Tabakaya Brewery
- Address
- 2-3-25 Ropponmatsu, Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City
- Area
- Fukuoka Chuo Ward, Fukuoka City
What kind of brewery is Tabakaya Brewery?
Hop BroIn Ropponmatsu, there’s a commercial brewery that might be the smallest in Japan. Tabakaya Shuzo Garage Brewery.
MugiTabakaya? A tobacco shop making beer?
Hop BroThat’s what you’d think. Actually, the name "Tabakaya" was the signboard name of the kimono shop run by the owner’s parents. And the shop’s official name is "Pasta Tabakaya (No Smoking)".
MugiA pasta shop!? And it even has "No Smoking" in the name? That’s too funny!
Hop BroIt originally started in 2006 in Ropponmatsu as a sake specialty bar, opened a homemade fresh pasta shop in 2008, and in 2022 converted the garage into a brewery. That brewing space is only 3 tsubo. It calls itself the "world’s smallest commercial brewery."
Mugi3 tsubo!? That’s about the size of two tatami mats, right? You can make beer in a space that small!?
Hop BroYou can, actually. And what’s interesting inside is that "Tabakaya WHITE" is a Belgian White, but it uses durum wheat, which they also use in their homemade pasta. With orange peel and coriander aroma, it’s a beer that could only come from a pasta shop.
MugiWhat!? Beer made with pasta wheat! I’ve never heard of that!
Hop Bro"Tabakaya ORANGE" is a classic IPA with firm bitterness from citrusy hops. "Tabakaya BLACK" is a porter, with coffee beans steeped in to bring out a deep aroma. They run it all by hand in small batches on four taps.
MugiBut with small-batch production in just 3 tsubo, how does that work as a business?
Hop BroThat’s the philosophy of the place. The owner promotes a "non-capitalist small-business" model. Instead of scaling up, the idea is to maintain enough profit to keep everyone involved happy. A crowdfunding campaign for canned beer received about twice the target amount in support, so it’s well backed by fans.
MugiSo cool...! From a sake bar to pasta and then beer, they’ve kept evolving in one place for 18 years. I want to sit at the counter and have both pasta and beer!
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