Food & Drink | Cultivating Craft Jul 6, 2019
For Shonan Beer, quality and locality drive success
by Jeremy Wilgus
Investment in the local Kanazawa Prefecture market and a focus on the quality of the beer are the keys to success for Shonan Beer.
Business Jun 14, 2019
Kirin's Spring Valley Brewery to introduce beer-a-day subscription service at Ginza restaurant
Tokyo-based Spring Valley Brewery Co. will start a monthly subscription service to allow customers to try one glass of a selected beer each weekday. Customers will be able to choose a 250-milliliter glass of beer from a lineup of up to 17 varieties each weekday ...
Food & Drink | Cultivating Craft Jun 1, 2019
Homebrewing in Japan: Craft beer's creative foundation
by Jeremy Wilgus
Craft beer in Japan is experiencing a second renaissance. However, many of Japan's breweries are still trying to catch up to the innovation and skill level of their overseas counterparts. Could legalizing homebrewing help boost creativity?
Food & Drink | TOKYO FOOD FILE Jun 1, 2019
Hinomoto Beer Parlor: Drink locally, eat independently
by Robbie Swinnerton
It wouldn't be wrong to call Hinomoto a pub. After all it's a craft beer specialist, with 10 taps all devoted to Japanese beers and a counter where you can sit and drink to your heart's content. But that doesn't tell the whole story ...
Food & Drink | Cultivating Craft May 4, 2019
For Locobeer, success starts close to home
by Jeremy Wilgus
With only one full-time employee, Chiba Prefecture-based Locobeer has kept its local focus for over 20 years, all the while brewing an award-winning and eclectic lineup of beer.
Food & Drink | TOKYO FOOD FILE Apr 6, 2019
Schmatz Nakameguro: From food truck to prime premises
by Robbie Swinnerton
Timing and location are everything. For the Tokyo-based German beer pub Schmatz, both were in perfect alignment when its latest branch opened in Nakameguro, overlooking the sakura (cherry blossom) trees lining the river just as they were about to blossom.
Food & Drink | Cultivating Craft Apr 6, 2019
Perseverance pays off for SanktGallen Brewery
by Jeremy Wilgus
With its innovative craft beers and approach to marketing, SanktGallen Brewery has established itself in Japan's craft beer world not just once, but twice.
Food & Drink | Cultivating Craft Feb 2, 2019
From one keg to 1,000, Baird Beer is still growing
by Jeremy Wilgus
For Baird Brewing, perseverance and the cultivation of a loyal fan base has made it a rarity in Japanese craft beer: a truly independent brewery. Lacking the shelter of a parent company, it has created a line of taprooms to spread its concept of ...
Food & Drink | Cultivating Craft Jan 5, 2019
Fujizakura Heights Beer: Bending the rules of traditional German beer
by Jeremy Wilgus
At Fujizakura Heights Beer, Hiromichi Miyashita pushes the boundaries of Japanese brewing tradition by fusing German and modern American styles.
Food & Drink | Cultivating Craft Dec 1, 2018
Ise Kadoya: Bringing craft beer into the mainstream
by Jeremy Wilgus
Compared to the typical American craft beer company, many craft beer companies in Japan belong to larger, sometimes much older, parent companies. One of the clearest examples of this is Ise Kadoya Microbrewery. Kadoya is the brewing arm of Nikenjayamochi Kadoya Honten, which dates back ...
Food & Drink | TOKYO FOOD FILE Nov 17, 2018
Ibrew Shinbashi: Craft beer fits fine in salaryman territory
by Robbie Swinnerton
The cheap, cheerful, crowded, smoke-patinated dives that populate the lower floors of Shinbashi's Ekimae Building are an enduring time capsule of old-school, after-work salaryman drinking culture. Ibrew's craft beer pub has only been open there for a year, but its no-frills, low-budget approach makes ...
Food & Drink | Cultivating Craft Nov 3, 2018
Minoh Beer: A father's dream, a daughter's reality
by Jeremy Wilgus
A vibrant part of Japan's craft beer community since 1997, family-run Minoh Beer has been pushing the boundaries of brewing by harnessing local flavors — and they have the international awards to prove it.