Background
Iwate Kura Beer is a Japanese craft beer brand produced by Sekinoichi Shuzo, a sake brewery with over a century of history in Ichinoseki, Iwate Prefecture. Established in 1996, Iwate Kura Beer emerged following the legalization of microbreweries in Japan, with the backing of five regional companies. This cooperative approach reflects a commitment to regional revitalization and community collaboration.
The brewery’s philosophy emphasizes traditional brewing methods, including room-temperature fermentation and the avoidance of pasteurization and filtration. This approach preserves the natural flavors and characteristics of the ingredients. Notably, Iwate Kura Beer incorporates local elements into its brews, such as using oyster shells from Hirota Bay in its Oyster Stout, highlighting the brewery’s dedication to regional authenticity. Custom-made beer orders are also accepted, and organic beer brewing is also popular.
Beer Reviews
The following are some of the beers we’ve had:
- Iwate Kura Black Beer – An oyster stout beer brewed using the shells from locally sourced oysters.
- Iwate Kura Indian Pale Ale – Brewed from an old English recipe that is made up of four different hops.
- Iwate Kura Kin Kura Pilsner – a 5% pilsner that is sold in cans across Japan.
- Iwate Kura Pale Ale – An English style pale ale that won silver in the IBC in 2007.
- Iwate Kura Passion Ale – Brewed using fresh passion fruits in the mash.
- Iwate Kura Red Ale – An amber ale that is stepped with caramel tones.
- Iwate Kura Stout – A stout brewed using an original recipe from Iwate Kura. Sometimes sold as Kuro Kura.
- Iwate Kura Weizen – Based on a South-German recipe, this was the first Japanese craft beer to win a gold medal at the Monde Selection Awards in 1998.
Limited & Seasonal Line-up
The following are some of the limited and seasonal beers we’ve had from Iwate Kure Beer:
- Iwate Kura Arigatou Pale Ale – a 4% American pale ale and was first released in February 2016 as part of their limited edition range.
- Iwate Kura Bakusui Lager – An 8.5% Imperial lager brewed as a collaboration between five Tohoku breweries.
- Iwate Kura Bravo! Masaji R-IPA – Sekinoichi Shuzo’s contribution to the annual Masaji Beer Project.
- Iwate Kura Chocolate Stout – Brewed for Valentine’s day, this beer is brewed from roasted malt with cocoa added during the mash.
- Iwate Kura Fukukou Ale – a 5% sour ale with collected from the Ishikura cherry tree, a natural treasure of 360 years old.
- Iwate Kura Japanese Herb Ale Sansho – Brewed using traditional Japanese herbs in spring, this is a fruit beer that packs punch.
- Iwate Kura Nagisa – a 5% wild ale where brewers harvested yeast from the Hamayuri lily flower, better known as Liliaceae.
- Iwate Kura Organic Beer – a 5% hefeweizen with yeast naturally collected from dried persimmon.
- Iwate Kura Pink Typhoon – a 6% IPA brewed using dried cherry blossoms from the Iwate region.
- Iwate Kura Pumpkin Ale – a 5% spiced beer that originally made using imported American pumpkins; however, since 2016, Iwate Kura have been using kabocha, which is often translated into Japanese pumpkin.
- Iwate Kura Summer Blond – A blonder lager that is brewed for the summer months.
- Iwate Kura Sweet Caramel Ale – Brewed for White Day, this beer is for men trying to give the reciprocal gift to a special craft beer drinking partner.
- Iwate Kura Weizen Bock – Brewed with 1.5 times the regular amount of malt for those cold winter months, this beer use Munich malt to ensure its German heritage.
- Iwate Kura Yoitsugi – an 8% India Pale Ale that is part of their collaboration series, this time with Rebirth Project.
Details
- Address : 5 Tamuracho, Ichinoseki, Iwate 021-0885
- Phone : 0191-21-1144
- Homepage : https://sekinoichi.co.jp/beer/
- Online store : https://www.sekinoichi.com/
- Social Media : Facebook
