Monkey Mountain

In Funaimachi, Oita, there’s a 15-tsubo microbrewery opened by a former semiconductor engineer from Oregon.

That’s Mr. Darren Aberg of Monkey Mountain. He grew up in Oregon, the mecca of craft beer, studied engineering, became an engineer, and then independently kept brewing beer for nearly 20 years.

His wife is Japanese, and after moving to Oita in 2007, he realized that the water nurtured by Oita’s mountains was similar to Oregon’s water and well suited to craft beer. He studied Japanese laws for two years, obtained the necessary license, and opened the brewery in 2019.

And the brewery’s biggest strength is its home-cultured yeast. Darren cultivates three kinds of yeast himself and uses them differently for each beer. He says, “Very few breweries cultivate their own yeast. We can make beers you can only drink here,” and that’s absolutely true.

Exactly, that’s Darren’s philosophy. The lineup is broad too: blonde ale, red ale, pale ale, porter, IPA, and barley wine. Among them, the barley wine is the most popular at 12% ABV. It’s rich, and the hop bitterness and sweetness intertwine in a bittersweet way. The porter has a coffee-like depth, and it’s interesting how the flavor changes with temperature.

The name comes from the monkeys at Takasakiyama Natural Zoological Garden and Oita’s mountains. It’s packed with love for Oita. You can drink on-site in a kakuuchi-style setup, and takeout is available too.