Table of Contents
Background
Minamishinshu Beer Company is a craft beer brewery located in Komagane, in Nagano prefecture. The brewery started up in 1996, soon after the deregulation of brewing capacities in 1994, and was the first craft beer brewery in Nagano at the time. In the beginning, they started out with four main beers based on German styles and have slowly branched out their range of beers to include some non-German beers as well as some seasonal beers too.
The brewery was created by Komagatake Shuzo, a local sake producer that decided to diversify into beer while drawing upon its long experience with fermentation. Located at the foot of the Central Japanese Alps, Minami Shinshu Beer benefits from the region’s exceptionally soft mountain water, which plays an important role in producing clean, balanced beers. The cool climate of Nagano also provides excellent conditions for brewing throughout the year.
When production began, the brewery focused primarily on traditional German beer styles, including pilsner, weizen, amber ale, and dunkelweizen. Over time, however, it expanded its range to include more experimental and seasonal beers that showcase local ingredients. One of its best-known creations is Apple Hop, a fruit beer brewed with Shinshu apples. Because of the large quantity of fruit used, it is technically classified as happoshu rather than beer under Japanese tax law.
It launched Ogna as its new consumer-facing beer brand on 1st August 2022 while the company remained Minami Shinshu Beer Co., Ltd. The name “Ogna” is an anagram of Nagano prefecutre, (using the letters N, A, G, and O). The brewery says this reflects its commitment to continuing to brew beers that express the nature and local ingredients of Nagano. Ogna” also comes from Yamato Oguna, the childhood name of the legendary prince Yamato Takeru. Because stories about him are connected with the Minami Shinshu region, the brewery felt the name symbolised both local roots and a spirit of curiosity and adventure.
Minamishinshu Beer : Beer Reviews
The following are some of the beers we’ve had:
- Minamishinshu Amber Ale – a 5.5% amber ale that received the highest ever score at the Japan Beer Grand Prix.
- Minamishinshu Apple Hop – a 6.5% fruit beer that is technically a happoshu due to the high amount of Shinshu apples used and low malt content.
- Minamishinshu Dunkel Weizen – a 6% dunkelweizen, or dark wheat, beer that is brewed using a traditional German recipe that is best served at 10°c
- Minamishinshu Golden Ale – a 5% golden / blonde ale that has won two awards at the Japan Beer Grand Prix in 2000 and 2003.
- Minamishinshu Ki no Sato – a 4.5% golden / blonde ale that is similar to their Golden Ale but uses locally sourced water from the Southern Alps.
Minamishinshu Beer : Limited & Seasonal Lineup
The following are some of the limited and seasonal beers we’ve had:
- Minamishinshu Alps Weizen – a 4.5% German hefeweizen with a twist. On sale during July and August.
- Minamishinshu Blueberry Hop – a 6.5% fruit beer that is technically a happoshu due to the amount of blueberries and low malt content. On sale in spring.
- Minamishinshu Cask IPA – a 9% barrel-aged IPA fermented and aged in bourbon barrels previously used to mature whisky from Honbo Shuzo’s Mars Shinshu Distillery.
- Minamishinshu Cask Stout – A 9% imperial stout matured for almost two years (720 days) in wood casks that once contained a single malt whiskey from Hombo Shuzo Mars Shinshu.
- Minamishinshu Christmas Ale – a 7.5% English strong ale beer that is the strongest beer made by Minamishinshu Beer Company. On sale during November and December.
- Minamishinshu Hokentake Ale – A 5% golden ale first released in 2017 and named after Mount Hōken, at 2,931m high.
- Minamishinshu IPA – a 6% IPA that uses four times as many hops than their regular ale. On sale during March and April.
- Minamishinshu Komagatake Ale – a 6.5% version of the Golden Ale. On sale during May and June.
- Minamishinshu Oktoberfest – a 6% märzen style beer that is brewed to a traditional German recipe. On sale during September and October.
- Minamishinshu Porter – a 6% porter that is brewed to an English recipe. On sale during January and February.
- Minamishinshu Wonder Barley Akane – an 8.5% barleywine that is a collaborative beer with WoWoW TV network.
Minamishinshu Beer : Details
- Address : 〒399-4301 Nagano-ken, Kamiina-gun, Miyada-mura 4752-31
- Phone : 026-585-5777
- Homepage : https://ms-beer.co.jp/
- Online store : https://ogna-beer.com/
- Social Media : Instagram
