Japanese Craft Beer in NYC
Japan's beer market was effectively closed to small brewers until 1994, when the minimum annual output for a licence dropped from two million litres to sixty thousand. Everything people mean by Japanese craft beer started in the years after that. Alongside the big four, these are the smaller breweries we get in, and what makes each one worth the space on the list.
10 posts
- Jun 8, 2026Agara Craft: Lychee, Mikan and Sansho Ales From WakayamaThree fruit and pepper ales from Wakayama Brewery, each built on something the prefecture actually grows. Agara means 'ours' in the local dialect.
- Apr 27, 2026Japas Matsurika: A Jasmine Pilsner From Brazil's First Women-Owned BreweryMatsurika means jasmine. It's brewed in Brazil by three Japanese-Brazilian women, and it's the one beer on our list that isn't from Japan or Italy.
- Apr 13, 2026Baladin Xyauyù Kioke: A Beer That Drinks Like a PortAn Italian craft beer aged in Japanese cedar kioke barrels: slow oxidation, no carbonation, and a flavor closer to port or sherry than beer.
- Mar 31, 2026Kiuchi No Shizuku: Hitachino White Ale, Distilled TwiceThe name means first drip from the still. Kiuchi distils their own White Ale, rests it in oak with coriander, hops and orange peel, then distils it again.
- Feb 27, 2026Coedo Beniaka, Shiro, Kyara and Marihana: Kawagoe's Sweet Potato BreweryCoedo started in 1996 by brewing beer from Kawagoe sweet potatoes. Four more from their range are on our list: an amber ale, a hefeweizen, an India Pale Lager and a session IPA.
- Jan 16, 2026Iwate Kura Oyster Stout: A Japanese Stout Brewed With Real Oyster ShellsA stout from Sekinoichi Shuzo in Iwate, brewed with oyster shells from Sanriku's Hirota Bay, reviving an old British style in northern Japan.
- Dec 5, 2025Isekado: Craft Beer From a Mochi Shop Founded in 1575Ise Kadoya has been on the road to Ise Jingu since 1575: first as a tea house for pilgrims, then miso and soy sauce, and since 1997 award-winning beer.
- Oct 12, 2025Kagua Blanc and Rouge: Belgian-Style Beer Brewed With Yuzu and SanshoTwo Japanese ales built on Belgian yeast and Japanese aromatics: yuzu from Kochi and budo sansho from Wakayama. Strong, fragrant, and made for a wine glass.
- May 13, 2025A Japanese Craft Beer Rooted in Tea TraditionCoedo Brewery's limited-edition Sayama Tea Saison brings Saitama's celebrated green tea into a dry, crisp saison, now on tap at Juraku.
- Mar 14, 2025Echigo Beer: Japan's Pioneering Craft Brewery at Izakaya JurakuEchigo Beer has been setting the standard for Japanese craft beer since 1994. We pour four of their brews at Juraku, from the Koshihikari Lager to the Weizen.