Miyagi Yuriage Beer Brewery

The story of Yuriage Beer Brewery in Yuriage, Natori City is a bit intense.

Right. It originally started in Watari Town in 1997 as "Tori no Umi Brewery," but the 2011 tsunami washed away the building, equipment, and ingredients, leaving the site completely bare. Representative Tsutomu Hara apparently even considered closing the business.

They received many customer messages saying, "We want to drink that beer there again," and decided to make a comeback because there were people waiting for them. They resumed brewing at a temporary factory in Hanamaki in 2012 and moved to a new plant in Yuriage in 2020.

He originally ran an accounting firm, but on a trip to Germany he fell in love with the sight of small breweries making distinctive beers, and started one in Miyagi, so he's from a completely different industry. And the plant manager, Takahashi, has an even more incredible background.

He went from a dynamite company, to making healthy rice crackers, to working as a bartender, and then became the brewing manager at Ginga Kogen Beer, where he brewed 6,000 liters a day. Now he's making his best work here: "Yuriage White." It's made with wheat, coriander, and orange peel, and they're aiming to surpass Hoegaarden.

In fact, they've won gold medals at the Asia Beer Cup for both "Strawberry & Safflower Ale" and "Apple Ale." They're taking bold approaches too, like combining strawberries from Watari Town with safflower from Yamagata, and using unpasteurized, unfiltered beer to keep the yeast alive. Their Sendai Station exclusive "Sendai Eki Masamune Beer" comes in two styles: a pilsner and a weizen, both made with Hitomebore rice.