Akinokuni Brewery

The brewery in Akiota Town is Akinokuni Shuzo, and the brewer there wears a pro wrestling mask.

The representative, Yui Nagato, goes by the nickname "Osola Khan." He originally worked at a ski resort for 10 years, spending winters doing teppanyaki and summers selling hamburgers from a food truck. Then, when he started wearing a wrestling mask while doing teppanyaki, he blew up on social media and became famous as the "masked teppanyaki artisan."

He hit it off with local native Muneyuki Michikusa, who had been a food truck colleague, and the two of them launched the brewery with the idea of creating a local specialty that town residents could be proud to give as a gift. Now he calls himself a "masked beer artisan."

Every beer is named after a sightseeing spot in Akiota Town. Their most popular beer, Sandankyo, is a golden ale made with Jerusalem artichoke, with a bright citrus aroma and a clean finish. Sandankyo is a gorge that received three stars in the Michelin Green Guide France. Osorakan is named after the highest mountain in Hiroshima Prefecture, and it is a white ale made with rice koji, yuzu, and Japanese pepper.

Osorakan looks cloudy white and goes down smoothly. Nukui Dam is a freestyle ale made with purple sweet potato, with a citrus aroma from Loral hops and a strong 7% ABV. Ini Terraced Rice Fields is a pumpkin ale made with pumpkin and rice. It's named after one of Japan's 100 Best Terraced Rice Fields.

What pushes it even further is Black Garlic IPA. That's right, a black garlic IPA. And this brewery actively uses imperfect local farm produce - vegetables and fruits that can't be shipped because of their shape or appearance - as beer ingredients. It also helps reduce waste for farmers.