Loco Beer

Loco Beer (ロコビア, LOCOBEER) is a Japanese craft brewery based in Sakura, Chiba Prefecture, operating under the corporate name LOCOBEER Inc. (合同会社ロコビア). It was originally launched in 1998 by the liquor retailer Shimono Shuten (下野酒店), which already ran a brewery called Boso Beer (房総ビール). The second venture was conceived around the idea of 'beer made by a female brewer, for women,' and the task was given to Momoyo Kagiya, then an office employee at Shimono Shuten who managed cosmetics, accessories and branded-bag counters inside the retailer's Shimoaal (シモアール) store. In 2012 the brewery was restarted as an employee-owned company, and the current legal entity, LOCOBEER Inc., was established on 5 April 2012 with capital of 1,000 thousand yen. It obtained a happoshu (low-malt beer) brewing licence in September 2012 and a permanent happoshu brewing licence in March 2016. Loco Beer is described as one of the smallest breweries in Japan and is praised as 'brewing some of the most distinctive beer in Chiba Prefecture.' Its flagship beer, 'Sakura Kaori no Nama' (佐倉香りの生), is a Kölsch-style ale that has won awards at the World Beer Cup in three consecutive competitions. Other representative products include 'Sakura Steam' (a California Common) and 'Rye Saison' (ライ麦セゾン). The brewery also produces seasonal and collaboration beers, and its output is sold through its own webshop, at the brewery taproom in Yūkarigaoka, and through a network of partner bars and bottle shops across Japan. Since 2014 Loco Beer has supported the Pink Boots Society, an organisation promoting women in the brewing industry, by brewing special beers and donating the proceeds. Reported donations include 102,975 yen from 'Pink Boots Gose' (2017), 83,015 yen from Honey 'Sweet Heart' Ale (2018), and US$760 from Pink Boots Blend Milkshake IPA (2019). The brewery also holds regular anniversary and new-beer festivals at its Yūkarigaoka brewery, including a 25th anniversary event in 2023 and a 27.5-year anniversary event scheduled for November 2025. Loco Beer remains a privately held, employee-owned craft brewery focused on small-batch, characterful beers rooted in Chiba.

Loco Beer traces its origins to the liquor retailer Shimono Shuten (下野酒店), which had already established a brewery called Boso Beer (房総ビール). In 1998, Shimono Shuten launched a second brewery, Loco Beer, with the concept of 'beer made by a female brewer, for women.' At the time, Shimono Shuten employed two women; one of them, Momoyo Kagiya, had joined the company as an office worker and managed a sales corner for cosmetics, accessories and branded bags inside the retailer's Shimoaal (シモアール) store. She was invited to lead the new brewery. In its first year, Loco Beer did not carry out the mashing process itself; instead it purchased concentrated wort and fermented it into beer. The resulting beer received the lowest possible evaluation when sold at events. The brewery therefore decided to handle the entire process, including mashing, in-house, and received support from a Suntory team for equipment coordination and production guidance. In 2012 the brewery was restarted as an employee-owned operation. The current legal entity, LOCOBEER Inc. (合同会社ロコビア), was established on 5 April 2012 with capital of 1,000 thousand yen, and its business is the manufacture and sale of beer and happoshu (low-malt beer). It obtained a happoshu brewing licence in September 2012 and a permanent happoshu brewing licence in March 2016. The company is headquartered at 1193 Kamiza, Sakura, Chiba, and its brewery and taproom are located in Yūkarigaoka, about a seven-minute walk from Keisei Yūkarigaoka Station. Loco Beer is described as one of the smallest breweries in Japan and is praised as 'brewing some of the most distinctive beer in Chiba Prefecture.' Its flagship Kölsch-style beer, 'Sakura Kaori no Nama' (佐倉香りの生), has won awards at the World Beer Cup in three consecutive competitions. Other representative products include 'Sakura Steam' (a California Common) and 'Rye Saison' (ライ麦セゾン). Since 2014 Loco Beer has supported the Pink Boots Society, an organisation that promotes women in the brewing industry, by brewing special beers and donating the proceeds. Reported donations include 103,240 yen from Unite Red Ale (2016), 102,975 yen from Pink Boots Gose (2017), 83,015 yen from Honey 'Sweet Heart' Ale (2018), and US$760 from Pink Boots Blend Milkshake IPA (2019). The brewery also holds regular anniversary and new-beer festivals at its Yūkarigaoka brewery, including a 25th anniversary event in May 2023 and a 27.5-year anniversary event scheduled for November 2025.

• 2025

  27.5-year anniversary festival scheduled for 2 November 2025.

• 2023

  Held 25th anniversary festival on 20–21 May 2023.

• 2019

  Donated US$760 to Pink Boots Society from Pink Boots Blend Milkshake IPA.

• 2018

  Donated 83,015 yen to Pink Boots Society from Honey 'Sweet Heart' Ale.

• 2017

  Donated 102,975 yen to Pink Boots Society from Pink Boots Gose.

• 2016

  Obtained permanent happoshu brewing licence in March 2016.

• 2016

  Donated 103,240 yen to Pink Boots Society from Unite Red Ale.

• 2014

  Began supporting the Pink Boots Society with charity beers.

• 2012

  Restarted as an employee-owned brewery; LOCOBEER Inc. established on 5 April 2012.

• 2012

  Obtained happoshu (low-malt beer) brewing licence in September 2012.

• 1998

  Loco Beer launched by Shimono Shuten as a second brewery, with the concept of 'beer made by a female brewer, for women.'

Small-batch, characterful craft beer from Chiba; one of Japan's smallest breweries, with a female-brewer heritage and community/charity focus.

• 佐倉香りの生 (Sakura Kaori no Nama)

  Kölsch-style ale; flagship beer; awarded at the World Beer Cup in three consecutive competitions.

• 佐倉スチーム (Sakura Steam)

  California Common beer.

• ライ麦セゾン (Rye Saison)

  Saison beer brewed with rye.

• Pink Boots Gose

  Charity beer supporting Pink Boots Society; 102,975 yen donated in 2017.

• Honey 'Sweet Heart' Ale

  Charity beer supporting Pink Boots Society; 83,015 yen donated in 2018.

• Pink Boots Blend Milkshake IPA

  Charity beer supporting Pink Boots Society; US$760 donated in 2019.

• Unite Red Ale

  Charity beer supporting Pink Boots Society; 103,240 yen donated in 2016.

1. 1ロコビア--佐倉市のクラフトブルワリーlocobeer.jp
2. 2会社情報locobeer.jp
3. 3Loco Beer - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4ロコビア - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org