DD4D Brewing

Right in the middle of Matsuyama's downtown district, there’s a place where a brewery is inside an apparel shop. It’s called DD4D BREWING.

DD4D originally started as an apparel brand in 1998. In 2019, they renovated about half of their roughly 99-square-meter store into a brewery, creating a space where clothes and craft beer coexist.

A big reason was head brewer Keita Yamanouchi. He discovered homebrewing while studying in Canada and became deeply passionate about beer. Later, he was chosen as the first head brewer at Y.Y.G. BREWERY in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Back then, making someone in their 20s the head brewer was a big topic.

He returned to his hometown of Matsuyama after his father became ill. His father ran DD4D's apparel business, and Keita launched his own brewery inside that store. In a sense, he built his brewing career on top of his family's roots.

In fact, at the International Beer Cup, one of the world's five major beer competitions, they won gold for three consecutive years starting in 2019. In particular, the "Kobumikan Sour Ale" was named the best in the fruit sour ale category worldwide. Among brewers, Yamanouchi has a reputation as the guy for sour ales.

They've created more than 200 beers in total, including the Iyokan-infused sour ale "DAILYDOSE," the bold jalapeño-packed "Don Jalapeño," and the oatmeal stout "Newsboy Cap." New releases come out almost every week. Their skill in freely combining Ehime citrus, Hakata salt, sansho pepper, and more is truly impressive. The team even includes an American brewer, making it a richly international brewing crew.