Horsehead Labs joins the lineup for Tsukuba Craft Beer Fest 2026
Horsehead Labs, the Shizuoka brewery based in Kambara, appeared in a Tsukuba Craft Beer Fest 2026 Instagram post. The brewery will be featured at Tsukuba Center Square from October 16 to 18, with its sake lees IPA and hop-focused brewing identity in view.
Hop BroToday I want to talk about Tsukuba Craft Beer Fest 2026. Horseheads Labs from Kanbara in Shizuoka has been introduced as one of the participating breweries.
MugiWhat! Coming all the way from Shizuoka? That already makes it feel like a special road-trip beer situation!
Hop BroHorseheads Labs is basically a Kanbara experiment crew of a brewery. They’ve been brewing since 2022, and they also make soft drinks and merch.
MugiOooh! A mad-scientist brewery? I’m instantly interested. It sounds like they brew in lab coats!
Hop BroTheir signature beer is Sake Lees IPA, an IPA brewed with sake lees from a sake brewery. It even won gold at the International Beer Cup.
MugiWait, what? An IPA with sake lees? Is it beer, is it sake, or is my brain just getting tipsy first?
Hop BroThat’s the fun part. Sake lees adds fermentation-driven aroma, kind of a soft layered fragrance. It gives the hop bitterness and aroma more depth.
MugiNo way, so hops and sake lees don’t fight each other, they actually team up?
Hop BroExactly. They also have staples like Kanbara Hazy and Kanbara Ale, and they do lots of small-batch seasonal and new releases. The event runs October 16 to 18 at Tsukuba Center Square, and admission is free.
MugiThat sounds perfect! I want to bring my own glass, start with the Sake Lees IPA, and then go straight for Kanbara Hazy and Kanbara Ale. Honestly, now I even want to pack a picnic sheet and a folding chair!
Featured in the festival lineup
Horsehead Labs was introduced in an Instagram post from Tsukuba Craft Beer Fest 2026 as one of the participating breweries. The post notes that the brewery has been brewing since 2022 in Kambara, the 15th post town on the historic Tokaido route.
A brewery rooted in Kambara
Horsehead Labs is based in Kambara, Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka City, with its first factory inside Surugano Village at 2-4-8 Kambara. The brewery describes itself as an experimental collective making a range of alcoholic beverages in Kambarajuku, and it also produces soft drinks and goods. Its location near Shin-Kambara Station underscores its local, place-based identity.
The flagship beer
The post highlights the brewery’s Sake Lees IPA / Sake Lees IPA, a beer made with sake lees from a Japanese sake brewery. The beer has won gold at the International Beer Cup, and the brewery says all three entries it submitted last year won medals. Alongside that beer, Horsehead Labs is also known for staples such as Kambara Hazy and Kambara Ale.
Event details
Tsukuba Craft Beer Fest 2026 runs from October 16 to 18 at Tsukuba Center Square. Admission is free, and visitors are asked to buy a reusable cup at the venue or bring their own glass. Beer and food are purchased directly from each booth, and because seating is limited, the organizers also welcome picnic sheets and simple portable chairs.
For beer fans, the appeal is straightforward: a Shizuoka brewery with a clear local identity, a medal-winning signature beer, and a festival stage in Tsukuba.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroToday I want to talk about Tsukuba Craft Beer Fest 2026. Horseheads Labs from Kanbara in Shizuoka has been introduced as one of the participating breweries.
MugiWhat! Coming all the way from Shizuoka? That already makes it feel like a special road-trip beer situation!
Hop BroHorseheads Labs is basically a Kanbara experiment crew of a brewery. They’ve been brewing since 2022, and they also make soft drinks and merch.
MugiOooh! A mad-scientist brewery? I’m instantly interested. It sounds like they brew in lab coats!
Hop BroTheir signature beer is Sake Lees IPA, an IPA brewed with sake lees from a sake brewery. It even won gold at the International Beer Cup.
MugiWait, what? An IPA with sake lees? Is it beer, is it sake, or is my brain just getting tipsy first?
Hop BroThat’s the fun part. Sake lees adds fermentation-driven aroma, kind of a soft layered fragrance. It gives the hop bitterness and aroma more depth.
MugiNo way, so hops and sake lees don’t fight each other, they actually team up?
Hop BroExactly. They also have staples like Kanbara Hazy and Kanbara Ale, and they do lots of small-batch seasonal and new releases. The event runs October 16 to 18 at Tsukuba Center Square, and admission is free.
MugiThat sounds perfect! I want to bring my own glass, start with the Sake Lees IPA, and then go straight for Kanbara Hazy and Kanbara Ale. Honestly, now I even want to pack a picnic sheet and a folding chair!
