The Brief

Yuzu, matcha, shiso — you’ve likely had them at a Japanese restaurant. But how about in a beer?

A handful of independent breweries here in Los Angeles are pushing creative boundaries, blending European beer-making methods with Japanese ingredients, resulting in some truly remarkable creations.

Like a tart matcha wheat beer crafted by a medical researcher with a Ph.D. Or a Belgian-style tripel brewed with sake yeast in a Covina business park. It all fits right in with the region's emphasis on embracing new and cutting-edge beer styles.

It's notable that the experimentation with Japanese ingredients is happening here, not Japan. That's because the Japanese craft beer scene, while burgeoning, is still small compared with its U.S. counterpart. (It’s only been in existence for about 30 years, after a change in local microbrewing laws). So it's still got a fair way to go to catch up.

Here are some of the SoCal breweries marching to their own, Japanese-inspired drums.

n/Soto and Cellador Ales

Alex Ourieff, owner of Cellador Ales in Torrance, specializes in farmhouse ales, a brewing method traditionally used by European farmers.

Today, that style means using ingredients sourced from local farmers, fermented inside wine barrels with a blend of yeasts and bacteria to create distinct flavors. Ourieff’s beers tend to be more sour, but they also have floral and fruit-forward notes, which add depth and make each batch always enjoyable.

After forming a relationship with n/soto, a casual upscale Japanese restaurant located in West Adams, Ourieff and n/soto general manager Mark Nechols decided to collaborate on a beer.

The vision was to create something that would complement the restaurant’s izakaya-style menu, a Japanese version of bar bites, which features everything from grilled skewers to crispy tempura.

n/soto x Cellador Tart Wheat Ale only available at n/soto in West Adams.

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Courtesy n/soto

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A shiso leaf grown at Yasutomi Farms in Pico Rivera, used for the n/Soto x Cellador Tart Wheat Ale collaboration.

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Courtesy Cellador Ales

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The beer, n/soto x Cellador Tart Wheat Ale, uses one of Cellador Ales' Belgian-style witbiers (a wheat beer) as its foundation, known for its creamy mouthfeel and golden appearance due to its unfiltered brewing process.

It's then combined with yuzu, the Asian citrus fruit; sansho, a green peppercorn known for its subtle numbing heat; shiso, an aromatic herb that’s part of the mint family, locally grown at Yasutomi Farms in Pico Rivera; and ginger, sourced from Her Produce in Fresno.

Finally, the beer is naturally carbonated with local honey.

Nechols says he wanted to challenge the stereotype that traditional Japanese beers are pale, crisp, and easy to drink, like those offered by Sapporo, Kirin Ichiban, and Asahi. (Those are not sold at n/soto by the way.)

Alex Ourieff, owner of Cellador Brewery in Torrance, where he creates his barrel tart farmhouse ales.

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Courtesy Cellador Brewery

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“ I think we made a beer that has good drinkability using only local products, and that’s along the lines of what I was thinking with this collaboration,” Nichols said.

When I tried the beer recently, it was tart and slightly funky, underscored by subtle herbaceous flavors. The added ingredients complemented the light, wheat-based style of beer that I already enjoy, and its subtlety made sense in a Japanese restaurant.

The beer is currently available only at the West Adams restaurant, with plans to keep it in rotation for the foreseeable future.

Ikasu brewing

Located inside the Native Son tap room in downtown Los Angeles, you can find Ikasu Brewing, and owner Masahiro Kitano, who goes by Masa. Kitano has the look of a mad scientist, with messy hair and wild eyes behind his glasses, perhaps because that's not too far from the truth.

After earning his Ph.D. in medical science from Osaka University in Japan, he came to Los Angeles to begin a post-doc fellowship, initially at Cal Tech and later at USC, studying cancer biology.

Masahiro Kitano, the owner of Ikasu Brewing, who goes by Masa, holds up a taster of one of his recent craft beer creations.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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During that time, a fellow post-doc introduced him to the concept of home brewing. He started experimenting and eventually joined the local homebrew organization SoCal Cerveceros, where he began entering his creations in contests — and winning.

That’s when he got the idea to start Ikasu, a name that’s slang for something that’s cool and in the moment, aimed at creating one-of-a-kind beers that showcased Japanese ingredients.

