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March 23, 2022
11 years since 3.11. A craft beer named after the "single pine tree," a symbol of recovery | EAT
Ippon Matsu Ale
A "Beer of Hope" for Reconstruction After the Great East Japan Earthquake
As a social product to support disaster-stricken areas, the craft beer "Ippon Matsu Ale" was released on March 11, 2022, 11 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, by craft beer brewery Rikuzentakata Micro Brewery and its official ONLINE STORE.
Aiming to Restore Takata Matsubara
Eleven years ago, on that day, the city of Rikuzentakata and its 70,000 pine trees were swallowed by an unprecedented tsunami. Only one pine tree remained. This "miracle pine tree" became a major topic of conversation at the time as a symbol of recovery.
In 2012, a reconstruction charity project called "Ippon Matsu Beer" was launched, inspired by the miracle pine tree. A Japanese person living in New York, wanting to help the disaster-stricken areas, made craft beer himself. Through events offering this beer, including charity auctions of works by artists who supported the initiative, donations were collected from many attendees.
The events spread from New York to London and Tokyo, receiving support from people of many nationalities. A total of ¥2,071,477 was raised and donated to those supporting life in Rikuzentakata, local businesses, and an orphanage education fund.
This year, 11 years after the earthquake, to allow more people to participate in reconstruction charity "while enjoying beer," a new craft beer, "Ippon Matsu Ale," has emerged as a social product from the Ippon Matsu Beer project.
The recipe for Ippon Matsu Ale was developed by "Rikuzentakata Micro Brewery." This craft beer brewery was newly established in Rikuzentakata in 2020, after a decade of deepening exchanges and fostering relationships since the project's inception.
Its finish is truly a taste of hope. It's a limited-edition flavor for this year, featuring the grassy notes of IPA with its strong hop aroma and bitterness, complemented by the aroma and bitterness of pine, and a subtle hint of citrus. The aroma that fills your senses evokes the pine forests that once stood here.
With each purchase of Ippon Matsu Ale, 100 yen is donated to the "Takata Matsubara Preservation Society," an organization dedicated to activities such as planting pine saplings for the regeneration of Takata Matsubara.
Additionally, an original movie is available on YouTube. It links the passage of time, which has seen the Ippon Matsu Beer project evolve over 10 years and finally culminate in Ippon Matsu Ale at Rikuzentakata Micro Brewery, with the town's recovery journey since the earthquake. Be sure to check it out to remember the disaster.
The people in the disaster-stricken areas are continuously working to build new communities. While the painful memories will never fade, their progress will not stop. How can we engage with these areas? We hope that Ippon Matsu Ale will be loved by people around the world as a new way to connect with disaster recovery support and as an opportunity to become interested in present-day Rikuzentakata.
Ippon Matsu Ale
- Price | ¥1,650
- Category | Beer
- Ingredients | Malt (UK-produced), Hops, Carrageenan
- Contents | 500ml
- Alcohol Content | 5.5%
- *¥100 from each sale will be donated to the "Takata Matsubara Preservation Society."
