Kibidoteshita Beer

Have you heard of Kibi Doteshita Beer, An Brewery in Okayama? It’s in Higashiyama, Naka Ward, Okayama City, and its origin story is interesting.

Its representative, Takashi Nagahara, originally worked at a psychiatric hospital in Kurashiki. He started a transportation business to support patients in finding work, then moved into restaurant management, and after meeting Ginga Kogen Beer in Iwate, he reportedly thought, ‘Someday I want to brew beer myself.’

After training at several breweries, he launched it in 2006. The concept is ‘beer loved by the neighbors,’ and they do not sell wholesale outside the prefecture or via mail order. It’s strictly for the local area.

Their standard pale ale, ‘Misaki,’ is made to be easy to drink with restrained bitterness. They also have the dark beer ‘Kibi no Karasu’ and a session IPA, and the seasonal releases are amazing too. There’s ‘Ginger Beer’ made with ginger from Misakicho, ‘Chamomile Breeze,’ and even ‘Coffee Stout.’

They also have a fruit-based ‘Witch’s Tale’ series, using plenty of Okayama fruits like white peaches, Pione grapes, strawberries, and yuzu.

And Nagahara personally goes anywhere in Japan to teach people for free if they want to start brewing beer. No consulting fee at all. Breweries that branched off from that support now number around 15 to 16, from Tokyo all the way to Okinawa.