Moon and Sun Brewing

Moon and Sun Brewing in Sapporo has quite a story behind it, led by its representative, Yuji Moriya. He originally trained for 10 years as a chef, and when he struck out on his own, he chose the then-rare brewpub format.

Mostly self-taught. He read every homebrewing book he could find in bookstores and learned by visiting breweries all over Hokkaido and helping out on site. He opened in 2014 after just 10 months.

The following year, in 2015, it won the runner-up prize at the Sapporo Venture Grand Prix. Its concept is "Turning Hokkaido into a craft beer kingdom." Now it also has a brewery in Shiraishi Ward, and every beer it makes is a limited release.

For example, there's a Citra single-hop lager called "The Sun Rises and Repeats Itself," and a smoked ale called "Yearning for the Haze." Even the names are poetic, aren't they? More recently they've also released beers like Breezy Motueka, made with Motueka hops, and a Baltic Porter.

They also brewed a commemorative beer for the 20th anniversary of Sapporo's Kiyota Ward, so their ties to the local community run deep. Their flagship location has 10 taps along the Toyohira River, and it's fun that different beers are always on tap whenever you visit.