Kobe Beer

Kobe Beer Suwayama Brewery has an especially interesting backstory: the owner, Yuka Shinomiya, comes from a fascinating background. Her father is Ikuo Nakajima, the founder of Rokko Beer Brewery, one of the pioneers of Kobe craft beer.

But she didn’t just simply take over the family business. Yuka spent three years training as a chef in Italy. The brewery’s strength is that it’s making beer with the palate of someone who knows food. She became manager of Rokko Beer Diner, the directly operated Rokko Beer shop, at age 30, and from there she began carving out her own path.

With the desire to "bring out more of Kobe’s character and make beer using vegetables and fruits from Kobe as secondary ingredients," she obtained a brewing license and became independent as a separate company in 2012. She opened the craft beer restaurant "Starboard" on the third floor of a building in front of Motomachi Station.

"Starboard Summer Smoke Stout" uses roasted coconut as a secondary ingredient, and they also make "Starboard Weizen." Kobe Beer usually has three to four seasonal varieties in the lineup, with one changing every day. They also release IPAs made with New Zealand hops.

On top of their own Kobe Beer, the bar also has around 15 taps, including her father’s Rokko Beer and Belgian beers. They also apparently grow hops on the premises. Another thing that makes this place special is the chance to enjoy food pairings that make use of the chef’s skills.