Yamorido

Yamorido, on Fushimi's Ryomadori shopping street, is a little special. It's a brewpub renovated from a Kyoto machiya more than 150 years old, and the building originally used to be a tea shop called "Yasumoto Chaho" that dates back to the Meiji era.

What's more, they actually make tea there too. The concept is to inherit Japanese tea culture while also brewing new craft beer. Yamorido's theme is "a place to enjoy the old and create the new."

And the head brewer, Yuki Mori, is impressive too. He originally brewed for 5 and a half years at Yo-Ho Brewing, the company famous for Yona Yona Ale. After studying in the UK and experiencing pub culture, he entered the beer world and brought that experience to Yamorido.

They keep eight taps on rotation. "Destino" is an American pale ale with vivid aromas of lemon, dill, and pine. "Chakabuki" is a Japanese saison brewed in limited quantities with Uji tea and yuzu. And "Ushigoroshi" is a super fruity one that tastes almost like mango.

Exactly. They also brew together with Canadian brewer Smith Jordan, and they have a NEIPA called "Coup de Grace." Another interesting point is that the operating company, Rough International, is full of professionals who build beer factories and have designed brewery facilities for famous breweries across Japan.

What's more, they've decided not to ship outside Fushimi. They're committed to being local and keep brewing beer that you can only drink in this place. Fushimi has long been known as a town of water and sake, so brewing beer with that water really makes sense.