Gora Brewery and Grill

The Gora Brewery in Hakone Gora is on another level. It was produced by world-renowned chef NOBU, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, and the building was designed by Hiroshi Nakamura, who won the international architectural award, the LEAF Award.

Exactly. And even more amazing is the pillar inside. It uses a sacred cedar tree, about 185 years old, that fell after being struck by lightning at Hakone Shrine. The red standalone building even has a foot bath next to it.

The brewers are Tatsuya Kashiwada and Takaaki Yokono. They were both former chefs, and their brewing skills started from zero. They trained at RISE & WIN Brewing Co. in Tokushima and began brewing in January 2018.

Exactly. The beers are designed with food pairings in mind. The flagship, Hakone Kohaku, is a Belgian witbier made with coriander and wheat malt, and it won gold at the International Beer Cup 2018.

Urushi is a Japanese blonde ale, Kuro-Obi is a stout, and RISING SUN IPA is an IPA packed with Cascade and Mosaic hops. HAZY JUICE has also won a silver award. It has also won silver for IPA at the Japan Great Beer Awards, and placed in the Imperial Hazy category.

Yes, 100% Hakone natural water. That's the base, so every beer has a clean finish. The food includes NOBU-style teppanyaki and ceviche, plus lamb chops grilled over charcoal and in a stone oven, shared on a cutting board. It's a 10-minute walk from Gora Station, so there's no reason not to include it in a Hakone trip.