Dolphin Beer

There’s a microbrewery in Nago City called Dolphin Beer, and the story behind it is really interesting.

Nago used to have a history of dolphin hunting, and there are dolphin statues and illustrations all over town. They put the symbol of that “dolphin town” on the label. It also features Okinawan animals.

The owner here is Yoshimichi Maeda. He’s the third-generation head of Maeda Shoten, a long-established liquor retailer in Nago. He’d been running a wholesale liquor business for years, but after seeing potential in the craft beer industry, he spent three years developing the idea before entering it.

Exactly. They renovated the shop area and installed three 500-liter storage tanks, creating a truly handmade brewery. It’s Nago City’s first microbrewery.

First is "Dolphin Ale," a pale ale made with rye. It goes down smoothly like water, with a pleasant aroma from the aroma hops. Then there’s the "Yanbarā IPA," a hazy, reddish, wild IPA made with six kinds of hops.

And the showstopper is "Yurumaya". It’s a brown porter finished with Okinawan brown sugar. It looks like a dark beer, but it’s crisp and easy to drink, even on hot days.