Omishima Brewery

Right in the middle of the Shimanami Kaido, there’s a brewery run by just a husband and wife on Omishima. It’s called Omishima Brewery.

It opened in 2018, and it was the first craft beer brewery on the Shimanami Kaido. And the brewer, Kyohei Takahashi, has such an interesting background... he graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, from the music department.

As a student, he was so struck by how delicious Minoh Beer in Osaka was that he even took a leave of absence from university and started working there part-time. He eventually became a full-time employee and learned brewing in earnest. His wife, Naoko, also graduated from the same university and later joined Minoh Beer, where she gained experience in everything from production to sales. They’re both Minoh Beer alumni.

It started with Naoko saying, 'I want to live in the countryside.' Yakushima was one of the options, but they gave up because of power outages and humidity. Kyohei, who is from Matsuyama, saw Omishima’s potential, and they renovated an old traditional house along the approach to Oyamazumi Shrine themselves to open the brewery.

It has a taproom with both earthen floor and tatami mats, and you can see the shiny brewing tanks through the glass. You can drink beer there in an atmosphere that feels like visiting your grandmother’s house in the countryside. They always offer four varieties that change monthly, including a White Ale made with local summer oranges from Omishima, a Blonde Ale with citrus aroma, and a Cacao Black made with cacao.

Actually, they’ve decided not to sell it in cans or bottles at all. Takahashi’s policy is, 'I want people to come to this island and drink the beer, poured with care, at its most delicious moment.' If you want to take some home, they’ll do bulk sales if you bring your own plastic bottle. They don’t even filter it, so you can taste it with the yeast still in it. It’s truly a beer you can drink only here.