Yotei Brewing

Yotei Brewing has such a great origin story. The president, Mariko Owa, and her husband Hiroaki both used to work at IT companies, but their love of beer led them to say, "Let's make it ourselves," and they moved from Tokyo to Niseko.

They also shared snowboarding as a hobby, and when they came to Niseko to ride, they naturally fell in love with the place. They found a site with a panoramic view of Mount Yotei and made the decision on the spot. They moved there in 2021, built a 50-square-meter brewery next to their house, and started with three 300-liter tanks.

What makes it even better is that they started brewing with absolutely no prior experience and taught themselves by learning from nearby breweries. And the beers they make are pretty bold too. CTLYST, their American pale ale, is fruity with a perfect balance of bitterness and aroma.

LDGLN is an IPA made with single-hop Citra, and its citrus aroma really hits hard. EXPDTN is a hazy IPA with tropical fruit notes and a smooth, velvety mouthfeel. They import most of their hops directly from the U.S. and use contracted hops to keep quality consistent.

There's a tap installed in the rest house at Niseko Annupuri International Ski Area. Being able to drink a freshly made hazy IPA after snowboarding is exactly the kind of "beer you can gulp down after an activity" that the Owa couple set out to create.

Exactly. Niseko Town offers an assorted set of 6 or 24 bottles as a furusato tax return gift. The pale ale "A Green Day" is apparently included too. A husband-and-wife team from IT backgrounds running a family business and sending out world-class, hop-forward beer from the foot of Mount Yotei really shows what makes today's craft beer scene so interesting.