For any beer lover coming to Japan, you may think that the only beer you’ll find here are what you’d find in an Asian restaurant or supermarket in your home country, such as Asahii, Sapparro or Kirin, but you’ll be surprised to learn that Japan has a large and growing beer culture that includes matcha beer and various types of ales and fruity sours that you won’t find anywhere else.
In this post we’ll discuss three cities around OEH and the specific locations where you can find these special beers.
1.) Osaka
Beginning with Osaka since this is where many OEH guests travel from, there’s a cool-looking, small craft beer bar called Umineko @stand_umineko (Google Maps). Spend the day walking and shopping at the infamous Shinsaibashi-Suji shopping street, a 600-meter-long collection of streets filled with many stores and restaurants, then afterwards walk two blocks over to escape the crowd and enjoy a nice cold beer.
Umineko offers 10 rotating beers, where some of the most recent beers include a cold brew seltzer, many pilsners, sours, citrus and fruit ales, plus some interesting beer names such “Kiwi Wheaty” (an American wheat) and the “New World is Not Enough” (a mixed juice sour ale).
2.) Hirakata City
The city where OEH is located, there are two great places worth mentioning: “THE HOTANI CRAFT STand” and “Civic Brewers.”
THE HOTANI CRAFT STand (@the_hotani_craft)
Located about 10 minutes from OEH, this cool bar and restaurant offers 7 beers on tap plus a few delicious appetizers. Their creative selection of beers include 4 different IPAs, a German wheat sour (their contemporary gose), and a wheat ale infused with watermelon.
THE HOTANI CRAFT just celebrated their one-year anniversary on July 4th, and celebrated throughout the week of July 2nd – 6th, offering a special food menu, prizes that every customer can win including a bottle opener and special T-shirt designed for the occasion, in addition to every customer getting their first beer for free!
While this event has passed, this celebration shows the generosity and excitement that this Japanese brewery has—and who knows, maybe on their two-year anniversary they may give away double the prizes and double the beer. 😉
Civic Brewery – The T-Site Mall Stand (@civiccompany)
Civic Brewery was founded in 2022, and in 2023 opened up their storefront and first brewery ever in the city of Katano, located approximately 7 kilometers south of Hirakata City. But you don’t have to travel to Katano to sample some of their amazing European style beers, as they have a stand outside of the Hirakata T-site Mall on Sundays.
Since they have to transport their beers and materials across the city, they can only offer 2 beers at their T-site stand, but they’re both German beers that are refreshing and of great quality: a Hefeweizen called “Sweet Memories” and a rice Kölsch called “Summer Lady”—and they also offer sake.
There is an employee who frequently works at the stand who is very knowledgeable about Civic’s beers, but he only speaks Japanese; however, he has a diagram printed in English that shows the concentration of acidity, aromas, and sweetness between the two beers, if you need help deciding which beer you want to try. But at ¥500 yen a piece, why not try both!
3.) Kyoto
If you’re going for a weekend hike to Mt. Hiei in northeast Kyoto, a mountain believed to protect the Imperial City from bad spirits that flew in from the northeast, then you’ll walk by a coffee stand called Ohara Coffee Stand Hijiri on your way to the Eizan train station, where a cable car will take you up the mountain.
Ohara Coffee offers a variety of coffees plus offers two beers: a Kirin Ichiban lager and a unique IPA called “Kyoto Matcha” that’s been mixed with matcha and brewed using special underground “Fushimizu” spring water. When you order a Kyoto Matcha, you’ll be given a plastic cup; ‘peel’ off the bottle cap, pour the beer into the cup, and watch it fill up with green beer!
The moment this cold beer hits your lips you’ll immediately distinguish between the hops and matcha and realize how amazing both flavors taste together, owing its success to the way Kizakura Brewery brews their line of Kyoto Matcha. Then you’ll realize that this is one of the best beers you can have in Japan or anywhere in the world, for that matter.
Conclusion
These are just some of the many unique and interesting beers that you’ll find in Japan, where breweries have more than tripled from 2013-2023 according to Kyoto Brewery, standing at over 700 breweries.
To visit any of these craft beer locations, book a stay at OEH where you can save 15-20% off your visit. Follow us on Instagram @oeh_japan to learn more about our food and drink recommendations in the area.
The top-rated spot for craft beer in Hirakata is THE HOTANI CRAFT STand, located just 10 minutes from Osaka English House (OEH). They specialize in innovative microbrews, such as their signature watermelon-infused wheat ale and contemporary German-style Gose, often featuring exclusive seasonal releases and local community events.
You can experience authentic Kyoto Matcha IPA at the Ohara Coffee Stand Hijiri near the Eizan train station. This unique beer, brewed by Kizakura Brewery, combines traditional Japanese matcha with Fushimizu spring water, resulting in a vibrant green pour that balances hoppy bitterness with earthy tea notes.
Yes, Osaka’s craft scene is thriving, specifically at Stand Umineko in the Shinsaibashi district. Located near the Shinsaibashi-Suji shopping street, this bar offers 10 rotating taps featuring rare Japanese styles like cold brew seltzers, citrus-infused ales, and mixed juice sours that represent the “New World” of Japanese brewing.
Most of the region’s best breweries are easily accessible via the Keihan Line. From Osaka English House (OEH) in Hirakata, you can reach Civic Brewery’s pop-up at Hirakata T-Site on Sundays, or take a direct train to either central Osaka or Kyoto to visit specialized craft beer stands within 30 minutes.
While brands like Asahi and Kirin dominate the market, Japan’s 700+ microbreweries focus on hyper-local ingredients. Distinctive offerings include rice-based Kölschs, matcha-infused IPAs, and fruit-forward sours. These breweries often use regional spring water and traditional fermentation techniques to create flavors unique to the Kansai area.
