Daikonshima Brewery

There’s a brackish lake called Nakaumi floating between Shimane and Tottori. Wouldn’t you be surprised to hear there’s a brewery on an island in that lake?

It’s called Daikonshima Brewery, and it sits at the foot of the Eshima Ohashi Bridge, famous for the “steepest slope” view. Its president, Junpei Kadowaki, is from Daikonshima, and he originally sold ice cream and sake made with local island specialties.

It all came from the desire to make alcohol entirely from Daikonshima ingredients, from raw materials to production. In 2020, they simultaneously obtained licenses to produce beer, liqueur, and doburoku, which was the first achievement of its kind in Japan.

And in just one year after opening, they developed 24 labels. “FULL THROTTLE IPA” won silver at the Japan Great Beer Awards, and “Matsue Fig Weizen” won bronze.

What’s especially interesting is the “Dojo Sukui Manju Ale.” It’s a beer made with off-spec leftovers of that famous confection associated with Yasugi-bushi, so it also helps reduce food waste. The product name plays on “YELL” for encouragement and “ALE” beer.

They also turn island ingredients into beer one after another, including rock oysters, mandarin oranges, Anno sweet potatoes, and honey. This brewery is all about making use of items that would otherwise be discarded as off-spec.