Hop Kotan Brewing

What kind of brewery is Hop Kotan Brewing?

hop excitedHop Bro

Hop Kotan Brewing is a really interesting brewery. "Hop" + "Kotan" (kotan means "village" in Ainu) gives it the meaning "the village of hops."

mugi surprisedMugi

That's amazing! So it's Ainu language. It's in Kamifurano, right?

hop proudHop Bro

Right. Kamifurano is the only town in Hokkaido where hops are commercially grown, and the brewery has its own hop farm there called "OUR HOP FARM." The representative, Takayuki Tsutsumino, was born in Sapporo in 1975. After learning brewing techniques at a beer ingredients company, he trained in Canada, served as a director at North Island Beer, and then went independent in 2017 to launch this brewery.

mugi surprisedMugi

Wait, he worked at North Island Beer too?!

hop normalHop Bro

Yeah. And their motto is "brew every beer with local hops." The standard ORIGINALS lineup uses 100% Kamifurano-grown hops. There's Upopo, a pilsner; Nonno, a pale ale; and Haskapu, a fruit saison made with haskap. Even the names all come from Ainu.

mugi happyMugi

Upopo and Nonno! Those names are so cute...! A haskap saison sounds absolutely delicious.

hop excitedHop Bro

Tsutsumino said that fresh and dried local hops are as different as grapes and raisins. Because the hops vary each year, the beer tastes different from one vintage to the next even with the same recipe. He wants people to enjoy that like wine. It's a small team of five brewers, and even label application and bottling are done by hand.

mugi movedMugi

Beer with a vintage feel is so new...! I love how you can see the hands of the makers behind it.

hop normalHop Bro

They're also actively releasing new beers. "HOP IN MY HEAD," an American IPA, comes in at 6.0% ABV and 55 IBU with Kamifurano hops turned all the way up. They also make things like "Umemigachi," a plum saison, and in the FREEDOMS series they challenge a different style each time.

mugi excitedMugi

I love the sense of humor in the name "Umemigachi"! And they have a directly run bar called BEER KOTAN in Sapporo, right? I want to go!

hop happyHop Bro

It sounds like their future goal is to use Kamifurano-grown barley too, aiming for a beer made 100% from Kamifurano ingredients. They also use water from the Tokachidake spring, so it's really beer you drink as if you're tasting the whole land.

Signature beers: Upopo (Pilsner)Nonno (Pale Ale)Haskapu (Fruit Saison)HOP IN MY HEAD (American IPA)Umemigachi (Ume Saison)
Hop Kotan Brewing unveils 'Totonou' Session Pale Ale
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hop Kotan Brewing unveils 'Totonou' Session Pale Ale

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hopkotan Brewing Releases New AKIRA Series Beer, "AKIRA Bayashi" Märzen
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hopkotan Brewing Releases New AKIRA Series Beer, "AKIRA Bayashi" Märzen

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hoppukotan Brewing Bottles Its Regular 'HOP KOTAN ORIGINALS' upopo
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hoppukotan Brewing Bottles Its Regular 'HOP KOTAN ORIGINALS' upopo

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewery Introduces "Crossroads," a Collab IPA Commemorating BLACK TIDE's 5th Anniversary
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing Collab

Hop Kotan Brewery Introduces "Crossroads," a Collab IPA Commemorating BLACK TIDE's 5th Anniversary

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewing Reveals April New Releases 'Full Throttle' and 'Ignition'
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hop Kotan Brewing Reveals April New Releases 'Full Throttle' and 'Ignition'

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewing Unveils April Limited Releases 'Full Throttle' and 'Ignition'
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hop Kotan Brewing Unveils April Limited Releases 'Full Throttle' and 'Ignition'

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hoppokotan Brewing Announces April New Release "Ignition" Session IPL
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hoppokotan Brewing Announces April New Release "Ignition" Session IPL

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hoppukotan Brewing Introduces New Hop-Forward American IPA “Full Throttle”
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hoppukotan Brewing Introduces New Hop-Forward American IPA “Full Throttle”

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hoppukotan Brewing Announces a New Beer on April 2 from Its Kamifurano Brewery
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hoppukotan Brewing Announces a New Beer on April 2 from Its Kamifurano Brewery

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewing Launches New Session IPL "Ignition", Crisp and Refreshing with Simcoe and Motueka
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hop Kotan Brewing Launches New Session IPL "Ignition", Crisp and Refreshing with Simcoe and Motueka

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hoppokotan Brewing Releases Four New FREEDOMS Beers Unveiled on March 26
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hoppokotan Brewing Releases Four New FREEDOMS Beers Unveiled on March 26

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewing Announces New Hop-Forward IPA "HOP IN MY HEAD"
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hop Kotan Brewing Announces New Hop-Forward IPA "HOP IN MY HEAD"

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewing launches a new 3-bottle set in its web shop, and now supports multiple 6-bottle set purchases
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing Info

Hop Kotan Brewing launches a new 3-bottle set in its web shop, and now supports multiple 6-bottle set purchases

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewing Announces New Plum-Infused "Umemigachi" Ume Saison
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hop Kotan Brewing Announces New Plum-Infused "Umemigachi" Ume Saison

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Kofukotan Brewing Announces New Plum-Scented Saison, "Ume Migachi"
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Kofukotan Brewing Announces New Plum-Scented Saison, "Ume Migachi"

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hopkotan Brewing Announces New Beer "Seiran," Releases Cold IPA on March 12
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hopkotan Brewing Announces New Beer "Seiran," Releases Cold IPA on March 12

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewing Announces New Cold IPA "Seiran"; Rollout Begins Sequentially From This Weekend
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hop Kotan Brewing Announces New Cold IPA "Seiran"; Rollout Begins Sequentially From This Weekend

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewery to Exhibit Again at Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival 2026
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing Event

Hop Kotan Brewery to Exhibit Again at Keyaki Hiroba Spring Beer Festival 2026

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hoppotan Brewing Announces West Coast Pale Ale "Fiction"
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hoppotan Brewing Announces West Coast Pale Ale "Fiction"

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town
Hop Kotan Brewing Announces a New Release on February 26, with Attention on FREEDOMS New Labels
BreweryHop Kotan Brewing New Release

Hop Kotan Brewing Announces a New Release on February 26, with Attention on FREEDOMS New Labels

Hokkaido Kamifurano Town

articles about bars serving beers from Hop Kotan Brewing

Kamifurano craft beer spots in