Special ‘Airport Beer’ Brewed in Western Japan; Limited 3,000 Bottles Sell Out Quickly at Nanki-Shirahama Airport

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:00 JST, April 21, 2024

Nearly 3,000 bottles of special “airport beer” brewed with local hops including those grown on the grounds of Nanki-Shirahama Airport in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, were sold at the airport and the online store of local beer brewery Nagisa Beer in March.

The annual airport beer project was carried out for the third time by the airport operator Nanki-Shirahama Airport, Inc. and other entities to revitalize the region. This year’s beer was named “Golden Dragon,” and the label design, chosen from work submitted by the public, featured a golden dragon swimming in a sea of beer.

An unveiling ceremony was held in the airport lobby on March 17, and about 30 locals tasted the beer, which had been bottled just three days earlier. It was said to have a rich aroma and refreshing taste. Reina Ito, a 31-year-old part-time worker from Shirahama, tasted the beer and said, “”It’s fruity and has little bitterness, so even people who don’t usually drink beer can enjoy it.”

A total of 2,853 bottles of the 330-milliliter beer, priced at ¥400, sold out quickly. Shinichiro Okada, president of the airport operating company, said enthusiastically: “Growing hops in different places has brought the local community closer together. We hope to establish this as a Shirahama specialty.”