Olang Craft Brewery

In Saiki City, Oita, there's a brewery that was created by renovating a former dental clinic. It's Saiki's first brewery.

It's Olang Craft Brewery. The representative, Shunsuke Kono, is from Saiki City. He got hooked on craft beer while in Osaka during university, trained at the Kuju Plateau Development Corporation in Taketa after returning to Oita, and then came back to his hometown to launch the brewery.

The location is great too: it's in Sendomachi, an area of Saiki's castle town where old storehouses still remain. The first floor is both the brewery and a standing pub, with the brewing equipment visible through the glass, and the second floor houses the community cafe "KIISA."

The name "Orang" means "person" in Malay, and it was apparently named because the "shoujyou" ornament displayed on the portable shrine in Sendomachi evokes an orangutan. I like how it's connected to the local festival.

The first batch brewed after they got their brewing license was "SENDO IPA." It's a name that plays on "Sendo" from Sendomachi, and it's an IPA with a fresh grapefruit-like aroma and a strong hop bitterness. They also have a regular beer called "CAN MAN ALE~kanman~."

The collaboration in Oita Prefecture with Beppu Brewery is interesting too. "GOOD FLOW" is a sour ale made with pomelo, one of the world's largest citrus fruits, and is 3.5% ABV. "DRAGON ROUGE" is a fruit ale with blackberries and plums at 4% ABV, balancing juicy fruit character with a malty finish. They brew while staying connected to local ingredients and partners across the prefecture.