We're Huge in Japan: Minoh Brewery

On a recent mini-vacation we went stopped at the Minoh Brewery. Just east of Kyoto, and a bit before you hit Kobe on the train, in a tiny commuter town you can find Minoh Brewery. To our knowledge the town is known for three things: a waterfall, the brewery, and monkeys. As we were only passing through to Kobe and back to Kyoto, we only had time for the beer.

Minoh is quickly gaining a mass following of Japanese and foreign people alike. They recently won multiple gold medals in the WBA (World Beer Awards), and are featured at a few bars around the country. Sadly, they can still be a bit hard to find around smaller towns (Kyoto included) as they are still very small and microbrew beers are still not in high demand by the Japanese. The guy behind the counter told us (and later showed us) their tiny set up, comprised of a few small tanks, one bottling machine, a guy who caps the bottles, and a few people who do all the labeling by hand. The best part was that two of the three sisters who run Minoh were actually their working when we went!

At the brewery, be sure to try whatever they have on tap. They don't keep much in stock long, so it is always very fresh. They brew one beer type a day, sell out, and make it again.

If you go to visit the brewery, the easiest option is to google map the brewery on your phone. If you don't have GPS, you can do the following:

Starting at Karasuma Oike or Kawaramachi station (under Shijo Dori)

Take the Hankyu train towards Umeda

At Juso Station transfer to Hankyu train towards Takarazuka

At Ishibashi Station transfer to the Hankyu train towards Minoo

Exit at Makiochi Station

Walk out the east side of the station and follow the map below (A is the station):

View Larger Map

If you get lost, just head east out of the train station, once your hit the main street (you'll know it, as it's the only non-residential busy street running north to south) find the Lawson's convenience store, south of McDonald's. Walk down the street on the north side of Lawson's (i.e. not the main street), when you hit the park turn right and follow around the park. Minoh will be on the right, across the street from the park. Or ask anyone who looks local, we are pretty sure it's crazy popular with everyone near by.

They also have a map on their website: http://www.minoh-beer.jp/ and you can check them out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MINOHBEER

Here are a few photos of our trip:

Outside the Brewery, looks like a beer junk yard. People return their used bottles, there are stacks of kegs of all sizes, a few pieces of broken machinery, etc. This place is small-time business at it's finest.

A small glass door fridge holds all the beer that can be taken home from the brewery. You can also drink what you like right there, and take one for the road. No one will bat an eye at you drinking a beer while walking down the road (so long as you're an adult).

A little girl learning how to politely pour a beer...

Minoh is frequently featured in many Japanese and global beer magazines. They have copies of a few at the brewery you can flip through while you enjoy their tasty brews.