In 1994, the revision of the liquor tax act lowered the required minimum production amount of beer from 2 million liters to 60,000 liters annually; it gave rise to more than 350 craft breweries nationwide. Chairman Yasuharu Wada, despite having dreamt of producing beer for a long time, could not join the market at the time due to his need to concentrate on the enterprise he founded, Dover Ltd., which imports and produces liquors. Many of the craft beer brands launched were simply for promoting the local area, and combined with the lack of experienced brewers, the craft beer market became turbulent as many aimed to produce hit items with only catchy phrases, relying solely on individuality rather than quality. THE Karuizawa Beer wants to walk the noble straight path where praise and acceptance is from everyone.

Twenty years of history has passed for the Japanese craft beers. In the meantime, Dover Ltd. has stuck to the unchanging theme of “Pursuit of Tastiness”, philosophy of quality first, and whilst maintaining those principles, a decision was made to challenge the beer market where only evaluation by taste determines survival. In June 2013, the last of the craft breweries, Karuizawa Brewery, was founded together with the launch of “THE Karuizawa Beer” brand. Karuizawa, one of the few summer retreats in Japan, is perfect for brewing with the gift of cool waters running beneath Mount Asama. Now Wada’s dream is to brew only the perfect match for this place he loves dearly.