Marunouchi Happ.STORE : The Bottom Line Marunouchi Happ.STORE is, for want of a better word, a fun place to have some craft beers in. Its quirky nature of books, snacks, and beers, along with some random souvenirs, makes it one of the weirder places that I've drunk in; however, I will happily go back here again when I have to change at Tokyo station.

Beer Again Kurochan : Background Beer Again Kurochan is a 5% coffee stout from Beer Again Brewing, based in Gotemba, Shizuoka. It's part of their bottled and draught lineup, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. Beer Again Kurochan is brewed with Indonesian Mandheling coffee roasted by Pension Funwarikon and the idea behind the beer was to be "Japan's easiest drinking coffee stout" - a bold claim to make.

Beer : Background Kankiku Hazy Rice Saison, or to give it its full name of Kankiku Hazy Rice Saison Inasaku Chuushin, is a 4% saison from Kankiku Brewery, based in Kujukuri, Chiba. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. It was originally brewed in November 2024, and is brewed using imported New Zealand Nelson Sauvin and also Nectaron hops.

Imabari Machinaka Bakushu : The Bottom Line Imabari might be more famous for its towels than anything else, but it would be a disservice to ignore Imabari Machinaka Bakushu when you're in town. The beers were much better than expected, so much so that I ended up picking a couple of cans to drink back in Kanto. The atmosphere was lively and local, with some people bringing in some cans they had picked up in their travels to share with the bar staff.

Mangosteen I Saw Five Blue Windows Between The Clouds : Background Mangosteen I Saw Five Blue Windows Between The Clouds - and breathe out - is a 6.5% saison from Mangosteen Brewing Lab, based in Hokuto, Yamanashi. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. The beer is brewed with rye malt and also contains cardamon.

Background Hakuba Craft is a craft brewery located in Hakuba, Nagano and has been in operation since 2022. At the time of writing, they were the first brewery to be located inside of a ski resort in Japan, with the brewpub Hakuba Beer Craft being situated at Tsugaike Kogen Ski Resort. Beer Reviews The following are some of the beers we've had:

Mangosteen Hug Juice 2025 : Background Mangosteen Hug Juice 2025 is a 5% coffee saison from Mangosteen Brewing Lab, based in Hokuto, Yamanashi. It's part of their limited edition lineup, and is available in both cans and on draught. For the 2025 edition, the brewery used Guatemala Finca Roma - though I have no idea what they are in reality - however how the beans were used was unusual.

Takao Beer Taproom : The Bottom Line Maybe I got to Takao Beer Taproom at the wrong time of day - there was barely any space to sit, and barely anything to drink on tap. But that's surely a good sign, isn't it? The shared space was full up drinkers having some lively conversation so I think I'll have to come back another time to really give this a fair write-up.

Beer Again Tap Truck IPA : Background Beer Again Tap Truck IPA is a 6.5% New Zealand IPA from Beer Again Brewing, based in Gotemba, Shizuoka. The beer is part of their bottled and draught lineup, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. Beer Again Tap Truck IPA is brewed with imported Citra, Motueka, Nelson Sauvin, and Riwaka hops from New Zealand.

Mangosteen New Colony : Background Mangosteen New Colony is a 5.5% saison rom Mangosteen Brewing Lab, based in Hokuto, Yamanashi. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, and is also available throughout the year. According to the sales blurb, this version of Mangosteen New Colony was made using their favorite Saison yeast. When they usually make beer with this yeast, Mangosteen Brewing Lab tend to use a higher fermentation temperature to bring out the pleasant ester aroma, but this time they deliberately set the fermentation temperature lower to cultivate the ester aroma modestly.

Omishima Brewery : The Bottom Line There are no other craft beer breweries on the island, so it's not like you really have a choice if you want some craft beer. Though Omishima Brewery doesn't let you drink on site if you're cycling, it's still a lovely, little place to pick up some beers to takeaway back to the hotel. If you are staying in Omishima, then definitely get on down, though the narrow style of beers on tap might not be to the excitement of those looking for something new and hip.

Mangosteen Arise the Golden Hour : Background Mangosteen Arise the Golden Hour is a 6% Belgian IPA from Mangosteen Brewing Lab, based in Hokuto, Yamanashi. It's part of their colloborative lineup, with this beer having been brewed with Kakegawa Farm Brewing. At the time of writing, it's available in both cans and on draught, though for how long is unknown.

Background Utsui Brewery is a brewery located in the Utsui district of Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture and opened in June 2023. The brewery came about because there were no craft beer breweries and the area alongside the aim of providing employment support to people with disabilities in 2019, so the brewery was started with the aim of increasing the income of employees, creating a sense of fulfillment, and revitalizing the area.

Mangosteen Nakid Hiking : Background Mangosteen Nakid Hiking is a 6% farmhouse ale from Mangosteen Brewing Lab, based in Hokuto, Yamanashi. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. The hopping for this beer changes on a batch by batch process, with this edition using HBC 586 and Nelson Sauvin, so the can you may have in front of you could be different.

Craft Beer Scissors and Kitchen Asakusa : The Bottom Line Craft Beer Scissors and Kitchen Asakusa might be a bit pricey for some of our readers, but with the 15 beers on tap, there's plenty to choose from, with some cheaper beers as well on offer. Moreover, there's a decent selection of beers, so you're not just limited to hazy IPAs - thankfully.

Beer Again Lefty Mikity : Background Beer Again Lefty Mikity is a 6.5% West Coast IPA from Beer Again Brewing, based in Gotemba, Shizuoka. It's part of their bottled and draught lineup, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. The beer is brewed using a combination of Amarillo, Cascade, Columbus and Mosaic hops.

Mangosteen Suede Berry : Background Mangosteen Suede Berry is an 8% fruited dark saison from Mangosteen Brewing Labo, based in Hokuto, Yamanashi. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. This beer is brewed using locally grown organic blackberries and is a collaborative effort with Gasbon, who have been helping out Mangosteen Brewing Labo with can labelling.

Our Brewing Lupulin Rex : Background Our Brewing Lupulin Rex is an 8.5% double IPA from Our Brewing based in Fukui, in Fukui prefecture. It's part of their canned and draught lineup. It's part of their dinosaur lineup of beers, along with Our Brewing Dino Kid. This beer is brewed with a combination of hops in the form of Cryo Citra, Cryo Idaho 7, Cryo Krush, Dynaboost Sabro and Motueka.

West Coast Vienna Lager : Background West Coast Vienna Lager is a 5% Vienna lager from West Coast Brewing, based in Mochimune, Shizuoka. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, though like so many other beers from West Coast Brewing, its availability is spotty to say the least. It's part of their "logo" series whereby "various recipes based on the ideas of brewers, especially on the theme of classic beer styles" are produced.

Background Forest Brewing is a brewery located in Kawasaki Town, Miyagi Prefecture. It is located upstream of Kamafusa Dam, the water reservoir of Sendai City, where meltwater from the Zao mountain range flows. Unlike many other breweries in Japan from the early days, instead of the manufacturing of nihonshu, they have their history in the printing business in Sendai for over 35 years, manufacture firewood for wood stoves, and import and sell Italian forestry winches.

West Coast Dark Crispi Boi : Background West Coast Dark Crispi Boi is a 5% Czech amber lager from West Coast Brewing, based in Mochimune, Shizuoka. It's part of their canned and draught line-up, with it being released at irregular times throughout the year. It's brewed using imported Czech Slatek hops, as well as using floor malted Bohemian malts, and finally a traditional decoction mash is used to make this beer.