Craft Beer Brewery Terra

Craft Beer Brewery Terra in Teramachi, Joetsu, is run by a brewer who is an Italian chef featured in the Michelin Guide.

Hodaka Yokoi is 40 years old. He graduated from a culinary school in Osaka, trained in Italy, and is the real deal. He was featured in the 2020 Michelin Niigata guide as the chef of La Pentolaccia, an Italian restaurant in Joetsu. From there, he went on to learn beer brewing at wineries in Italy and at Eight Peaks Brewing in Nagano.

That is why the concept is "craft beer to enjoy with meals." It is brewed with pairings in mind. The name "Terra" means earth or terroir in Italian, and it also plays on the "tera" in Teramachi. They want to express the local character of Joetsu, where a fermentation-based food culture has taken root, through beer.

There's a beer called "Marrone." It's a 5.5% ale with roasted malt and chestnut notes, and it won a silver medal at the Japan Great Beer Awards 2026. Out of 819 entries, too.

They also make "Grano Ale," a fruity 5.0% beer with 50% of the malt replaced by wheat; "Grape Ale," a 5.0% beer where citrus meets malty sweetness; and "Doppio Malto," a 7.5% beer with a rich, complex flavor. The fact that all the names are in Italian is great too.

What's more, they use a relatively rare nationwide sales method: draft beer sold in 100 ml increments, and they fill it into a dedicated growler with CO2 replacement for exceptional freshness. The limited hours, only from noon to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, make it even more appealing.