“There are so many unique Japanese ingredients that never show up in beer, and I wanted to experiment with that,” Kitano said.

For his first, now flagship beer, called LArigato (‘arigato’ means thank you in Japanese), he wanted to produce a rice lager, the most common type of beer found in Japanese brewing, which uses rice instead of malt barley.

For his creation, he bought Japanese rice grown in California and ground it into a rice powder to create what he felt was a fuller-bodied flavor and softer mouth feel.

He also made a variety of other malt-based beers, like Goma Me (‘goma’ means sesame in Japanese), a dark, porter-style beer made with black sesame seeds. It combines roasted flavors with a hint of umami, similar to the taste of black sesame seed ice cream.

“ Usually, umami is an off flavor in beer, but if it's intentional, it gives a different story,” Kitano said.

Those roasted umami flavors really came through when I tried it, complementing the creamy texture of this beer style, making it a great alternative for when you get sick of drinking Guinness.

His most experimental beer is the Matcha Tart, inspired by the sour German tart wheat beer known as a gose, which is renowned for its unique blend of salty, sour and refreshing flavors.

Kitano himself describes the addition of matcha as a “super weird combination,” and it certainly was that.

I could taste the notes of matcha’s earthy flavors, along with a savory umami undertone and just a hint of tartness. I’m personally not a big matcha drinker (I prefer coffee), so it’s not something I would order regularly. Still, I appreciated the lengths Kitano is willing to go to create something completely original.

Finally, I also sampled the Yuzuko Show, a saison, a Belgian-style farmhouse ale. Kitano makes it with a fermented mixture of chili pepper, yuzu peels and salt. I could definitely taste the black pepper and citrus; I suggested to him it could be a a perfect base for a michelada.

Kitano now has six beers on rotation at Native Son, as well as kegs at a few select locations around L.A.

Nova Brewing Company

Way east of Los Angeles, in Covina, is Nova Brewing Company, a small three-person operation. It’s led by James Jin, who is the head brewer and co-owns the brewery with his wife, Emiko.

Jin, who is Korean-American, grew up in Southern California and attended UCLA, where he studied Japanese. After graduating, he participated in an exchange program in Japan and traveled back several times, teaching English. He then moved to Thailand for four years before running out of money and returning home.

He took a job at Mutual Trading, a Japanese importing business, where he met Emiko, who is Japanese, while they were both taking a sake sommelier course.

Growing up, Jin said he’d always had a strong interest in both Japanese culture and craft beer. In 2019, he completed two apprenticeships at prominent breweries in Japan, Inaba Brewery and Kiuchi Brewery, which produce both craft beer and sake. There, Jin learned the ins and outs of brewing both.

James Jin and his wife, Emiko, owners of Nova Brewing Company.

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Courtesy Nova Brewing Company

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“I’m serious about sake, but I love being playful with beer,” Jin said.

Later that year, he and Emiko took over an older brewery space in Covina and began making their own beverages. They now have seven craft beers and five sakes, with Emiko overseeing the financials.

Jin focuses on creating a product that’s as natural as possible, even down to the water, which goes through a two-part filtration system before it gets added to his beer and sake.

While many craft beers today are heavy on hops, Jin prefers to go in a different direction, playing with the level of malt for a smoother flavor profile and using hops sparingly to include only a hint of bitterness.

The current lineup of the craft beers at Nova Brewing Company.

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Gab Chabrán

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LAist

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Jin’s two signature beers, part of his Ginjo 7 series, are two blonde ales, both brewed with sake yeast. The white label blonde is light and crisp due to the addition of steamed rice, while the blue label contains wheat and oats, giving it a creamier mouthfeel. Both had floral notes from the sake and went down easily.

Another beer, the Oolong Island, features roasted oolong and yellow peach, providing a perfect amount of sweetness balanced with a slight nutty note. The name itself is a play on the Long Island iced tea cocktail, as an homage to its combination of flavors.

While Jin is happily at home in his Covina location, he eventually hopes to move the business closer to Los Angeles and build a large facility devoted to craft beer and sake. For now, he’s renovating his current space for those willing to make the trip to taste his unique creations.

You can also get his beers at a couple of different outlets.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

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J.W. Hendricks

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The LA Local

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In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.