Miyajima Pale Ale : Background Miyajima Pale Ale is a 5% English pale ale from Miyajima Beer, based on the island of Miyajima, in Hiroshima. It's part of their regular line-up, and is available in both cans and in bottles, as well as being found on draught. It uses uses hops and water from the "Reiki Shui" found in the primal forests of Miyajima and Yayama, though like other beers from Miyajima Beer, it's unknown at the time of writing what hops went into the making of it.

Welcome to the second in this series of hashigozakes in Japan with Tachikawa our focus for this one. What's a "hashigozake"? Well it roughly translates to bar-hopping, or a bar crawl. This isn't going to replace our Patreon : Drinking Guide to Cities in Japan - but more it will extend it to cover areas that don't quite have enough places to warrant a full on guide.

Background Susukino Brewing is a brewery located in the Susukino area of Sapporo, Hokkaido. The brewery began in 2021, during COVID, when the local area was struggling to survive, due to the down turn in tourists visiting Sapporo. Tourism brings in an extra $450 million to the area, though not all of that goes towards beer and bars. As a result, a group of local bar owners came together to look at how to make a company that can help Susukino and the area to grow and improve together.

Good Hops Falling in Love With : Background Good Hops Falling in Love With is a 5% American pale ale from Good Hops, based in Tono, Iwate. It's part of their canned and draught line-up, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing, though with it being one of their "Festival Ale" beers, I suspect it's a limited release, though please don't quote me on that.

Creative ArTwork BREWing : The Bottom Line I really liked my time at Creative ArTwork BREWing and I would definitely come here again when I am remotely close to the bar. It's got everything I like in a bar - good beers, good variety on tap, and good prices. Combined with some of the quirkiness of the place, more about that later, the vibe here is relaxed and well suited to coming along with friends for some cold beers.

Nomcraft Revelation : Background Nomcraft Revelation is a 7% West Coast IPA from Nomcraft Brewing based in Aridagawa, Wakayama. It's part of their canned and draught line-up, with it being a limited edition beer, so there's a chance that at the time of reading this, the beer has sold out. It's brewed using Helios, Columbus, Strata, and Wai Iti hops, with the latter being a new one here.

Miyajima Momiji Lager : Background Miyajima Momiji Lager is a 5% Japanese rice lager from Miyajima Beer, based on the island of Miyajima, in Hiroshima. It's part of their canned and draught line-up, and is also available all year round. The beer was inspired by the red colour of Hiroshima, the large torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine, and the maple leaves of Miyajima.

Our Store : The Bottom Line Though I wasn't at Our Store for very long, I did like this place a lot, with its laid back vibe, chilled music, and a decent selection of beer - both on tap and in cans. I'll definitely be popping in again when I'm in the Hiroshima area - though when that will be is unknown.

Good Hops Promise : Background Good Hops Promise is a 4% saison from Good Hops, based in Tono, Iwate. It's part of their regular line-up, and is available in both cans and on draught. It's brewed using three new strains of hops grown by Good Hops : Tono Uncountable, Tono Compact Green, and Tono No Wind. Finally, this beer was brewed by a pair of hop farmers who got married this year.

Rather than writing up individual reviews for these beers, we’ve come up with a page of beers for our recent trip to Danchi Kitchen Beer – which is a brewpub located in Nishi-Urawa, in Saitama. As these are draught beers, there is no guarantee that they will be on tap if and when you go there.

Open Air Forest Flight : Background Open Air Forest Flight is a 6% saison from Open Air Brewing based in Kobe, Japan. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. Open Air Forest Flight uses Crystal hops, though it's more interesting to note that Open Air Brewing used Kuromoji, also known as Japanese spicebush, from the laurel family, and juniper berries as an adjunct.

Danchi Kitchen : The Bottom Line Colour me surprised - though Danchi Kitchen could do with some colour itself. Who'd have thought that a shared communual space, in the back-end of nowhere in Saitama would be a worthwhile place to visit - as long as you can get there early and don't mind missing out on the food if you can't.

Nomcraft Nomclassic Weizen Doppelbock : Background Nomcraft Nomclassic Weizen Doppelbock is an 8% wheat doppelbock from Nomcraft Brewing, based in Aridgawa, Wakayama. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, with its availability being unknown at the time of writing. As part of the Nomcraft Nomclassic lineup, this beer is an homage to the style that emerged in the 20th century as brewers experimented with combining the malt-forward characteristics of Doppelbock with the smooth, bready mouthfeel of wheat, creating a fuller, more robust beer.

Open Air Warm Up : Background Open Air Warm Up is a 6.5% hazy IPA from Open Air Brewing based in Kobe, Hyogo. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. Open Air Warm Up takes its name from the NBA Jam catchphrase used when a player was on fire, or scoring lots of points.

Hare Bare Hiroshima : The Bottom Line Hare Bare Hiroshima is a welcome addition to the growing number of craft beer bars in Hiroshima and I'll definitely pop back in for a pint or three next time I'm here. Though after cycling 100 km+, all I could manage was two as I needed to get elsewhere. This place ticks everything you want in a bar - good beer, good food, and a good atmosphere.

Yokohama Lager : Background Yokohama Lager is a 5% India pale lager from Yokohama Beer based in Kanagawa, Japan. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, and is available all year round. Yokohama Lager was the first in their canned series, with this being first released back in May 2021. However, not much else is known about this beer as Yokohama Beer have not released any information about the hops or grain bill.

Good Hops A Summer Day : Background Good Hops A Summer Day is a 5% American pale ale from Good Hops, based in Tono, Iwate. It's part of their canned and draught line-up, though its availability is unknown at the time of writing. With it being part of their "Festival Ale" line-up though, I suspect that it could be a limited release, but don't quote me on that.

Yokohama Hamakuro : Background Yokohama Hamakuro is a 4.5% black IPA from Yokohama Beer based in Kanagawa, Japan. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, and is available all year round. The beer was first released in conjunction with a beer event held annually at the Yokohama Akarenga Soko, aka Red Brick Warehouse and saw it being packaged into cans in the middle of 2022.

Hopbeat Records WCB : The Bottom Line Hopbeat Records WCB is a welcome addition to the area and it's finally nice to see West Coast Brewing showing Tokyo some love with some permanent set ups. Though there isn't really anything to eat here, there's plenty enough beer on tap, and in the fridges to pick from. Perhaps the biggest issue you'll have here is finding somewhere to stand and drink as it's one of the smallest bars in the area.

Beer Again Hop Suke : Background Beer Again Hop Suke is a 5% American pale ale 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 Amarillo and Motueka hops with also sour malt used in the making of it.

Yokohama Green Citrus Pilsner : Background Yokohama Green Citrus Pilsner is a 5% fruit beer with a pilsner base from Yokohama Beer, based in Kanagawa, Japan. It's part of their canned and draught lineup, as well as being available all-year round. Many of the small green mandarins that are thinned out during the process of growing mandarins are discarded. In an effort to make use of these precious resources, they collaborated with Akizawaen in Odawara, Kanagawa to repurpose this green mandarins into the making of this beer.

Kurataro Liquor Store : Background I came across Kurataro Liquor Store when I was walking to the Sapporo Beer Museum but knowing that beer lay ahead, I decided to pop back to this place after having drunk enough beer to possibly cause some drunken purchases. Kurataro Liquor Store is run by a subsidiary of Iwata Jozo Co., Ltd., which makes Hokkaido's proud miso "Beniichiten", and sells a variety of products, mainly sake and wine.