Koki Brewing Mitoyo

In Mitoyo City, Kagawa, there's a brewery called "Minna de Brewery," and it's the city's first craft beer specialty shop.

It was named by founder Koiki Miura. He was born in Tokyo and worked as a salaried employee for 27 years, but when he visited Mitoyo City for training in "half-farmer, half-X," he decided, "I want to make this my hometown" and moved there. He says he chose "minna de" to express his gratitude to the local businesses that invested in and supported him.

It's in a building renovated from an old house that's about 100 years old in Nio Town. With large glass surfaces, it's a bright space, and the counter has power outlets, so it can also be used as a coworking space.

The first brew, "Mitoyo Pale Mail," is an English pale ale, an easy-to-drink style with a strong malt sweetness. It firmly nails the classic pale ale profile.

There's a stout called "Nio de Scout," a dry, crisp black beer. The name comes from the fact that Miura brewed it on his birthday. They also release limited-edition beers made with seasonal local fruit.

The food is carefully considered too, and they sometimes serve handmade meat pies, Australia's soul food. Miura wants craft beer to be a communication tool that connects people, and they're creating a new place to belong in the town.