Don't Sleep on Japan

Would love e to try some Japanese beer. I think the only thing we ever see in my area is Hitachi. Don't think I've ever tried anything from them, maybe I'll pick some up.

Do you see any style that the Japanese brewers seem to have hit on as a style they are taking hold of and "making their own"?

 

Every time I've been in Japan I've missed out on the Ichiro's Malt barrel aged beers by a week or two. Always a huge bummer. Definitely a serious ISO.

I've been visiting Japan since 2006 and it's been interesting to see how much the craft scene has evolved over time. Last time I was in Japan was 2018, but I like Shiga Kogen, Minoh, Oh! La! Ho!, Kyoto Beer Lab, Repubrew (their Chestnut cake Hazy IPA was solid), Brewbase, Fujizakura Heights, etc.

 

It seems like there is a split in what's going in Japan. Lots of breweries that are dead set on doing traditional German styles and then a new guard that is more interested in being experimental with hazy IPAs, kettle sours, saisons, etc.

 

The Hitachino Nest beers are worth picking up IMO. Maybe they’re not on the same level as the others recommended above, but I found the White Ale and Espresso Stout to be solid.

 

I like Kiuchi, they've got some cool taprooms in Tokyo. The White and Stout along with a canned lager are good for picking up, their hoppy stuff is always super old and faded by the time it gets over here. Yo-Ho and Baird are some other "old guard" Japanese craft breweries that send their beer over, not sure how that's working for Baird now with Shelton Brothers' issues.

 

Ya, they're one of those brands that I've just never grabbed. I will check them out. We had a south Korean brewer's US outpost in my area and now one of their employees has started a Korean inspires brewery. They both feature spiced wits so i kind of associate that style with east Asian craft beer. Super scientific with my sample size of 1.5

 

There are some beers brewed with Green Tea and Yuzu and chestnuts and there are cherry blossom beers during Sakura season, but those aren't common and for the most part they're brewing a lot of the same stuff you'd see here.


This was pretty good.

 

I try to avoid trading, the shipping costs are pretty crazy and it never feels worth it in the end. Thanks, through! We’re planning another trip next year so hopefully I’ll get lucky then.

 

I visit Japan at least once a year. I enjoy some craft beer from time to time but I don't chase it down. Over the past few years I have gotten into the whole sake thing and for me that is both another entry into Japanese history and culture as well as being a better value. You can drop as much coin on a bottle of sake as you want but there are some amazing local sakes that can be snagged for less than $20 for 720ml bottle.

 

not sure if you've gone yet, but the Keyaki Beer Festival is (I think) held twice a year in Saitama in roughly March and September. Its the largest beer festival in Japan and most of the brewers mentioned on this page are there.

Heck when I went in 2016 I missed out on going to Kyoto because they had shut down to head to Tokyo for the festival.

It might be on hold until the pandemic dies down, but well worth it if you are there around that time.

It's a lot of fun and there are great food options there as well. Have fun!

 

We've got a trip booked for November (fully refundable) for Tokyo, Kyoto and somewhere in the Japanese Alps. Ended up booking an AirBNB on the same street as Kyoto Beer Lab, was a really cool neighborhood last time I was there.

Hopefully the country is open 8 months from now. Fingers crossed.

 

Work is actually sending me to Misawa in Aomori Prefecture for about a month in September. Any recommendations on breweries (beer or sake) or distillers would be appreciated. I will be by the joint US AF base.

 

Man, that's a bit out of the way! Nanbu Bijin is a local sake (from Iwate) I have had and enjoyed. A YouTuber based in Morioka recommends Baeren Brewery. I haven't had it but the YTer seems to know his sake and craft beers.

Be prepared for some hot, muggy weather, even that far north.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

And yes I did! Completed a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in German in 2017. Still living and working in CT.

 

I was stationed ther from 83-86. Staggers Inn/Bar was one of watering holes. Great times.

 

Lived in Fukuoka on and off for over a decade, since last year we are in Vienna, AT but still go back home to Japan visiting family once a year.

Let me put it this way: while I do highly appreciate Japanese craft (amongst many Kiuchi and their Hitachino Nest series is truly exceptional), I even more so am glad to be living in Austria now, their beer is far more superior… and cheaper.
Boy was I paying my @ss off for a brew back in JP…