The Sake Anatomy › Sake Brand Index › Houhai
No.102 · Brewery Profile
Houhai豊盃 · Miura Shuzo 三浦酒造
Miura Shuzo, a small family operation in Hirosaki, is the only brewery in Japan brewing with Houhai rice — a local variety developed by Aomori Prefecture and grown nowhere else. Underflow water from Mt. Iwaki, directly behind the kura, feeds a lineup that leans clean and refined rather than showy, with the brand’s name doing double duty: it honors both the rice and a Tsugaru folk song.
Who makes Houhai?
Miura Shuzo, a small family operation in Hirosaki, is the only brewery in Japan brewing with Houhai rice — a local variety developed by Aomori Prefecture and grown nowhere else. Founded in 1930, it draws underflow water from Mt. Iwaki, directly behind the kura.
What does Houhai taste like?
Tagged Elegant & Refined and Aromatic & Fruity, the range leans clean and refined rather than showy. The Junmai Ginjo Houhai-mai 55 is the signature expression showcasing the brewery’s exclusive Houhai rice; the Junmai Daiginjo Yamada-ho uses Yamada-ho, the parent variety of Yamada Nishiki, for the most aromatic profile (4/5); the Tokubetsu Junmai is the everyday-drinking tier, also built on in-house Houhai rice.
Which bottle should you try first?
Start with the Junmai Ginjo Houhai-mai 55, the signature expression that showcases the brewery’s exclusive Houhai rice.
How does Houhai compare to other Aomori breweries?
Houhai shares Aomori’s Elegant & Refined tag with prefecture-mate Momokawa, though its Aromatic & Fruity side sets it apart; Denshu stands furthest apart, tagged Rich & Umami instead.
Frequently asked questions
What makes Houhai rice unique?
It’s a local variety developed by Aomori Prefecture and grown nowhere else; Miura Shuzo is the only brewery in Japan that brews with it.
Where does Miura Shuzo get its brewing water?
Underflow water from Mt. Iwaki, directly behind the kura.
What does the name Houhai honor?
Both the exclusive Houhai rice variety and a Tsugaru folk song.
The bottles
Junmai Ginjo Houhai-mai 55純米吟醸 豊盃米
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Signature expression showcasing the brewery’s exclusive Houhai rice.”
Junmai Daiginjo Yamada-ho純米大吟醸 山田穂
薫酒 Kunshu · Fragrant“Made with Yamada-ho, the parent variety of Yamada Nishiki.”
Tokubetsu Junmai特別純米酒
醇酒 Junshu · Rich“Everyday-drinking tier using in-house Houhai rice.”
Reading the bars: an editorial flavor reading (0–5) of each bottle — Dry→Rich, Light→Full, Subtle→Aromatic, Low→High acidity — not laboratory values. The colored badge is the SSI four-type classification (薫酒 Kunshu · 爽酒 Soshu · 醇酒 Junshu · 熟酒 Jukushu). SMV and acidity appear only where the brewery publishes them.
Sources: houhai.co.jp · urbansake.com