Kyoto Craft Beer Festival 2014

Last Saturday saw Kyoto's shopping arcade host the 2014 edition of the Kyoto Craft Beer Festival. 34 breweries took part and the nice weather meant this year's festival was busier than ever. 

cute omelet snack

The local shops really got into the festival spirit and took advantage of the crowds to sell tons of delicious cheap snacks. You never had to walk more than a few paces to snag some good food for a couple of bucks. Score!

The problem from past festivals of an inadequate number of toilets was solved with some port-a-potties showing up as well as people using the restrooms in the supermarkets.

Pretty much EVERY brewery sold out by the end of the evening, hell many were out by 7pm, which just goes to show how popular this event is becoming. If this trend continues, I think the festival will outgrow the shopping arcade or possibly need to expand into a 2 day event. 

So while the crowds sometimes got tiring, they are a sign of a successful event. Good job guys! A special thanks goes out to all the many volunteers who helped make this a really fun festival.

In terms of the beers on hand at the event, I was surprised to see that Sankt Galen didn't show up and I think they were here last year. Most breweries that came brought their standard beers which was slightly disappointing for a beer geek looking to try new & unusual brews. 

Thankfully, a handful of breweries had some sake/beer hybrids on hand (Shonan & Ise Kadoya), Ichijoji as usual cranked out tons of fruit beers, plus Shiga Kogen & Daisen G brought some new releases. 

There were also some new breweries in the mix which was nice. I started my day with the Da-chi Bitter from Bay Brewing Yokohama. 

It was a solid example of the style, smooth subtle & malty - a nice start to my day.








I had next wanted to try Brewmaster's Amao Oatmeal Black but as it'd just sold out I tried their Cabos & Honey beer instead. A nice honey gold pour with a beige head that lingered and appetizing cabos fruit spritzy aroma. Medium bodied the taste was a bit cloying. It came off as some kind of citrusy sweet soda. Not bad per se but not really beer like...

As with last year's festival, Daisen G made one of my festival highlights again with their top notch Imperial Lager. This hoppy beer easily rivals a nice IPA. It poured a beautiful amber color with a big hoppy nose of herbal & citrusy hop notes - delicious. Medium bodied with a palate cleansing bitterness. A fest highlight for sure, the solid malt background gives the hops the support to shine with tons of flavor. 

Since I am also a big fan of fruit beers, Ichijoji's Pineapple Ale was also a star in my book. It was a nicely balanced beer with the pineapple being counter-balanced by a solid malty base. This didn't come off as a beer cocktail, it had enough body and malt flavor to clearly say "I am beer". Well done!

Rounding out my top three was Harvestmoon's Smoke Ale, a 5% rauch that poured a deep cloudy brown with ruby highlights. The aroma was smoked ham all the way, medium bodied, the beer was a mix of tasty smoke, smoked ham & malty goodness. 

Shiga Kogen's Draft Pale Ale and African Wheat Ale were both very solid too. The DPA was a tasty extremely drinkable Pale Ale while their new beer the African Wheat Ale was an exceptionally hoppy, citrusy wheat beer.

Y Market was a new brewery out of Nagoya generating a lot of buzz but long line ups and the fact I'd already tried their line up at the Dig Bar event meant I didn't have them that day. Baird sold out of their beers in 2 hours! So that was another brewery I couldn't try at the fest.

Y Market booth

All in all, the festival was well run & a great success. Keep up the good work guys!

Chitei/Miyajima Pilsner

Daisen G booth

Daisen G Yago

Kansai Beer Lovers Awards 2013

Welcome to the 1st Kansai Beer Lovers Awards!

As there are numerous awards for beers & breweries in Japan but no awards for the bars or shops that dispense our favorite drink I decided it was time for someone to make one. The winners of these prizes get bragging rights and the right to call themselves the best. 

I've broken the awards into 7 categories:

1. Best Bottle Shop in Kansai 
2. Best Bottle Shop in Kansai for Japanese Craft
3. Best Beer Bar in Osaka
4. Best Beer Bar in Kyoto
5. Best Beer Bar in Kyoto for Japanese Craft
6. Best Beer Bar in Kobe
7. Most Improved Bar in Kansai

These awards are based on my extensive research over the past year and feedback I heard from patrons. They are not scientifically voted on in any way though that's something I'd like to do someday. Maybe next year. Anyways, on to the awards!

Best Bottle Shop in Kansai

In terms of depth of selection & quality of service no one comes close to Asahiya's Liquor Shop.

Honorable mention: Craft Beer Base provides a slightly smaller selection(but has a few Asahiya doesn't) & 4 taps in a central location near Umeda Station.

Best Bottle Shop in Kansai for Japanese Craft

In terms of places to buy Japanese Craft beer Yamaoka Saketen is by far your best bet for seasonals & rare releases. His relationship with brewers is so good that he was able to launch numerous beer festivals & events in Kyoto. He's even helped brew beers & requested beers be brewed such as Kyoto Machiya's recent IPA!

Best Beer Bar in Osaka

This was by far the hardest category to judge, tons of good bars have opened in Osaka over the last few years but few seem to be really pulling ahead of the pack. In terms of asking around I rarely got the same answer twice. So I will just leave you with a list of honorable mentions:

Craft Beer Base

Craft Beer Base, 4 taps, a central location & take-away bottles make it a popular choice. Especially if transiting through the Umeda Station.

Tenma Beer Belly

Beer Belly, Minoh Beer's 3 taproom locations including the large new Tenma bar make it easy to drink local beer at good prices. The other locations are Edobori & Higobashi downtown.


Qbrick, the most established bar in Osaka that is still good but not as outstanding as it once was as younger bars catch up.










Kamikaze, located down near Shinsaibashi this place has brought craft beer to a part of town that was a good beer desert.



Yellow Ape Craft, a funky name & a popular Guess The Beer Win The Pint event make this one an up and comer.

Best Beer Bar in Kyoto

Tadg the man himself

Kyoto has a good half-dozen beer bars these days but few can match the selection & variety of Tadg's. 23 taps of craft beer covering both Japanese & Imports that are carefully chosen by Tadg means you won't be finding any sub-standard beers on tap though you will find a ton of IPAs! Not the most balanced of menus in terms of styles but I like that he knows what he enjoys and that his tap list reflects a certain vision.

Best Beer Bar in Kyoto for Japanese Craft

No table charge, decent prices, a stylish location that opens right onto Shijo, 10 taps & friendly staff make Bungalow a winner in my book.

Best Beer Bar in Kobe

This is a fairly easy category to judge as Kobe has two Rokko taprooms & not much else beyond a Belgian bar or two. The winner by a large margin is Rokko Beer Dinner. With their mix of Rokko beers, Guest beers & their new in-house Starboard Brewery beers they have the best selection in town, reasonable prices, tasting sets & a location right in front of Motomachi station. In Hyogo, it doesn't get much better than this.

Most Improved bar in Kansai

This last category popped into my head when I visited Marciero after not having stopped by in 6 months or so. What started as a small somewhat sterile little bar has blossomed into a cool place with character, they now have a well curated tap list and a nice mix of Japanese + Imported craft beer. Kudos guys you did a great job!