YUDANAKA BREWERY COMPLEX U

Did you know that in Yudanaka Onsen there’s a complex facility with a hot spring inn and a brewery? It’s called YUDANAKA BREWERY COMPLEX U.

It’s run by the long-established inn "Aburaya Tousen," which has been around for more than 50 years. It opened in 2022, about a 7-minute walk from Yudanaka Station. It’s not just a brewery, either - there’s a day-use hot spring, a sauna, a chocolate workshop, a restaurant, and even a foot bath.

And the concept is "aroma craft beer." With hot springs, food, and nature as its themes, it places huge emphasis on aroma. Beer is 85% water, right? Here they use natural mineral water from snowmelt drawn up on-site.

For example, there’s "Aka no Mori," a red ale. It uses Shinshu-grown black apples called "Aikou," and layers the aromas of cinnamon over four kinds of malt, with the sweet-tart taste of apples and the sweetness of maple. It’s designed to pair with desserts.

The standard "Yuagari Ale" is a pale ale made for that first drink after a bath. YUDANAKA IPA is a fruity, hop-heavy beer. "Shiro no Mori" is a herb ale, and "Ao no Mori" is an amber ale made with hinoki chips. The Forest series really feels like forest bathing.

At JGBA 2024, Shiro no Mori won silver and Champagne Ale won bronze. Champagne Ale is a champagne wheat ale with 6.5% alcohol, and it’s the flagship of the premium line. They even make a sake-style beer called Sake Ale.