Cliff Garo Brewing in Okinawa City. The owner, Cliff Miyagi, has a pretty unique background.
Mugi
Cliff... is he from Okinawa?
Hop Bro
He's from Okinawa. At 29, he studied at an art school in London, and from there he balanced art activities with work at an advertising agency. After that, he moved to Wales with his wife.
Mugi
An advertising agency after art school! He's completely from the art world.
Hop Bro
In Wales, he had a shocking encounter with Britain's real ale culture. He fell in love with beer as a culture rooted in the local community, and after returning to Okinawa he trained in brewing and launched the brewery in 2018.
Mugi
He brought British pub culture back to Okinawa...! So cool.
Hop Bro
The 'GARO' in the name means gallery, and they regularly hold exhibitions by local artists inside the brewery. It's a space where beer and art blend together.
Mugi
The brewery also doubles as a gallery?! That's something only Cliff could do.
Hop Bro
Their signature beer, KAMMY TYLER, is a white ale made with Okinawan wheat and kabuchi. PEACH BOWIE, a fruited hazy IPA, combines peach puree with Okinawan shell ginger, and it's another fascinating beer.
Mugi
KAMMY TYLER, PEACH BOWIE...! The beer names really show an artistic sensibility too. Using shell ginger in beer is an amazing idea.
Hop Bro
They also make seasonal beers using Okinawa's in-season ingredients like pineapple and guava, and because they're offered as hometown tax return gifts, you can get them even from far away.
Mugi
A fusion of art, beer, and Okinawan ingredients... Drinking craft beer while looking around the gallery sounds like an incredibly luxurious experience!