Taisetsuchi Beer Hall

Taisetsuchi Beer Hall is a brewery restaurant near Asahikawa Station that uses a Meiji-era brick warehouse, the former Kamikawa Warehouse. The building was designated a Registered Tangible Cultural Property by the national government in 2001.

It opened in 1996, and what's interesting is that it was founded with investment from more than 50 local companies. It carries the local wish to become a hub for Asahikawa's food culture.

And the awards are impressive. It won the Japan Beer Grand Prix in 2000, the Japan Beer Cup in 2001, the International Beer Competition in 2002, and the National Sake Contest in 2003. It took major domestic contests four years in a row.

'Taisetsu Pilsner' won at the Japan Beer Cup and the National Liquor Contest. It's a classic pilsner made with 100% malt. 'Kera Pirka' is another staple, and its name means 'delicious' in Ainu.

They are meticulous about ingredients too, using water from the Taisetsu mountain range and local produce from around Asahikawa in a farm-to-table style. They also make a collaborative craft beer brewed with water from Asahikawa's long-established sake brewery Otokoyama, and they have an IPA called 'IPA Akatsuki,' so they are not afraid to push boundaries.

Absolutely. They also have a second brewing base in Takikawa, the Takikawa Craft Beer Workshop, so they're a long-standing brewery that continues to support Hokkaido's craft beer culture.