Wayfarer Brewing Company

In Nankoku City, Kochi, there’s a brewery run by a couple, and the brewer is from Australia. It’s called Wayfarer Brewing Company.

It means “a traveler who walks and journeys on their own feet.” The brewer, Matt, is Australian. He worked in music back in his home country, but after coming to Japan in 2003, he started brewing craft beer in Chiba.

He met his wife, Yuki, in Chiba, and since she’s from Nankoku City, the two moved to her hometown and opened the brewery there. The taproom was handmade by the couple. From the outside it has a simple, shed-like look, almost like an agricultural equipment warehouse, but once you step inside, sunlight pours in through the large windows and jazz plays in a stylish space.

And their biggest strength is their homegrown hops. They grow nine varieties themselves in Nankoku City, and sometimes brew with fresh hops within just a few hours of harvest. On top of that, they use more than 30 varieties from the U.S., Germany, the Czech Republic, and Australia.

They have beers like the hazy "Foggy IPA," the extra-dry "BRUTish IPA," and "Mist." Sometimes they name beers after the morning fog or the color of the evening sky. Yuki also designs the can artwork.

Apparently Matt carefully explains each beer’s characteristics in Japanese, too. People come all the way from not just Shikoku but also the Chugoku and Kinki regions. They’re open Friday through Sunday, with five beers on tap all the time, so if you ever go to Kochi, you should definitely stop by.