Moji Port Craft Beer Brewery

Mojiko Beer Brewery's Weizen has won the top prize at the National Craft Beer Quality Competition in both 2019 and 2021. That was the first consecutive win in history. It also took the grand prize at Beer-1 Grand Prix 2021 and was selected to represent Japan at the World Beer Awards.

The thing is, this brewery's origin is Weizen itself. The founder was blown away in 1996 after drinking a Weizen at Engine House No. 9, a brewpub in Tacoma, USA, and started the brewery in Moji Port two years later, in 1998. One glass of Weizen was the beginning of everything.

Brewmaster Kounosuke Minematsu studied at the National Research Institute of Brewing in Hiroshima, and he says, "By repeatedly making the same style, the problems become visible." Rather than chasing trends, the brewery uses 13 different malts from Munich-based Weyermann and aims to perfect traditional European styles. They brew unpasteurized and unfiltered beer in 1,500-liter batches.

That's what makes it cool. And there's another amazing story. Moji is actually deeply tied to Japanese beer history. In 1913, Teikoku Beer built Kyushu's first beer factory in Moji and produced "Sakura Beer." At its peak, it reached about 9% of the domestic market and rose to third place nationwide.

Moji Port Retro Beer recreates "Sakura Beer" based on the original Taisho-era recipe preserved by Sapporo Breweries. Even the label recreates the Taisho-era design, with ships moving through the Kanmon Strait. You can drink beer that has crossed a century.

What's more, this brewery also runs its own German-style charcuterie shop, Metzgerei M, and makes pork jerky and sausages that won gold at the IFFA contest. They also have unusual creations like "Kaffir Lime Leaf Weizen." By lowering the fermentation temperature on purpose, they suppress the banana aroma typical of Weizen and bring out the fragrance of kaffir lime leaves.