KONISHI BEER is produced by Konishi Brewing Company, a historic Japanese brewing business founded in 1550. Best known for its sake brand Hakuyuki, the company has a long tradition of sake production and also produces beer and distributes imported alcoholic beverages.
Konishi Brewing has deep roots in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture, a city that was once a major center of sake production in the Kansai region. The company is believed to have been established in the area around the period spanning the early Edo era, from the late 16th to the early 18th century, and is widely recognized for its long brewing heritage.
Konishi Brewing produces Hakuyuki, regarded as one of Japan’s oldest sake brands. Its venture into beer began in 1985, when Itami established an international sister-city relationship with Hasselt, Belgium.
At the time, beer in Japan was dominated by a single main style, pilsner, while Belgium was home to more than 1,000 varieties of beer. Inspired by this contrast, Konishi Brewing set out to create its own distinctive beer by combining Belgian brewing techniques with the knowledge and experience developed through centuries of Japanese sake-making.
One example of this innovative approach is JAPAN ALE, a beer developed using techniques adapted from traditional sake brewing. The company applies its expertise to various stages of the brewing process, including the use of a traditional wooden stirring paddle, known as a kai-bo, originally used when preparing sake. Adapted for stirring malt, this tool helps reduce the extraction of undesirable flavors.
By blending the craftsmanship of Japanese sake production with the diversity of Belgian beer culture, Konishi Brewing has developed a distinctive approach to beer-making. KONISHI BEER offers visitors an opportunity to discover a different side of Japan’s long brewing tradition in Itami, a city celebrated for its historic sake industry.