Iwanai Brewery & Hotel

Iwanai Brewery & Hotel is built on what feels like the very roots of Japanese beer history. There’s a record that in 1871, American mining engineer Thomas Antisell discovered Japan’s first wild hop right here in Iwanai Town.

Exactly. And the person who combined the brewery and hotel into one was Takashi Arai, also known as 'Wakadanna.' He was a Guinness fan from around 2002, but in 2017 he was hit by the shock of IPA and fell headfirst into the craft beer rabbit hole, finally deciding to build his own brewery.

Brewmaster Kota Tanaka is interesting too. He’s the research type who keeps joining brewing experiences and bombarding the plant manager with questions. And what these two use for brewing water is deep seawater from off the coast of Iwanai.

For example, a pilsner called 'Everyday' uses rye, giving it a spicy, refreshing crispness, while the mineral character of the deep seawater supports it underneath. 'Hop Machine' lives up to its name, with twice the usual amount of hops for a citrus aroma that really bursts out. Both won awards at JGBA 2026. Malty won silver, and Everyday won bronze.

Exactly. It’s a globally rare brewery-adjacent hotel, with the brewery and beer bar in the basement, and you can drink fresh beer on the terrace while taking in the highland breeze. On top of that, you can also enjoy the hot spring and sauna in the main building next door.

And since 2021, they’ve also started growing their own hops near the brewery, releasing limited beers brewed with fresh hops harvested every summer in the fall. I think it’s great that they’re cultivating new hops in the birthplace of Japanese hops.