Local beer, SDGs, good impulse

Kashiwa Beer

Brand: Kashiwa Brewery

Price: 700 yen

Place of purchase: NewDays Kashiwa Station

Rating:

I'm always on the lookout for "jibiiru", local specialty beers. On my way through Kashiwa Station on the Joban line, I noticed the NewDays kiosk stocks local products. In the cooler is Kashiwa Brewery's lines of local beer and wine. The Kashiwa Beer low-malt beers are 5% alcohol. The brewers produce six varieties - koshihikari rice, peanuts, pear, ginger, coffee, and turnip. I went with number one, the koshihikari rice. It pours with a good head and a colour like lager. It's ricey, with sweet notes and a light body.

I'm happy to support local brewers, so I had to try this low-malt Kashiwa Brewery Koshihikari beer. It's a novelty flavour with sweet and tangy notes, and a light body. It's not cheap, but then again, it's a project meant to promote local produce and community engagement. The brewers used to run an izakaya before they took a crack at beer. They're motivated to promote the city's agricultural products and food waste reduction policies. Besides beer, they're producing wine, and even invite small batch products.