Kihachiro Beer

Kihachiro Beer is a brewery backed by a steakhouse. It’s made by the Hyogo steakhouse chain "Hirooka Kihachiro no Sandaya."

And it started in 1995. It was the first local beer in Kansai, and also the first in Japan from the restaurant industry. The founder, Mr. Kihachiro Hirooka, was from Sanda City, and from a young age he admired the local historical figure Yoshitomi Kawamoto.

He was a Dutch studies scholar said to have brewed the first beer in Japan. He was also from Sanda. Inspired by that admiration, they waited for the deregulation in 1994 and began by importing brewing equipment from SALM in Vienna. The first-generation Vienna-made equipment is now displayed as an exhibit at the Sasayama Interchange branch.

They’re all bottom-fermented lager styles, made with 100% malt, unfiltered, and unpasteurized. The Pilsner uses no adjuncts and relies only on the carbon dioxide produced by the beer itself, so it’s less likely to cause bloating. The Black is based on a secret recipe kept strictly in-house, and its sweetness and bitterness spread richly across the palate.

They also have Sakura Smoke Beer, which became bottled after being popular as a drink menu item at the restaurant. It comes in 330 ml bottles and has 5% alcohol. The key point is that they smoke it themselves.

Mr. Hirooka’s belief is that "local beer is the brewer’s life itself." As a brewer, taking responsibility to customers in his own name, that stance is reflected in the beer’s name.