Tachihi Brewery

Inheriting Craftsmanship and Pursuing Authentic Taste

You can see a craft beer brewery that is pursuing to brew real authentic beer. The brewery is in a place next to Lalaporte Tachikawatachihi, a 10-minute walk from Tama Monorail Tachikawatachihi station. Let’s talk to Mr. Shimizu, the manager of the brewery to find out the authentic beer produced from Tachikawa.

Here is the brewery, one of the licensed beer breweries in Tokyo. Let’s go inside.

What a lovely store! The store attached to the factory is so stylish. You can buy bottles of beer there. You can also drink six kinds of beers that are always on tap. You see beer tanks behind a large glass window?

Mr. Hideaki Shimizu, the manager of the brewery, showed us the inside of the factory. He has brewed beer for a long time and has won many awards. Each shining silver beer tank holds 1,600 liters per batch.

A fresh glass of Pale Ale, just poured from the tank, was super delicious!
It is characterized by the cloudiness that only unfiltered, unpasteurized beer can produce, and the fine, beautiful bubbles that result from natural foaming.

From the left: “Smoke,” made from special molt with a smoky taste. “Pilsner,” a bohemian style beer from Czech. “Pale Ale,” an elegant and fruity tasting beer. “Weizen,”a traditional German beer, is made from 50% of wheat and malt. “Belgian White,” beer using orange peel and coriander. “Golden Ale,” a very popular for its refreshing taste. All are sold at the price of 660 yen/330ml.

The brewery, a subsidiary of Tachihi Holdings, opened in December 2021. Mr. Shimizu became a leader of the brewery. He was born and raised in Tachikawa and has been building his career as a brewer for more than 30 years.
The brewery has inherited the spirit of the craftsmanship from Tachikawa Aircraft Company and aimed for making a very tasty and high-quality beer. The beer is made from malt, hop, water and yeast only. The method of brewing beer is similar to the “Shosa” or behavior of the tea ceremony. Both have a fixed form to produce a piece of work. It seems that you do the same thing over and over again. However, it is never the same. The yeast is very sensitive and is affected by the change of season and air pressure. To deal with it, we are required to have not only the knowledge of chemistry and brewing techniques, but also a sense of the art of using all five senses to create.
The beer that Mr. Shimizu and his company brews has received acclaim inside and outside of Japan and has won several awards. “I want to spread Tachikawa beer and produce more new beer. And I want to raise my successor”, said Mr. Shimizu.

※The content of the article is as of the time of publication. (Posted in February 2023)