Miyakojima Micro Brewery
- Address
- Okinawa, 703-3 Kugai, Hirara, Miyakojima City
- Area
- Okinawa Miyakojima City
What kind of brewery is Miyakojima Micro Brewery?
Hop BroMiyakojima Micro Brewery is the only craft brewery on Miyakojima. It is run by husband-and-wife team Mr. and Mrs. Masaki Takahashi.
MugiA brewery run by a married couple!? How did they get started?
Hop BroMr. Takahashi is from Niigata, and because he loves Miyakojima, he and his wife moved there in 2008. A meeting with Saizoku Kobou Microbrewery in Saitama gave them the push they needed, and after spending two years obtaining a brewing license, they opened in 2010.
MugiMoving to an island you love and starting to brew beer there is incredible drive...!
Hop BroAnd the biggest feature of their beer is that they use "coral water" for brewing. Miyakojima is an island formed by uplifted coral, so the groundwater is filtered through coral layers and rich in minerals. That gives the beer a distinctive, complex umami flavor.
MugiBrewing beer with water filtered through coral...! What is that, only possible on Miyakojima!
Hop BroTheir flagship beer, "Turiba Ale," means "a calm place" in the local Miyakojima dialect. It's a pale ale with a crisp finish and a full-bodied flavor. "Turiba Dark" is a dark ale made with brown sugar from Tarama Island, beautifully showcasing island ingredients.
MugiA beer name that means "a calm place" is so wonderful! And brown sugar from Tarama Island too? That's truly something only the outlying islands could offer!
Hop BroThey also have a lineup using Okinawan fruits, like Shikuwasa Weizen and Passion Fruit Ale. What's more, at the Japan Great Beer Awards 2020, Turiba Ale, Turiba Dark, and Barley Wine won bronze medals, and in 2022 Shikuwasa Weizen won a silver medal.
MugiA microbrewery run by just the two of them has won awards so many times!? That's moving...! I definitely want to try the coral-water beer!
