In Tha Door Brewing

In Tha Door Brewing is serious about its "LOCAL BEER" concept. Owner Mika Nakamura used to be a company employee, and the brewery got its start when a brewery president encouraged her partner, Mr. Nakato, who was running a bar, by saying, "Why not try making beer in Kobe?"

Nakamura is committed to making beer that can only be brewed in Kobe, and the brewing water is 100% natural water from the Rokko Nunobiki area. It is a luxurious water that combines the smoothness of soft water with the mineral character of hard water. Even the carbonation is not artificially added; it comes only from natural yeast fermentation.

There’s the "Coffee Stout" made in collaboration with UCC, "Re Bread" made with bread from the long-established bakery Freundinlieb, "Mint Beer" created with Yuge Farm, and a beer made with naruto oranges from Awaji Island. They also have a flagship beer called "Kiratto." They’re all brewed together with someone from Kobe.

That’s what makes this brewery so impressive. Since 2018, they’ve launched the "KOBE LOCAL BEER PROJECT," growing barley and hops in Kobe together with local organic farmers. They also use honey from Inada Honey Farm, and their policy is reportedly, "Unless there’s a very good reason, we don’t turn down a collaboration request the first time."

And they never throw away the malt spent grain. The 50 to 60 kilograms of byproduct generated each year is upcycled into bread, crackers, fertilizer, and livestock feed. Since 2020, they’ve also been running a CSA-based project called "CSLB," connecting farmers and consumers through beer.

They’ve also celebrated their 20th anniversary as "IN THA DOOR." They even held a 10-day limited POP UP at Kobe Port Tower, and their Sannomiya taproom has new releases appearing almost every week, so it’s definitely a place worth returning to.