Hida Craft Beer

When people hear Hida Takayama, they usually think of old streets and sightseeing, but there’s actually a long-established brewery that’s been making beer since 1996: Hida Craft Beer. They’ve been doing it with a small, elite team for nearly 30 years now.

And get this: it was the first brewery in the industry to work on beer production using solar panels. Right near the sightseeing area with Hida no Sato and the Hida Takayama Museum of Art, they’re brewing while also making use of natural energy.

And Hida White is really interesting too. It blends wheat malt with rice from Shirakawa-go. It has a faint rice aroma and a mild acidity. It won a gold medal at the Japan Great Beer Awards.

Hida Black is a dark lager with a solid roasted-malt aroma, but it goes down smooth and light. It won bronze at the International Beer Cup 2023. It’s really being recognized on the international stage too.

Also, there’s a Takayama-exclusive beer called Sarubobo Beer, a kölsch brewed with a blend of German Hallertau hops and Czech Saaz hops. It has a bright aroma and a crisp finish, and you can only buy it if you go there in person.

Hida Yuzu is a fruit sparkling beer made with yuzu from Kami-noho in Gifu Prefecture, and it also won a Great Beer Awards prize. For White Day, they even offer a gift set with A5-grade Hida beef salami, so the whole concept feels like it’s packed with Hida ingredients.