Shiga Kogen Brewery & The Artistry of Barrel-Aged Beer

Snow Country Stories Japan

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.

Snow Country Stories Japan is a bi-weekly podcast about life and travel in Japan's legendary 'yukiguni'. For more information about the show and your host, visit our website - www.snowcountrystories.com - and make sure to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and follow us on Instagram and Facebook.