Rokko Beer Brewery

Rokko Beer is a brewery that’s really gaining momentum right now. It was founded in 1997 by Ikuo Nakajima, and now his son Manabu Nakajima is the president. Manabu’s background is pretty interesting, too.

He was originally an IT engineer, but he got bored of dealing with things that don’t have a physical presence and wanted to work on something tangible, so he joined Rokko Beer. When he first started, he knew nothing about beer, and apparently he was even weak with alcohol.

And then he pushed through a major management reform and quadrupled sales. His philosophy is, "I’m not focused on keeping the flavor unchanged; the commitment is to change." That aggressive approach has really paid off.

At the 2021 International Brewing Awards, WEST COAST SESSION IPA won gold and HAZY SESSION IPA won silver. And at the World Beer Awards, SAISON and WHITE DAIDAI ALE took first place in Japan. That’s in blind-tasting competitions with more than 2,200 entries from 50 countries around the world.

They use spring water drawn from 50 meters underground in the Rokko mountain range, and finish the beer with bottle conditioning, unfiltered, and unpasteurized. They also make "Kobe-style" beers using local ingredients from Kobe, like yuzu, daidai citrus, and cherry blossoms. Their Yuzu IPA and other local flavors really shine.

They have a directly operated shop called Starboard in Sannomiya, where you can enjoy three to four taps that change daily. It opens at 4 p.m., so it’s perfect for after work.