Shimanami Brewery launches 'Kaze to Shimanami', a lager made entirely from Japanese ingredients
Shimanami Brewery in Onomichi, Hiroshima, has released a pilsner brewed only with Japanese malt and Kaikogane, the first hop variety bred in Japan.
Shimanami Brewery in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, released a new lager, Kaze to Shimanami, on 5 October 2026. Onomichi is a port town on the Seto Inland Sea in western Honshu. Both the malt and the hops in this beer are Japanese, and it has an alcohol content of 4.5%. Japanese craft breweries often use imported malt and hops, so beers made entirely from domestic ingredients are rare.
Kaikogane, Japan’s first domestic hop
The hops are Kaikogane (甲斐黄金), grown in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture. Kaikogane was the first hop variety to be bred in Japan. According to the brewery, American hops are known for a showy, powerful aroma, whereas Japanese hops have a restrained, complex and delicate one. For Kaze to Shimanami, the brewery drew on Kaikogane’s citrus-like aroma to create a crisp, light drinking experience. Hokuto is also where the brewer, Kazato Matsuoka, trained.
The first pilsner made with Japanese malt
It was the first time Matsuoka had brewed a pilsner with Japanese malt. The brewery’s two standard pilsners blend German malt, which gives a strong savoury depth of grain, with Canadian malt, which gives a cleaner finish. By comparison, this beer takes a markedly different approach to ingredients. Matsuoka served as head brewer at Yatsugatake Brewery before founding Shimanami Brewery in 2021. Unusually for a small brewery, it focuses mainly on lagers. At the World Beer Awards, an international competition held in the UK, its standard Strike Pilsner won the Country Winner title in the Classic Pilsner category in both 2024 and 2025.
How to enjoy it in Europe
Kaze to Shimanami comes in a 370 ml can, must be kept refrigerated and has a best-before period of six months. It is currently sold through the brewery’s official website, and no overseas sales have been announced. For readers in Europe, we suggest tasting it alongside Czech or German pilsners. Even within the same style, it should show clearly how aroma and mouthfeel change when the origin of the malt and hops changes. The brewery says it hopes people will enjoy the beer with a wide variety of dishes. If you come across a beer labelled ‘domestic hops’ or ‘Kaikogane’ at a specialist shop for Japanese craft beer, do pick it up.
Sources
This article was written by The Sake Wire editorial team, summarising the public sources listed above. Images are our own.
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