Japan is an island nation in eastern Asia and the longed-for destination of many. We long for straightforwardness and simplicity, the aesthetic that runs through all areas of life, for masterfully prepared delicacies, for spectacular cherry blossom festivals, magnificent temples and harmoniously landscaped gardens. The traditional Kiuchi brewery from Ibaraki Prefecture proves that fine craft beer can also come from the land of the rising sun.
However, before Kiuchi became a beer brewery, the company produced sake and shōchū, which are extremely popular in Japan. Sake is brewed like beer, but the basis for it is not grain but rice and the alcohol content of around 15 to 20 percent is significantly higher than that of conventional barley juice. Shōchū brings even more to the table with 25 to 43 percent alcohol content. This mold-fermented drink 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 hobbyhorse, until a change in the law allowed them to also brew beer. Previously, only four large breweries were allowed to produce beer, but from 1994 smaller companies were also allowed to do so. Because the company specialized in sake and shōchū, switching to beer was no easy feat. The team had no experience with brewing and had to immediately get information and completely re-equip. They finally found their brewing system in Canada: After some negotiations, the manufacturer of brewing systems made them an offer that was significantly lower than the price offered by Japanese companies and shipped the equipment to Japan in a container. It would take a total of 18 months of building, experimenting and trying out before the very first beer saw the light of day. The HITACHINO NEST BEER was born and the success story could begin.
A year after the brewery opened, the first award came: Kiuchi Brewery's Amber Ale was awarded gold at Japan's first international beer competition. Numerous national and international competitions followed and the brewery discovered that it was quite competitive. With this knowledge, the company began exporting beers around the world and conquering the international beer market. The brewery continues to pursue this mission to this day. By the way, before the owl became the mascot of Kiuchi, both the monkfish and the stork, which are extremely popular in Japan, were under discussion. 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.
