Baeren Brewery

Baeren Brewery is one of the leading names in Iwate craft beer. It was launched in 2001 by Yoichi Shimada, Go Kimura, and a German brewmaster. Shimada was 34 at the time and left his corporate job to start the company.

They even brought over an entire copper brew kettle from a German brewery that was more than 100 years old. The German master handled brewing and procurement on site, and they bought malt directly from a German manufacturer. The brewery building itself was renovated from an old factory that used to make bricks and roof tiles, and when you step inside, it really feels like you're in a small brewery in Germany.

Absolutely. They still use traditional methods, cooling the wort slowly in a cooling vessel instead of relying on the latest machinery. That's what gives the beer its flavor. Their flagship, "Baeren Classic," was selected in 2015 from more than 200 breweries nationwide and won the top award for "Japanese craft beer to share with the world."

Lots of them. In 2023, at Germany's international beer competition, "Finest Beer Selection," "Schwarz" took first place in the international beer category, and "The Day TG Pilsner" took first place in the pilsner category. A German-style beer taking first place at a major competition in Germany itself feels like a reverse import story, doesn't it?

More recently, they released "Yuzu Wit" as a limited item for the "Great Iwate Exhibition" at Nihombashi Takashimaya. It's a Belgian-style witbier made with the peel and juice of Japanese-grown yuzu. And during Golden Week, they'll also hold "Spring Fest 2026" at the Morioka brewery grounds.

There's also a direct-run beer pub in Sakaimachi, Morioka City, and they host a monthly online event called "ON BEAR." Beer made in a 100-year-old German kettle, then enjoyed in a former brick factory - you just can't get that experience anywhere else.