken Beer in Hiroshima in 2000, then worked at St. Gallen and ONE's BREWERY, making him a true veteran.

And that skill shows in the results. Just five months after the first brew, their Dunkel won bronze at the International Beer Cup 2020. The following year, their Weizenbock took gold at IBC 2021, and even became category champion.

The core lineup is Pale Ale, Amber Ale, and Weizen. The Pale Ale has a grapefruit-like citrus aroma and a moderate bitterness. The Weizen has a banana-like fruitiness with almost no bitterness. It is a great beer for beginners too.

The seasonal releases are great too. They use local ingredients, like a peach ale made with peaches from Wakayama Prefecture and a beer made with bamboo charcoal from Kaizuka City in Osaka. They also make an annual “Risshun Daikichi Beer,” a limited edition that receives a blessing at Senshu Aviation Shrine, and in 2026 it was limited to 2,026 bottles.

Representative Xu Xiaoyan has put forward the idea of a beer you can drink as many glasses of as you want, and that focus on drinkability runs through every label. There is also a brewpub, so you can drink right in front of the brewery.