Spring Valley Brewery Kyoto

Spring Valley Brewery Kyoto is Kirin Beer’s craft beer base, but it’s not just a big company’s experimental outlet. The name “Spring Valley” itself comes from the brewery name of William Copeland, who opened Japan’s first beer brewery in Yokohama in 1870, and it represents a return to the origins of Japanese beer.

What’s more, the building is amazing too. It’s a more-than-100-year-old machiya right near Nishiki Market, renovated from a former clinic. Since opening in 2017, it has focused on the theme of “tradition and innovation.”

And the head brewer since October 2019, Shuntaro Tsuji, is another impressive figure. He’s a brewer getting attention within Kirin, with many awards from international competitions. What he pursues is “uniqueness” - the belief in making beer that can only be created in Kyoto.

It’s the Kyoto-exclusive “Kyoto YOSANO IPA.” It’s a Japanese IPA made with 100% fresh hops grown in Yosano Town, Kyoto Prefecture, with 6.5% ABV. It features bright citrus aromas and refined bitterness. In the 2024 Japan Great Beer Awards, it won gold in the Fresh Hop category and silver in the Emerging IPA category, and it also won silver at the International Beer Award in Austria.

Yosano Town started hop cultivation in 2015 as part of its town branding. From there, Tsuji is also using Kyoto-grown barley and wheat, aiming for beer made with all Kyoto-sourced ingredients. They even have a small 100-liter fermentation tank, so it’s an environment where they can keep trying experimental beers while watching customer reactions.

The food concept is also “wa-craft,” with pairings of beer and dishes made from seasonal ingredients. Everything from appetizers to dessert is designed to match the beer. After eating your way through Nishiki Market, ending here is the golden Kyoto sightseeing route.