The Beer of Japan

Written by Kyle about Japan. Feelin' excited

It's no secret that I like beer. Don't worry, it's not the bad kind of "like" where I end up passed out in a gutter, I actually enjoy the taste of beer. Well, good beer that is. And sadly, the Korean beer tastes terrible. It's cheap, but sometimes you get what you pay for. So, I was glad to get to go to Japan to experience beer that doesn't suck. I'm not going to say that Japanese beer is awesome, but it is palatable and it is sure better than the beer-water they serve in Korea.

Luckily, while we were in Japan, we were able to go to two breweries and spend a night eating and drinking our way through a beer festival. For a few moments, I could finally relax and enjoy one of the gifts that makes this world great: beer.

Breweries

Maybe due to the fact that we were on Japan's most northern, and thereby coldest island, we had no trouble finding places that brew beer. First, and most famously, we went to the Sapporo brewery in Sapporo.

Sapporo Brewery in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

Well, technically this isn't where they brew the beer anymore, but it is the location of the original brewery and it has the iconic sapporo smoke stack. Plus, it was located a short distance from central Sapporo and the grounds looked like a campus of an ivy league university.

Another plus is that there is a beer garden inside that serves all the sapporo beers on tap and serves up a local specialty that is basically pieces of lamb with some fresh vegetables. I think it may be the only time that I have cooked lamb while drinking tap beer. There's a first for everything, I guess.

Of course, no visit to anything in Japan is finished without finding something kawaii (cute), so we had our picture taken with, what I am going to call, the "Beer Bear".

Secondly, we visited a brewery in the last town we visited in Japan: Otaru. The Otaru beer is far and away my favorite beer in Japan, owing to the fact that they have many German styles of beer. They are a fairly recent addition to the Japanese breweries, so I hope that they continue to make awesome beer!

Sapporo Beer Festival

I think that since Sapporo is really cold and snowy during the winter, people really want to get out and have a good time in the summer. So, the Sapporeans (Sapporites, maybe?) have created a two-week long beer festival that spans most of their central boulevard area. I'm sure I won't be the first to say that this was a wise decision.

I was giddy to try a lot of the beers of Japan, from tap, and one after another. It's good that way for, ummm, scientific purposes. Yes, it was very scientific. Here's some scenes from the various, sprawling beeer gardens:

Beer Festival in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

I think Egyptians said it right when they said: "The mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer."

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August 03, 2009 bessie the wife: I just noticed the two chicks from the Sapporo beer tent all posing for the camera with their peace signs. We should have talked to them more. They look hilarious.

Oh, and I'll amend the Egyptian quote to say "The mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with [good] beer." You can reference me next time.

August 03, 2009 Kristine: I love the progression of no-beer-in-your-system at the beginning of the video to many-beers-in-your-system at the end of the video. The commentary and the camera steadiness seem to be more relaxed as the night goes on. :)

Love the peace sign girls at the Sapporo tent too. Classic :)

Miss you guys! Glad you had a good vacation and golden birthday Bessie!

August 04, 2009 Kyle: Are you saying I should do everything with a couple of beers in me?

August 03, 2009 Linda: Loved the Beer Bear....kinda prepares you for an eventual trip to Disney World. And, of course, Epcot has a beer garden in their recreation of Germany. :) Hope all of those beer gardens had adequate restroom facilities as....what goes in....must come out! Who was your "designated driver?" :)

August 05, 2009 DADDIO: BEER, BEER, BEER, FOOOOOOOOOD &
BEEER, BEEEEEEER, BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEER.
A FELLLLLLLER COULD GET SCHLLLLOPPY DERRRUUUUUNNNKKKKKK
ON ALLLLLL THAT DELLLLOUSHIOUSNESSSSSSSSS
IF HE WERRUNT REAL KAREFUUULLL..... hick.....lick.....shlip & kickkkkk....
.................................................:>] :>} :>).................................................

August 17, 2009 mumsie: Love the photos! and your video quacked me up! LOL -- I could TASTE the beer as you described it! (Pretzels? Peanuts, anyone?) :-D -- I noticed your Reviews grew much less formal as you moved down the line of the various brewskis. LOL And, Bess, if Kyle was the Taster and Reviewmeister, were you the Finish-'Em-Offster? haha. Sure looked like a good time was had by all!

March 31, 2010 Jess: I learned to like beer here in Japan! I'm still a sake kind of girl though! My favorite beer here is called "Koedo", made in Kawagoe on the Kanto plains near Tokyo. If you ever get a chance to come back to Japan, you should try it! And for the record, chocolate beer is pretty awesome too! It is made by Sapporo, but I fear it is one of the limited-time items Japan loves to produce!