Upcoming Event: Craft Beer Fest Kyoto 2014

One of the Kansai area's best beer events will be held on Saturday, May 10.

The Craft Beer Festa Kyoto, now in its fifth year, will feature microbrews from 32 Japanese breweries from 2:00 to 8:00pm.

The location is the Sanjo Association Shopping Arcade, just few minutes from the Nijojo-mae subway station on the Kyoto City Subway Tozai line (take Exit 3 and walk south).

This year's beer lineup will include offerings from five Kyoto breweries, eight from other Kansai regions, one from Tohoku, five from Kanto, four from Koshinetsu, four from Tokai/Hokuriku, four from Chukoku/Shikoku, and one from Kyushu. All beers will cost ¥400 for a 7-oz. pour.

For more information, check the event website HERE.

 

Osaka’s Craft Beer Scene Featured in The New York Times / ニューヨーク•タイムズ -- 大阪のクラフトビールシーン

Osaka's still small -- but growing – number of craft beer bars are described in a recent New York Times online article.

More accurately, six of the better beer bars are discussed, all of them in one central area of downtown Osaka and all of which opened just in the past two years or so. The places considered are Beer Belly Tenma, Garage 39, Marciero, Beer Stand Molto, Yellow Ape Craft, and Dig Beer Bar. This is definitely becoming one of the better areas for ji-biiru, and most of these spots are within walking distance of each other.

The writer also samples some of the very good to great beers being produced in Japan, among them Minoh W-IPA, Shiga Kogen Imperial Black IPA, Iwate Kura Weizen, and Fujizakura Weizenbock.

In addition, Mark Meli, author of “Craft Beer in Japan,” provides color commentary and essential background to the author’s observations on the history and growth of the business, as well as the development of beer styles in Japan.

The article appears in the April 27, 2014 edition The New York Times and is available online here: A Craft-Beer Pub Crawl in the ‘Kitchen of Japan’.