Hope Hill Brewery

Hope Hill Brewery, the origin of the name really gets to you. It was named after "Sennen Kibo no Oka" (Thousand-Year Hope Hill), built in Iwanuma City in hopes of recovery after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

It's operated by Rikyu, the beef tongue charcoal-grill company. In 2022, they launched the brewery next to their head factory. The starting point was a desire to give shape to their gratitude for local Miyagi.

The head brewer, Yosuke Ohira, has an interesting background too: he studied German culture in a university seminar, wrote his thesis on German beer, and turned that passion directly into his career. And the fact that every beer they make is named after a cut of meat is so very Rikyu.

KNUCKLE 167A is an American pale ale, HIND SHANK is a New England IPA, LIVER LIVER LIVER is a porter, and Sweet Bread is a weizen. And their yuzu saison, Culotte, became the Japan Origin category champion at the International Beer Cup 2022.

They also won multiple awards in 2023, and at the Japan Brewers Cup 2024 they placed third in the fruit beer category. They also release limited brews using Iwanuma's mythical fruit, pawpaw, and blueberries from Sendai Aramaki. They're firmly connected with local farmers.

You know your stuff. They also make collaboration beers with Tohoku University. While seriously pursuing beers that pair with beef tongue, they keep releasing more and more limited brews that lean hard into local ingredients. They've also exhibited at the Oedo Beer Festival, so they're pushing well beyond Miyagi too.