Shiga Kogen Brewery & The Artistry of Barrel-Aged Beer

Outland Japan

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In Episode 06 of Snow Country Stories Japan, I had the privilege of visiting Shiga Kogen Brewery – one of the snow country’s most recognisable, popular and awarded breweries. Established in 2004 by the founder and master brewer, Sato Eigo, Shiga Kogen Brewery grew out of his family’s much older Tamamura Honten – a sake brewery dating back more than 200 years – with a vision to produce beers with character and that reflected the local area. Today it is known for its ales and IPAs, Shiga Kogen also produces an enticing range seasonal varieties and barrel-aged beers.

I was fortunate enough to arrange a chat with Todoroki Mai, a member of the Shiga Kogen Brewery team. Mai is great fun to spend time with and we discussed a lot including the beers they are producing with a particular focus on their celebrated barrel-aged series named ‘Yamabushi’.
The brewery takes its name from nearby Shiga Kogen Mountain Resort – Japan’s largest and highest ski resort. As such, you can’t talk the brewery without talking the ski resort, which I discuss in the introduction and recommend to anyone booking a ski or snowboard trip to Nagano. Shiga Kogen Brewery is located around 20 minutes drive for the lowest ski fields of the resort and operate a tap house called ‘Teppa Room’ in the central resort village of Ichinose, along with a second tap house called ‘The Farmhouse’ nearby the Jigokudani Monkey Park.

Outland Japan is a bi-weekly podcast hosted by Peter Carnell - a freelance tour guide based in northern Nagano – that transports you to rural, regional and the wilds of Japan in pursuit of stories that lie outside the neon hum of Tokyo and golden trimmings of Kyoto. Stories of travel, life and culture beyond the big cities. Follow the show on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Please note, prior to October 2024, Outland Japan was named Snow Country Stories Japan.