Hamaji Brewery (Suginoya)

Hamaji Brewery traces its origins back to the Edo period, when it operated as a major village headman overseeing the Itoshima Peninsula and brewed sake from surplus tax rice to serve guests. The brewery is also known by its brand name “Suginoya,” derived from a Noh stage built of cedar by its first head, Shinkuro Hamaji.

In addition to traditional sake, the brewery produces a wide variety of beverages: locally brewed craft beer (the first in Fukuoka Prefecture to receive a production license and a gold medal winner at international competitions), liqueurs made from locally grown Itoshima fruits, non-alcoholic amazake in flavors such as yuzu and matcha, and low-alcohol lightly sparkling sake.

Next door are a bakery and restaurant unique to a sake brewery (Suginoya Beer Workshop), which make use of beer yeast and sake lees. Guided by the founder’s philosophy—“never forget a playful spirit while devoting yourself to brewing”—the brewery continues to create sake with flexible, unconventional ideas.