Tokorozawa Beer to Serve Seven Smoke Craft Beers at the Keyaki Hiroba Beer Festival
Tokorozawa Beer says that its collaboration beer with VIVA LA ROCK, "VIVA HOP! 2026," sold out at the venue only, while at the Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival starting next week it will participate under its "Smoke Craft" brand. It will serve seven kinds of smoked beer on a rotating daily basis.
Hop BroTokorozawa Beer is making a Smoke Craft appearance at the Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival. And this time they're putting smoked malt front and center, serving seven different beers on a rotating daily basis, which is pretty bold, right?
MugiWhat, seven kinds!? Seven daily rotations is enough to make me get lost just deciding what to drink!
Hop BroAnd earlier, their collaboration with VIVA LA ROCK, VIVA HOP! 2026, sold out at the venue only. It was a 3.5% ABV beer designed to be as refreshing as grapefruit.
MugiOhh! But what's a low-ABV design? I get that it's low, but what was the goal?
Hop BroBasically, it's designed so you don't get tired of drinking and can enjoy several glasses. It has plenty of flavor to match the energy of the event, while keeping things light at 3.5% ABV.
MugiI see! So the Tokorozawa Beer signature is smoked beer. I always thought smoking was just for meat!
Hop BroThat's the interesting part: the aroma from smoked malt gives the beer its own smoked character. Body and finish change too, so if you taste several smoked beers side by side, the differences in personality really come through.
MugiWhoa, you're suddenly getting technical! Body and finish - so is it basically tasty? Light? Rich?
Hop BroExactly. It's about whether it flows lightly or lingers gently in your mouth. Tokorozawa Beer is a brewery in Kitahara-cho, Tokorozawa City, Saitama, and they apparently have the only smoked-beer technician in Japan on site, so I'd want to grill them with questions.
MugiWhat, there's someone like that!? So it's basically a festival where you can ask the makers instead of just drinking.
Hop BroExactly. It's a place where you can soak up the depth of smoked beer while enjoying the festival's big energy. At this point, both me and Mugi-chan are basically saying we'd want a glass right now.
MugiYeah, it's decided today! I want to do a tasting at Keyaki and fall into the smoked-beer rabbit hole!
Tokorozawa Beer is a brewery based in Kitahara-cho, Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture. It has one of its signature strengths in smoked beer, and in this announcement it says it will take part in the Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival under the "Smoke Craft" brand.
Earlier, the original beer "VIVA HOP! 2026," a collaboration with VIVA LA ROCK, appeared. It was introduced as a low-ABV beer designed at 3.5% ABV with a refreshing grapefruit-like character, and sales were limited to the VIVA LA ROCK venue. It has already sold out and is now marked sold out.
At the main event, the Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival, Tokorozawa Beer will go all in with only the Smoke Craft lineup. The article says it will offer seven all-smoked beers in a daily rotating lineup, making the fun of side-by-side tasting very clear. Because you can drink while following differences in the aroma of the smoked malt, body, and finish, it should be an exhibitor smoked-beer fans won't want to miss.
In addition, it says the venue will also have the only smoked-beer technician in Japan on site. Being able to ask directly about the beer-making process and aroma differences is a Tokorozawa Beer hallmark even amid the festival bustle. In a large craft beer event, how will they build smoked beers that put personality front and center? Tokorozawa Beer’s booth looks like the place to find that answer through tasting.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the venue’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroTokorozawa Beer is making a Smoke Craft appearance at the Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival. And this time they're putting smoked malt front and center, serving seven different beers on a rotating daily basis, which is pretty bold, right?
MugiWhat, seven kinds!? Seven daily rotations is enough to make me get lost just deciding what to drink!
Hop BroAnd earlier, their collaboration with VIVA LA ROCK, VIVA HOP! 2026, sold out at the venue only. It was a 3.5% ABV beer designed to be as refreshing as grapefruit.
MugiOhh! But what's a low-ABV design? I get that it's low, but what was the goal?
Hop BroBasically, it's designed so you don't get tired of drinking and can enjoy several glasses. It has plenty of flavor to match the energy of the event, while keeping things light at 3.5% ABV.
MugiI see! So the Tokorozawa Beer signature is smoked beer. I always thought smoking was just for meat!
Hop BroThat's the interesting part: the aroma from smoked malt gives the beer its own smoked character. Body and finish change too, so if you taste several smoked beers side by side, the differences in personality really come through.
MugiWhoa, you're suddenly getting technical! Body and finish - so is it basically tasty? Light? Rich?
Hop BroExactly. It's about whether it flows lightly or lingers gently in your mouth. Tokorozawa Beer is a brewery in Kitahara-cho, Tokorozawa City, Saitama, and they apparently have the only smoked-beer technician in Japan on site, so I'd want to grill them with questions.
MugiWhat, there's someone like that!? So it's basically a festival where you can ask the makers instead of just drinking.
Hop BroExactly. It's a place where you can soak up the depth of smoked beer while enjoying the festival's big energy. At this point, both me and Mugi-chan are basically saying we'd want a glass right now.
MugiYeah, it's decided today! I want to do a tasting at Keyaki and fall into the smoked-beer rabbit hole!
