Niseko Lupicia Brewery

Niseko Lupicia Brewery has a fascinating backstory. You know LUPICIA? The tea specialty shop.

Yeah. The spark was when Chairman Hiroki Mizuguchi encountered local beer culture in Europe and was impressed by the idea that beer has the power to bring people closer together. In 2020, they moved the company headquarters entirely from Tokyo to Niseko and launched the brewery.

The brewing team is distinctive too. Plant manager Hiroaki Rachi came from R&D at a major food manufacturer and had done microbial research in Hokkaido. The early team also included Yabuki, a former pastry chef, so it's basically a group of food professionals who went all in on beer.

They use an unfiltered method with Yotei Mountain spring water and ship 300,000 bottles a year. The flagship "Niseko Words" is a Hazy IPA at 6.5% ABV, and they also have a tea-shop-only beer called "Earl Grey Darjeeling."

They also make a very limited smoothie ale called "Matcha," and it really feels like Lupicia's tea expertise has merged completely into beer. They even have fruit-forward beers like "Raspberry Black," so their approach is pretty unconventional.

In Niseko, there's a food resort facility called "Villa Lupicia" with a restaurant and boutique, where you can taste freshly brewed beer on the spot. A drink while looking out at Mount Yotei must be something special.