Japan is an island state in eastern Asia and the dream destination of many. We long for the straightforwardness and simplicity, the aesthetics that permeate all areas of life, for masterfully prepared delicacies, for spectacular cherry blossom festivals, magnificent temples and harmoniously laid out gardens. The traditional Kiuchi brewery in Ibaraki Prefecture proves that fine craft beer can also come from the land of the rising sun.
Before Kiuchi became a brewery, however, the company produced sake and shōchū, which are extremely popular in Japan. Sake is brewed like beer, but the basis is not grain but rice, and the alcohol content is around 15 to 20 percent, which is significantly higher than that of conventional barley juice. Shōchū brings even more to the table, with 25 to 43 percent alcohol content. This beverage, fermented with mold, is made from rice, barley, sugar cane and other starchy raw materials. For more than 150 years, these two products were to be the brewery's speciality, until a change in the law allowed them to brew beer. Previously, only four large breweries were allowed to produce beer, but from 1994 onwards smaller companies were also permitted to do so. Because the company had specialized in sake and shōchū, the switch to beer was no child's play. The team had no experience of brewing and had to immediately find out more and get completely new equipment. They finally found their brewing system in Canada: after some negotiations, the brewing system manufacturer made them an offer that was significantly lower than the price of Japanese companies and shipped the equipment to Japan by container. It took a total of 18 months of construction, experimentation and testing before the very first beer saw the light of day. The HITACHINO NEST BEER was born and the success story could begin.
One year after the brewery opened, the first award came in: at Japan's first international beer competition, the Kiuchi Brewery's Amber Ale was awarded gold. Numerous national and international competitions followed and the brewery discovered that it was indeed competitive. With this knowledge, the company began to export beers around the world and conquer the international beer market. The brewery continues to pursue this mission to this day. Before the owl became Kiuchi's mascot, the monkfish, a very popular food fish in Japan, and the stork were both under consideration. However, after the first sketches of the cute owl were drawn, the team collectively fell in love and named the big-eyed bird their heraldic animal.
