Background
Dogo Beer is a brewery located in the Dōgo Onsen area of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture. The brewery first started out in August 1996, and like many other breweries around the time, Dogo Beer started out as an off-shoot from a sake distillery, Minakuchi Shuzo. Minakuchi Shuzō was founded in 1895 during the Meiji era, making it a longstanding sake brewery in the Dōgo area.
The first facilities to serve the new beer included a restaurant (“Nikitatsuan”) established in October 1996, and a beer hall (“Dogo Biru Kan”) which opened in November 1996 in front of Dōgo Onsen. Dogo Beer was conceived as a beer to enjoy after bathing in the Dōgo Onsen. One of its distinguishing features is a somewhat stronger carbonation (“stronger bubbles”) to give a refreshing mouthfeel, suited to the relaxed state after an onsen soak.
The brewery also draws on local identity: some beer names refer to characters or themes from the famous novel Botchan by Natsume Sōseki, which is set in Matsuyama. Over the years, Dogo Beer expanded its lineup to include several styles such as Kölsch, Altbier, Stout, and Hefeweizen, often with names like Botchan, Madonna, Sōseki, Nobosan tied to local cultural figures.
Beer Reviews
The following are some of the beers we’ve had:
- Dogo Botchan – a 5% kölsch that uses the same water that goes into the sake produced at Minakuchi Shuzo.
- Dogo Madonna – a 5% alt that uses a traditional alt recipe from Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Dogo Nobosan – a 5% hefeweizen that is brewed to a south German recipe.
- Dogo Soseki – a 5% stout that uses imported malts from the UK and is brewed to an Irish recipe.
Articles
The following are some of the articles we’ve done:
Details
- Address : Dogokitacho 3-23, Matsuyama-shi, Ehime-ken, Matsuyama, Japan 790-0848
- Phone : 089-924-6616
- Homepage : https://minakuchi-shuzo.jp/
- Online store : https://minakuchi-shuzo.jp/collections/beer
- Social Media : Facebook / Instagram
