Shimanto Brewing

There’s a brewery opened in Shimanto by a couple who love surfing. Do you know SHIMANTO Brewing?

The Okabayashi couple originally came from Hyogo and lived in Osaka, but they used to make monthly surf trips to western Kochi. When local surfer friends told them, "We’ve got a house for you," they moved to Shimanto City in 2016.

Akiko, the wife, saw a TV feature about an elderly woman brewing craft beer by herself and got inspired: "I want to do that too!" She herself also had sales experience at a major beer company.

What’s great is that they use Shimanto citrus in their beer. They buy bushukan, lemons, ponkan, and more directly from local farmers.

It’s a sour citrus specialty of Shimanto, known for its sharp tartness, which is why it’s called the "king of sour citrus." They also make a wheat ale called "breeze" using bergamot from Kochi Prefecture, and it’s wonderfully refreshing.

It’s in Nakamura Honmachi in Shimanto City, and the couple says they built the interior entirely themselves. They fell in love with the place through surfing, built the shop with their own hands, and brew beer with local citrus. It’s truly a brewery where you can see the faces of the makers.