Kumezakura Sake Brewery boasts one of the longest histories in the San’in region. Founded in 1855, the company has supported the sake industry for nearly 170 years. The Kumezakura Brewery’s new business venture is craft beer. We will look at the history of craft beer and its appeal at Kumezakura, a sake brewery that has long been a mainstay of the brewing industry.
Brewing sake with water refined in the beech forests of Daisen
Hoki-cho is located in western Tottori Prefecture. Located at the foot of Daisen, the highest mountain in the Chugoku region, the town’s agriculture has flourished thanks to its clean water and black soil. Kume-Zakura Brewery was originally located in Yonago City, but moved to Hoki-cho in 1985 in search of the delicious water refined by Daisen’s natural beech forest. The brewery draws water from 150 meters underground from the same vein as “Jizo Taki no Izumi,” which was selected as one of the 100 best waters of the Heisei era by the Ministry of the Environment, and brews sake with the full flavor of this water.
Sake’s stagnation led to brewing beer
The favorable environment further refined the sake brewing at the Kumezakura Sake Brewery. However, nationwide sake consumption was declining year after year, and the Kumezakura Brewery was troubled by the effects of this decline. It was at this time that the Sake Tax Law was revised in 1994. The minimum quantity of beer required to obtain a license to manufacture beer was lowered from 2,000 kiloliters to 60 kiloliters per year, making it possible for breweries other than major beer makers to produce beer.
As a member of the alcohol industry, I became more and more interested in brewing beer as I heard more and more information. He decided to try brewing something other than sake, something that would take advantage of the delicious water in Daisen. In 1997, he established Kumezakura Beer Co., Ltd. with a local energy company, Sanin Oxygen Industry Co.
When they started brewing beer, they hired Hideki Iwata, who was researching microorganisms at Shimane University at the time. Iwata had already been hired as a yeast researcher at another company, but when he heard that a new local beer brewing business was to start in Daisen, his love of beer led him to work for Kumezakura Beer Co. He first gained knowledge and skills through training at Kirin Brewery’s Yokohama factory, and in 1997 he became a brewer at Daisen G Beer (locally brewed beer) and began brewing beer on a full-scale basis.
Brewing beer from scratch
Water, malt, hops, and yeast are the base ingredients that make up beer. Of these, water accounts for about 90%. Therefore, the basic philosophy of Kumezakura Daisen Brewery is that “the better the water, the better the beer. As with sake, the brewery takes advantage of Daisen’s subterranean water and utilizes it in its beer brewing.
Also, in starting from scratch to brew beer, the brewers wanted to start with an understanding of how the ingredients are grown and when they are harvested. Therefore, they began growing wheat with the cooperation of local farmers, and also began growing hops on their own farm. Today, they also sell seasonal beers that use harvested wheat and hops as part of the ingredients.
In the beer brewing process, malt is finely crushed and hot water is added to saccharify the wort, which is then filtered. Glycation is a phenomenon in which the starch in the malt is converted to sugar. Hops are added to the filtered wort to add aroma, bitterness, and other flavor compounds, and the temperature of the nearly 100°C wort is adjusted to around 10-20°C. Yeast is added to ferment the wort, which breaks down the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide, resulting in the production of beer.
Beer is a view” lineup that conveys the taste of water
Kumezakura Daisen Brewery offers four types of Daisen G Beer as beers that can be tasted at any time. Pilsner, a refreshing beer with a good balance of malt and hop aroma. Weizen, which is characterized by its low bitterness and aroma of banana and vanilla. Pale Ale, traditionally produced in England, with just the right amount of sweetness and bitterness. Then there is stout, a black beer blended with roasted malts reminiscent of coffee and chocolate.
Of these, Mr. Iwata’s favorite is Weizen, a fruity, easy-drinking beer. It is fruity, easy to drink, and not too sweet. The brewery is also proud to have won first place in the World’s Best Grain-only Wheat Beer category at the 2011 World Beer Awards, the world’s largest beer competition.
The brewery also has a beer restaurant next to the brewery, where you can enjoy freshly brewed beer at any time of the day.
I think beer is a view. So the best way to enjoy beer is to drink it here. If possible, I want people to drink the water from the Jizo Falls spring before they drink the beer. The water is unprocessed and natural ingredients are added to the water as it is. I hope people can get the sense that we put a lot of care into it,” says Iwata.
Good beer is born from good water. The best way to convey the deliciousness of Daisen G Beer is for people to come and enjoy the taste of the ingredients.
Limited edition brand unique to Daisen
In addition to the main brand, there are seasonal beers that use locally produced and unique ingredients to further enhance the Daisen experience.
One is Daisen Gold, which is released every August. The barley used in this beer, called “Daisen Gold,” was developed in Tottori Prefecture as a beer seed, but its cultivation had temporarily ceased. Kumezakura Daisen Brewery wanted to use an ingredient that would express their own unique, local flavor, so they began growing Daisen Gold in 2002 in cooperation with local farmers. Daisen Gold” made from Daisen Gold has an aroma reminiscent of citrus fruits and honey, and the barley is naturally juicy.
The second is “Weihen Hop,” which is released every September. The brewery named it “Weihen (plum orchard) Hop” after the land that was once used to grow ume plums for ume wine, which was converted into a hop field for home-grown hops. Harvested by members of the brewery, the fresh hops are macerated for only 20 minutes in the brewing process. The beer has a gentle citrus aroma and bitterness unique to fresh hops.
Yamada Nishiki, the sake rice used for Kumezakura Brewery’s main brand “Yago,” is also used in the beer. The brewery’s technology and experience in rice farming, from planting to harvesting, are put to good use in this beer. The brand name is “Yago,” which, like sake, has a subtle aroma reminiscent of sake.
When they first started brewing these beers, they had a memorable experience.
A customer called and said, “Are you going to release that wheat beer soon?” I was so happy. That made me really happy. I felt that Daisen, the beer, and the ingredients were all expressing the season. So we started brewing it every year, pursuing our own unique beer,” Iwata says with a laugh.
Today, Daisen Gold has become a popular beer, with more and more fans looking forward to the seasonal brews each year. The brewery also holds events with fans to plant sake rice to be used for Yago, which truly helps to convey Daisen and its seasonal flavor.
We want to send the thoughts of Daisen and the brewers through our beer
It has been 27 years since beer brewing began. They have brewed more than 160 different kinds of beer, which is only possible because they are a sake brewery and because they are located in Daisen. The brewery’s commitment to brewing beer, the history of the land, and above all, the desire to have people enjoy beer, are all expressed in the beers that they brew.
Beer is not just about having the same taste all year round and keeping it cold. There are various styles and temperatures of beer other than the popular Pilsner. I hope people will find a beer that they like. In the process, we would like people from all walks of life to become familiar with our products and come to Daisen, Tottori, as a result. We hope to convey the brewery, its environment, and the thoughts of the brewers there,” says President Tamura.
Daisen G Beer will be a bridge between Daisen and the people of the world.
