The Suijyou Building is located about a 5-minute walk from Toyohashi Station. Buildings with a nostalgic retro atmosphere are lined up.

Newly opened in this area is TOYS BREWERY, a craft beer specialty store. It is a rare craft beer store in Toyohashi! Let us introduce the reason for its opening and the appeal of craft beer.

From a different industry to the world of craft beer

Mr. Keita Ono, owner of "TOYS BREWERY" and owner of TOYOHASHI BREWING COMPANY LLC.

We asked Mr. Ono how he decided to open this restaurant.

– Why did you decide to open a craft beer shop?

Mr. Ono:“The Sujyou Building is an interesting area in Toyohashi. We wanted to use this location to transmit something exciting and fun. At first, we didn't have the idea of craft beer, but a few years ago, we thought that craft beer was something that was gaining momentum in local communities around the country. So we decided to give it a try.”

– It is true that the Suijyou Building is an interesting area in recent years, and there is a high degree of interest from inside and outside the city. New stores are opening all the time. So you thought about proposing “craft beer” to liven up the area.

Mr. Ono:“I myself have been in the coffee industry for a long time, running cafes and stores as a barista in Okazaki City. After about eight years, craft beer was gaining momentum in the Kanto region and I was really interested in it. At the same time, I also like wine and am a certified sommelier, so I trained at a French restaurant in Nagoya City.”

Ms. Ono:“A friend of mine in my hometown of Toyohashi asked me if I wanted to do craft beer. I was most excited when he approached me and asked me if I wanted to get involved in the craft beer business. I entered the craft beer industry a few years ago because it was a field I wanted to try and also because I wanted to return to my hometown and help boost the community. Then, after much training in craft beer, I opened TOYS BREWERY in February 202. ”

– Please tell us your thoughts on the name of the shop.

Mr. Ono:"TOYS in TOYS BREWERY is an abbreviation of 'TOYOHASHI'. It also means toy. Toyohashi is rich in nature, and as an agricultural powerhouse, the production value of agricultural products is top class in Japan. While making it, I hope that this place will become a regional hub with a toy-like excitement while proposing fun projects and interesting things together with farmers.”

– The logo looks like the emblem of Toyohashi!

Mr. Ono:"Yes. I imagined the tearing mark of Toyohashi's city emblem. I hope that this place will lead to more and more excitement in Toyohashi."

TOYS BREWERY's specialty craft beer

– Please tell us about your passion for craft beer.

Mr. Ono:"We currently have one original craft beer. It is a craft beer that is primarily an American Pale Ale. I think IPA is the most popular craft beer, but when I went to a brewery when I didn't know much about craft beer yet, I thought American Pale Ale was delicious.”

Mr. Ono:“IPA has bitterness and peculiarities, and although it is very tasty, I had the impression that it was a bit hard for beginners who had not yet tried craft beer. Since craft beer had not yet penetrated the market in Toyohashi, we thought that American Pale Ale, which is less bitter and specializes in drinkability and aroma, would be light and easy to drink.”

– It's certainly very easy to drink, and it's a taste that even women can go crazy with!

Mr. Ono:"Thank you very much. Women who haven't tried craft beer are very supportive, and I'm happy to hear that it's delicious! Right now, there is only one type, but in the future, there will be more types. We plan to increase the number. We would like to propose several types of standard craft beer and seasonal beer.”

- There are various sizes, so it's also attractive that you can enjoy it according to your mood at that time.

Mr. Ono:“There are a wide variety of glasses for wine, and each glass has a different aroma and taste. We thought that even craft beer could be enjoyed in a variety of glasses. We have developed two sizes: S size (240 ml, 500 yen) and M size (370 ml, 700 yen). We want our customers to enjoy our special beers in original glasses with our logo on them at the taproom counter inside the restaurant.”

- What's the water bottle on the left?

Ms. Ono:"This is a growler (water bottle) that we sell so that you can enjoy craft beer at home. We also sell it by weight (100ml, 200 yen), so we sell it with craft beer inside."

- The bottle looks good as a souvenir.

Mr. Ono: "The bottle (330ml, 660 yen) is also very popular. It would be nice to use it as a souvenir for summer home parties!"

Future prospects

- What is your outlook for the future?

Mr. Ono:"Currently, a commercial facility with a Toyohashi City library, the Machinaka Library (tentative), is under construction across from the store. A park will also be built, and I believe this area will become even more exciting as a place for citizens to gather. I would like to continue to make proposals to liven up Toyohashi from the waterfront building and make craft beer known to as many people as possible. I would also like to offer something like brewing experiences. ”

How about enjoying some delicious beer at a newly opened craft beer specialty store in the Suijyou Building, which has been attracting attention in recent years?

Photography / Miyu Maezawa (Suzuki Photo Studio Co., Ltd.)