Doctor Kong Brewing

Dr. Kong Brewing is a craft beer project by Nagayama Honke Shuzojo in Ube.

The fifth-generation head of the brewery founded in 1888, Takahiro Nagayama, serves as president and master brewer, and amid the trend away from alcohol he took on beer brewing using sake-making techniques, thinking that "the power of sake to bring people together should be passed down no matter how times change."

The brewery was renovated from an unused space inside the sake brewery, and the beer is brewed within a storehouse with over 135 years of history. The brewing water is natural water from 150 meters underground that passed through the strata of Akiyoshidai.

And the labels are interesting too. The flagship, "THE ANSWER," is an American-Belgian style beer made with local sake rice, Yamada Nishiki. "1080" is an American porter that uses roasted tea from Ube, with the concept of "bringing Japanese spirit from Ube." "JAMITE" is a NEIPA, and its explosive juiciness comes from a blend of four different hops.

There's also a wheat beer called "YETI MAGIC," which uses some rice koji. With a fruity banana-like aroma and a creamy mouthfeel, it's designed to be an entry point for people who don't like beer bitterness.

Brewing director Hidenori Yamamoto says he hopes young people will become interested in sake through these beers. I like that the core idea never wavers: pursuing "beer only a sake brewery can make." The fact that they're aiming to be a brewery that gives people a reason to visit Ube is exciting too.