Yotei Brewing

Address
Hokkaido, 176-146 Toyosato, Niseko Town, Abuta District
Area
Hokkaido Niseko Town, Abuta District

What kind of brewery is Yotei Brewing?

hop excitedHop Bro

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.

mugi surprisedMugi

What! They quit IT to make beer? That's such a bold move!

hop normalHop Bro

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.

mugi movedMugi

Wow... a husband-and-wife team making beer at the foot of Mount Yotei really feels like a drama.

hop excitedHop Bro

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.

mugi thinkingMugi

The brand names are abbreviations in alphabet letters. Stylish.

hop proudHop Bro

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.

mugi surprisedMugi

What! I want to try that hazy IPA! Is there somewhere to drink it in Niseko?

hop happyHop Bro

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.

mugi excitedMugi

Craft beer at a ski resort! That's amazing! I heard it's also offered as a hometown tax return gift.

hop normalHop Bro

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.

Signature beers: CTLYSTLDGLNEXPDTNFRCTN

Niseko craft beer spots in