Enjoy sake tasting and drinking at local bars in Hirosaki City! Introducing sake breweries and liquor stores that preserve Hirosaki's sake culture [Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture]

As of the end of September 2026, there are five sake breweries in Hirosaki City, and some of them offer tastings of their own brands at their direct sales outlets

Furthermore, some liquor stores in the city have clean, stylish, and pleasant standing-bar spaces where even women can enjoy drinking alone

This article is a field report detailing a sake tasting at a brewery in Hirosaki City and an experience of drinking sake at a liquor store

Please note that the prices mentioned in this article are inclusive of tax as of September 2026

Rokka Sake Brewery Direct Sales Store (Kawazoe, Miyaji, Hirosaki City)

The history began in 1719 (Kyoho 4) with the founding of "Takashimaya Sake Brewery," and in 1972 (Showa 47), "Rokka Sake Brewery" was born through a merger with "Shiroume Sake Brewery" and "Kawamura Sake Brewery" in the city

According to what I heard at the direct sales store, they had been brewing sake in a different location within the city until 2022 (Reiwa 4), but moved to this location because the facilities had become dilapidated and the surrounding area had become unsuitable for sake brewing due to the increase in factories

Furthermore, while they previously brewed mainly honjozo sake on a large site, they have now reduced their production volume and changed their policy to focus on junmai sake

The current flagship brand is the fruity and mellow "Torai," and the dry "Joppari," a popular brand from the Takashimaya Brewery era, has also been revived

Free and unlimited tastings!

The direct sales store has a server where you can sample six of our company's own brands for free, allowing you to pour your own and enjoy comparing them while you tasting

The fact that it's essentially "all-you-can-drink" is a nice bonus, but be sure to enjoy it in moderation and not drink too much. By the way, since I was the designated driver, I couldn't sample the drinks and had to watch enviously as my companions happily enjoyed them

Monitors displaying the inside of the factory are mounted on the walls of the direct sales store, allowing customers to enjoy tasting sake while watching the brewing process

In addition to the servers, samples of various brands are also available for tasting in the refrigerators at the direct sales store, and you can sample them if you ask a staff member

My companion was also allowed to sample all the types of sake on the server, as well as the Junmai Daiginjo from "Torai," and purchased two bottles: Junmai Daiginjo "Unfiltered Unpasteurized Sake" (720ml: 2,970 yen) and Special Junmai Sake "Hyoon Nama (Rabbit Label)" (720ml: 1,705 yen)

As these two bottles are still unopened at the time of writing this article, I will share my tasting report at a later date

Hirosaki Meijo Hummingbird Liquor Store (3-chome, Tomita, Hirosaki City)

This is a liquor store run by Hirosaki Meijo, which was founded in 1932 (Showa 7)

In addition to Hirosaki Meijo's own brands, they also stock local sake from all over Japan, both within and outside Aomori Prefecture, and their selection of cider, in particular, is said to be the best in Aomori Prefecture

The shop has a spacious and clean standing bar area where you can bring in local sake and snacks you've purchased and enjoy them there

The standing bar area is basically for standing customers, but there are also counter tables where you can sit and drink while looking out at the scenery, and terrace seats where you can sit with your dog, creating an atmosphere where women can come alone and enjoy drinking

In addition, to allow customers to enjoy drinking at the bar even without purchasing alcohol, a monthly changing tasting menu is available, and local sake is also sold by the glass for tasting

Enjoy a monthly changing tasting menu in the standing bar area

Paid tastings were available for 135 yen for 30ml of any brand, and in addition, three types of cider from "Hirosaki Shield Studio Kimori" were available for tasting

I walked to Hummingbird Sake Shop after checking into my hotel. I decided to fully enjoy the local sake, so I bought two dried snacks from the shop to go with it, ordered the September three-sake tasting set, and began my tasting on the terrace, which is perfect for this time of year

The selections for September were all three brands from breweries within Hirosaki City

• Rokkon: Junmai Ginjo "Koto no Yoimiya" (Evening Festival of the Ancient Capital) - Matsumidori Brewery
• Hana Ippu: Junmai Hiyaoroshi (unpasteurized sake) - Tamada Sake Brewery
• Shirakami: Yamahai Junmai "Autumn Dashi Ichiban Genshu" - Shirakami Brewery

Rokkon Junmai Ginjo has a slightly sweet taste with a hint of acidity and a strong, rich umami flavor. Hana Ippu, despite being a "Junmai Hiyaoroshi," has a noticeable ginjo aroma, a strong umami flavor, and a slightly tangy acidity. Shirakami is a dry sake with a mature feel and a rich flavor from the Yamahai brewing method

Hirosaki Castle Junmai Sake (300ml: 880 yen)

I wanted to buy some sake from Hirosaki Meijo as a souvenir, so I asked the store manager, and he recommended Hirosaki Castle's Junmai and Junmai Nigori, so I bought the Junmai sake. It's light yet rich and has a smooth finish, making it a sake that would go well with any dish

While looking at the label on this "Hirosaki Castle" junmai sake bottle at home, I noticed that the manufacturer is "Shirakami Shuzo" ​​and the distributor is "Hirosaki Meijo."

