Fukui's first craft beer, Wakasa Beer, taken over by brewery in neighbouring prefecture

Wakasa Beer, known as the first craft beer of Fukui Prefecture, is heading for a fresh start after surviving the threat of closure. Nagahama Roman Beer, which brews in Nagahama in neighbouring Shiga Prefecture, has taken over the brewery in Mihama, Fukui, on the Sea of Japan coast. Work to refurbish the ageing equipment has now begun, but no date has yet been set for brewing to resume.

From a brewery for tourists to a brand in danger

In Japan, deregulation in the 1990s led to small breweries springing up around the country. Beers from these local breweries are called “ji-biru”, which today corresponds to craft beer. Wakasa Beer is one of them. Chidorien, a drive-in restaurant in Mihama, began brewing it in 1997 at Wakasa Seaside Brewery, a brewery attached to the restaurant, and sold it mainly to tourists. It has also won first place in the craft beer category of a nationwide sake and liquor competition. However, in August 2025 it was decided that bankruptcy proceedings would begin for Chidorien, and the brand faced the risk of disappearing. The beer business alone was later permitted to continue on a limited basis, selling off its stock while looking for someone to take it over.

A lake brewer inherits the taste of the seaside

The company that stepped forward was Nagahama Roman Beer, on the shores of Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. It has acquired the production equipment and the recipes. The purchase price has not been disclosed. A company representative explained that, with the brewery being nearby, there was a strong wish to preserve the culture of this region. Although one is on a lakeside and the other by the sea, the two areas share much in their food culture, such as grilled mackerel as a local speciality, they say. The Wakasa region has long supplied food to the capital, and the company says it aims to add its own experience to the strengths of the existing Wakasa Beer and make “beer that goes well with food”.

The next step: beer that can be distributed at room temperature

The first goal is to resume brewing with the existing equipment. In future, the company plans to make a product that can be distributed at room temperature, which is rare among craft beers, in order to widen its sales reach. The beer of many small breweries is meant to be distributed chilled, which makes it hard to send to distant markets. There is also a plan to reorganise the production sites in Nagahama and Mihama to raise output, and once the equipment is ready the company says it will hire locally and restart production. The bankruptcy trustee, a lawyer, has praised the fact that the business has passed to a company with a proven track record nearby that values contributing to the community.

There is currently no opportunity to pick up Wakasa Beer in Europe, but the story is worth noting as an example of how Japan’s small breweries can overcome the problem of brewers closing down. The thing to watch is the planned room-temperature product. If refrigeration is no longer needed, it could become a realistic way of reaching distant markets. To enjoy it at home, try pairing a crisp Japanese craft beer with grilled or smoked mackerel, which will be familiar in Europe, and it becomes easier to picture the “beer that goes well with food” its makers have in mind.