Okinawan craft beer Cliff Garo Brewing

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

According to Alwayslovebeer.com, a website dedicated to beer, there are more than 950 craft beer breweries in Japan. Among them, 23 can be found in Okinawa.

Each of them offers unique beers packed with ingenuity to translate the island’s semi-tropical mood into the taste. Cliff Garo Brewing is one of the breweries dedicated to “Okinawan” craft beers. Located in the bayside area of Okinawa City, near the Max Value Awase supermarket, this place functions as an eatery as well as a brewery.

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

“We brew beer in the other room. Using local materials such as fruits and herbs is important to me,” said owner and head brewer Cliff Miyagi, who has been brewing craft beer in Okinawa for seven years. “We also serve up food that goes well with beer.”

From its dining room, which serves fish and chips and other pub-style food to include Italian dishes, customers can see a 500-liter tank in the brewing room where eight brands of beer are brewed with local produce such as tangerine, pineapple, roasted green tea, herbs, etc. Miyagi said he networks with farmers and has tested 50 recipes to expand his repertoire.

During a recent visit to Cliff Garo Brewing, I tried Kammy Tlyer, Paina Polka, and Even Hopper.

Kammy Tyler (781 yen, approximately $5) surprised me the most with its restrained sweetness and some spiciness that comes from Okinawa’s kabuchii tangerine and coriander. Paina Polka (858 yen) and Even Hopper (924 yen), on the other hand, tasted very fruity and hoppy, which I liked a lot.

Miyagi said brewing craft beer is not very difficult, except for controlling the temperature because enzymes are living creatures.

“I pay attention to avoid my beer being exposed to the air and oxidizing,” said the head brewer. “Putting supplementary materials into beer like I do can risks oxidation.”

Miyagi, who said his brewery produces 2,000 liters of beer a month on a tight schedule, is pleased beer attracts many customers, including Americans.

“Trying my beer is an interesting experience for them, I think,” he said.

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

A taste of Europe

Before opening a brewery in Okinawa, Miyagi lived with his wife and child in the UK and Wales, working as an artist.

“My life in London and Wales inspires my imagination,” he said, explaining that his career as an artist is still alive in some ways in his beer.

During his life in the UK, he said he discovered “Real Ale,” which inspired him to brew beer later in Okinawa.

“Real Ale is a type of beer that is consumed at room temperature,” he explained. “It is matured in a cask for fermentation just like wine. You cannot add carbon dioxide.

“Real Ale became unpopular at one point because young folk preferred cold beer with a lot of carbon dioxide,” he continued. “During my days in the UK, a movement began to preserve the traditional beer culture. It’s a bit like Okinawa’s awamori.”

As he visited pubs that served Real Ale, Miyagi noticed what small breweries could achieve.

At this moment, Cliff Garo Brewing doesn’t offer Real Ale due to the difficulty of drinking beer without cooling it on the sub-tropical island, but British beer still plays a big part at the brewery.

“British beer has a rich taste of malt,” Miyagi said. “It is not as fancy as American beer, but it tastes ‘grounded’, which I like a lot.”

Stories behind the beer

One thing that sets Cliff Garo Brewing apart from other craft beer shops is that each brand of beer is the product of Miyagi’s life experiences and imagination. Each bottle is labeled with a character hand-drawn by Miyagi.

For example, on the label of Kammy Tlyer, there is a drawing of an old lady, an homage to Kamii Taiira, a deceased friend of Miyagi’s. Even Hopper, a beer with a rich scent of hops, comes with a drawing of a birdwatcher with a binocular in his hands.

Miyagi told me he enjoys sharing stories behind his beer with his customers.

“I speak English, so I want them to feel free to ask me questions,” he said, noting that he has English menus for foreigners.

So, hop over to Cliff Garo Brewing and discover the world of Okinawan craft beer.

Cliff Garo Brewing

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)

(Photo by Shoji Kudaka/Stripes Okinawa)