Upon investigation, it was found that Hirosaki Meijo ceased sake production in 1985, and that they now outsource the production of their own brands, such as "Hirosaki Castle," to other breweries within Hirosaki City

Kato Liquor Store (1-chome, Nishishigemori, Hirosaki City)

This liquor store has a calm and tranquil atmosphere, located at the entrance to "Zenrin-gai," a street in Hirosaki City lined with Soto Zen temples

The shop, filled with the scent of wood, offers over 200 brands of sake from Aomori Prefecture and beyond, as well as a wide selection of craft beers

At the back of the shop, there is a spacious and bright interior space of about 15 tsubo (50 square meters) with a stylish counter bar where you can enjoy drinking on the premises

After us, a woman came in alone and enjoyed drinking at the counter, and she blended in so naturally that it felt like a cafe

The shop has a "drink-by-drink server" where you can compare different sakes for 400 yen per 180ml serving. You can enjoy it in the standing bar area, or take it home and drink it at your leisure—there are many ways to enjoy it

3-brand tasting set (800 yen)

I enjoyed a "3-brand tasting set" at the standing bar area

The set provided that day consisted of the following three brands of local sake from Aomori Prefecture

• Houhai: Junmai Ginjo "Houhai Rice" - Miura Brewery (Hirosaki City)
• Kikunoi: Junmai Ginjo "Tsugaru no Gin" - Narumi Brewery (Kuroishi City)
• Mutsu Otoko-yama: (Name unknown) - Hachinohe Shuzo (Hachinohe City)

As the driver, I only got to smell them, but my companion, who did a taste test, said that Houhai had a ginjo aroma with the umami of rice and a crisp acidity that spread in the mouth, Kikunoi had an aroma like that of aged sake with a good mouthfeel and smooth finish, and Mutsu Otokoyama also had an aroma of aged sake, with a strong sense of light bitterness and the sweetness of rice

Rokkon Special Junmai (720ml: 1,760 yen)

As a souvenir for myself since I couldn't enjoy drinking at the brewery, I bought a special junmai sake called "Rokkon" from Matsumidori Shuzo, one of the local sake breweries in Hirosaki

It has a smooth mouthfeel, the delicious flavor of rice expands in your mouth, and with a relatively low alcohol content of 14%, it's easy to drink and highly recommended as a drink to enjoy with meals

Miura Brewery (5-chome, Ishiwata, Hirosaki City)

There is another sake brewery in Hirosaki City where you can sample their sake. It is Miura Brewery, known for its favorite brand, "Houhai." The
direct sales store, which was renovated in 2020, has a space equipped with a paid tasting server. I wasn't able to visit this time, but I would like to go there next time and share my tasting experience.

Tohoku Rokken Trivia Media NEFT

"Toyosakabe" is a regular gold medal winner at tea tastings. Learn more about its relationship with "Hohaibushi" and even its direct sales outlet! [Aomori Prefecture]

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/17790

Aomori Prefecture boasts many delicious sakes, but are you familiar with "Houhai," one of Hirosaki City's renowned sakes? Houhai has won numerous gold medals at sake competitions. In 2022, "Houhai Junmai Daiginjo Rainbow" received an Excellence Award in the Junmai Sake category at a sake tasting competition. At Miura Brewery, which is both the brewery and its direct sales outlet, you can sample delicious Houhai for a fee. This article will provide a detailed explanation of the renowned sake "Houhai" and the Miura Brewery direct sales outlet where you can sample it. What is Houhai? It is a sake brewed at Miura Brewery in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. Houhai is pronounced "Houhai"...

summary

It is said that there are few standing bars in Hirosaki, but the two liquor stores introduced in this article each have a standing bar space with a nice atmosphere

Furthermore, while the number of sake breweries in Japan has decreased and many have been noted for becoming smaller in scale, these five breweries have stopped mass production and shifted their focus to small-scale production of junmai and ginjo sake, brewing high-quality sake

DaiwaConsilio

I'm a former Edoite (Tokyoite) who loves Morioka and the six prefectures of Tohoku, and I'm a big fan of history, gourmet food, travel, sports, alcohol, and choral singing.
I'll introduce you to interesting things, delicious food, and great places in Tohoku!