For Locobeer, success starts close to home
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.
Schmatz Nakameguro: From food truck to prime premises
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.
Perseverance pays off for SanktGallen Brewery
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.
From one keg to 1,000, Baird Beer is still growing
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 ...
Fujizakura Heights Beer: Bending the rules of traditional German beer
At Fujizakura Heights Beer, Hiromichi Miyashita pushes the boundaries of Japanese brewing tradition by fusing German and modern American styles.
Ise Kadoya: Bringing craft beer into the mainstream
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 ...
Ibrew Shinbashi: Craft beer fits fine in salaryman territory
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 ...
Minoh Beer: A father's dream, a daughter's reality
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.
Japan's craft beer scene: 25 years in the making
The secret is long since out: Japan's craft beer scene is a vibrant place, filled with innovative brewers creating new and interesting beers alongside masterful examples of traditional styles.
Cheers to beers connecting northern Europe and Japan
J.L.S. Trading imports an eclectic range of craft beers from various microbreweries in the Baltics and Scandinavia.
Put the sake down, warm weather means craft beer
Although Yona Yona Beer Works is a staple for great craft beer in Tokyo, there are plenty of other hidden gems. Global beer-drinking afficionados share some of their favorites.
Craft Beer Market Osaka: Cheap pints of tasty craft
The craft beer explosion in Japan has been a boon for drinkers, but the one bitter note in this success story is price. Generally speaking, there's little wiggle room from the ¥1,000 a pint mark — a hefty price to pay for a beer ...
