Samples of beers are entered into the competition every year by the Japanese brewery Oirase, situated in Aomori Prefecture in the northern part of the largest Japanese island Honshu. The name of the brewery refers to the local mountain river Oirase, almost seventy kilometres long, which runs into the Pacific Ocean. The area surrounding the river is a much sought-after tourist destination especially in the autumn, when the beech forests around the river, with cascade waterfalls, are tinted with various colours.
Housing a beer restaurant, Oirase brewery is situated in a relaxation zone of the local nature park. The brewery’s name draws from spring water, which - in its local, pure and unadjusted variant - is used by the brewery for brewing beer, along with carefully selected malt and hop. The brewery works with production facilities made in the Czech Republic. The production process in the brewhouse can be observed through a glass wall by visitors to the beer restaurant, situated on the brewery’s premises. The robust and craft beer owes its delicious taste to water from the Oirase River and it is served in the restaurant with a wide variety of meals, not only of the local provenance, but also with steaks from the famous wagyu cattle, reared on Honshu; in Europe, wagyu ranks among the most expensive steak meat. The visitors to the restaurant can choose among Pilsner-type lager, dark lager, amber lager and also wheat beer. Although Mr Suzuki of the Oirase brewery registers its beers for the largest Czech degustation competition regularly, so far, the brewery has not been lucky enough to win.
