Hideji Beer

Miyazaki Hideji Beer is located at the foot of Mount Mukabaki, and the story of its president, Tokihiko Nagano, is amazing. He originally worked at a supermarket, but after seeing a newspaper article about a local brewery restaurant opening and being moved by it, he changed jobs to that beer company.

What's more, when the parent company decided in 2010 to exit the beer business, he said, "If no one else will do it, I will!" and took the company over through an employee buyout (EBO). With support from five colleagues.

And what he built from there was "Kuri Kuro." It's an imperial stout made with plenty of Miyazaki-grown chestnut paste, at 9% alcohol. The coffee-like roasted aroma of roasted barley is layered with the refined sweetness of chestnuts.

It's rich and full-bodied, yet easy to drink thanks to the elegance of the chestnuts. And this won first place in the world's stout and porter category at the 2017 World Beer Awards, and a gold medal at the 2022 World Beer Cup. It's distributed across 18 states in North America.

That's what Nagano means by "Think Global, Brew Local." For example, "YAHAZU," developed over six years using 100% barley grown in Miyazaki, and "Kyushu CRAFT" made with hyuganatsu citrus, won the Beer-1 Grand Prix. They also focus on a completely in-house cultured yeast.

What's interesting is that they use byproducts from beer yeast to make a liquid soil conditioner that they provide to local farmers. They brew beer, use the leftovers to support agriculture, and then use those agricultural products in beer again. It's a circular brewery. Nagano himself says, "We're not a manufacturing company, we're an entertainment company."