Kamihei Shuzo

Kamihei Shuzo in Tono has a history as a sake brewery that dates back to its founding in 1789. What’s fascinating is that a brewery with roots going all the way back to the first year of the Kansei era, from the Edo period, started making craft beer.

Exactly. In 1999, it launched the Tono Beer ZUMONA brand. "ZUMONA" is a Tono dialect expression meaning something like "apparently" or "it seems." It carries the wish that people will pass along the story, "There’s good beer in Tono, you know."

That’s the brewery’s biggest strength. Tono is one of Japan’s leading hop-growing regions, and ZUMONA generously uses locally grown Tono hops, IBUKI, all year round. For seasonal releases, they brew with fresh hops made by freezing and crushing IBUKI harvested that summer. It creates a vibrant aroma you can’t get from dried hops.

"Golden Pilsner" is a strong performer that has won gold twice in the Bohemian-style Pilsner category at the International Beer Cup. It has a crisp character with solid malt flavor and hop aroma. "Weizen" has a fruity banana-like aroma, low bitterness, and is easy to drink.

"Tohoku Soul IPL," released to mark 15 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, was brewed with gratitude for the support received and a desire to give back.

Kamihei Shuzo also takes part in the "Beer Village Project," where hop farmers, breweries, local companies, and the government all work together to support Tono’s hop agriculture. While building on the traditional techniques of Nanbu brewers, they also challenge themselves with new styles, and their hazy IPA is especially good, with a gorgeous aroma reminiscent of orange and mango.