Agarihama Brewery

Agarihama Brewery in Yonabaru Town is the place that won a gold medal at the Japan Great Beer Awards 2024 just one year after it started brewing.

It is, actually. The gold-winning "SUNRISE PALE ALE" is an American-style pale ale with a great balance of bitter hops and citrus aroma. At 5% ABV, it's also easy to drink.

The brewery manager, Masanori Zukeran, has an interesting background too. He is from Naha, and he spent 12 years working at a supermarket chain in the Kanto region. He came up with ideas like an Okinawa fair that became a success, and he loves visiting food factories across Japan. He is the kind of person with incredible curiosity about food.

But because he knows food distribution so well, he probably won't compromise on beer quality either. He returned to Okinawa in 2022 and joined as a founding member. "GAJUMARU WIPA" and "Nakijin Mango IPA" have also won silver awards.

"AGARIHAMA IPA" is a session IPA made with Okinawa-grown pineapple juice, with 4.5% alcohol. It has a nice balance of bitterness and tropical flavor. The taproom has a U-shaped counter, so you can drink while looking at the brewing tanks.

Exactly. It's a port town with more than 400 years of history. I love that a new beer culture is starting to take root there.