Odawara Garage Brewing

In Odawara, there's a brewery started by someone who left an advertising agency to go independent. It's called Odawara Garage Brewing.

The brewer, Hiroshi Muto, spent more than a decade at an advertising agency, but after being blown away by craft beer culture in San Diego, he switched to the food and beverage industry. He ran a bar in Hinodecho, Yokohama while learning brewing techniques at Numazu Craft, and opened the brewery in Odawara in 2023.

What's interesting is that Muto says he wants to make not so much "craft beer" as "local beer." He wants it to be something nearby that local people can drink casually, not something niche.

"NAVIGATOR IPA" uses three hop varieties - Strata, Motueka, and El Dorado - and has a tropical aroma with restrained bitterness, making it easy to drink. ABV 6.5%. Then there's "Juro Plum Saison," which uses Juro plums, a specialty of Odawara, combined with Nelson Sauvin and Citra hops. It's a 7.5% saison with a strong plum finish.

They make beers like "Anbai," brewed with plum vinegar containing red shiso, and "Ju-Low," made with ripe Juro plums, so a lot of their beers lean heavily on Odawara ingredients. There are usually 7 to 8 taps on at all times, and many of the beers have lower ABVs, so they are recommended even for craft beer beginners.

The exterior has an industrial look with emerald-green galvanized metal and wood, and inside it's styled like an American garage, with mint-green walls decorated with retro fans and motorcycle helmets. The first floor is the brewery and the second floor is the taproom. It's a 7-minute walk from Odawara Station, right next to Midoricho Station on the Daiyuzan Line.