Japanese Beer Wins Gold at World Beer Cup for Hoppy Aroma, Hazy Look

By Masato Kawai / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

16:05 JST, October 5, 2025

KOFU — Craft beer brand Uchu Brewing, which does its brewing in the city of Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, has won the World Beer Cup’s top award for the best juicy or hazy pale ale. The cup is the world’s largest beer competition and is held in the United States.

The winning beer features a fruity flavor and stylish label. It was created by two people who moved from Kochi Prefecture and studied brewing on their own, and who used “uchu,” meaning “space,” as their watchword.

At the competition, thousands of beers entered from around the world are judged by category, and gold, silver and bronze awards are presented. This year’s award ceremony was held in Indiana in May, and Uchu Brewing’s flagship product, Uchu Relax, won gold for its hoppy aroma and hazy look.

The brewery’s founders, Masahiro Kusunose and Rumiko Suzuki, met through design work in Kochi Prefecture and moved to Hokuto about 15 years ago. Believing that “all activity on earth, from humans to microorganisms, is an expression of the cosmos,” they called themselves “space farmers” and began cultivating food without pesticides. They also worked on fermented foods like miso and koji rice mold.

The turning point came in 2016 when the pair visited Portland, Ore. At a local brewpub, they tasted American beers with hoppy aromas and varying levels of alcohol, and they were shocked by the rich flavors. They resolved to create their own beers to rival those from the United States.

After returning to Japan, they began growing hops and discovered that Hokuto was once a major area for the crop. Suzuki felt it was fate and fully immersed herself in brewing.

In 2017, Kusunose and Suzuki built a brewery and set up Uchu Co. They began full-scale production, importing high-quality hops from the United States and elsewhere.

Initially, they only sold their beers online, not at the brewery. However, they grabbed attention with their unique, cocktail-like flavors cooked up by Kusunose and their labels designed by Suzuki. Orders surged, primarily from Tokyo and surrounding areas. In 2021, they opened a flagship store in Hokuto’s Kobuchisawa district, and they opened another shop this spring in Tokyo’s Toranomon district. They now produce about 150 varieties of beer each year, and about 1 million cans.

“I want to create a one-of-a-kind beer that surprises people with its fruity taste,” said an enthusiastic Kusunose.

“In the age of social media, design is crucial, and so is building a fan base,” noted Suzuki. Some of the company’s labels feature fantastic colors on a black background, and the beers have such distinctive names as “Ukiyoe” and “Ronin.”

Kusunose and Suzuki have donated to medical efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and to help areas recover from the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, as they look to be a socially minded business. “Our beer was created as an expression of the cosmos, and we want more people to experience joy and surprise at how good it tastes,” Kusunose said.