OOTORI BEER

Have you heard of "OOTORI BEER," which opened in Otori, Sakai? They renovated the building of a former pachinko parlor next to Otori Wings and installed the brewing tanks right inside.

Exactly. That is why the inside is huge. It has 120 seats, and it really feels more like a beer hall. Four brewing tanks are visible behind glass, so you can drink freshly made beer right there.

Their main beer, "Ootori Craft Beer," is a pale ale made by blending malt from the UK and Germany and finishing it with hops from the US. It has a citrus aroma and a firm bitterness, and many people who have actually tried it say it is easy to drink and lacks the quirks often found in craft beer.

They also have a citrus-style ale called "Mikan Ale," which leans more fruity. The pricing is aggressive too, at 500 yen for a medium and 800 yen for a large, so it feels like they are aiming for a blue-pub that people can use every day.

They are open straight through from 11:00, with set meals at lunch and food matched to beer at night, like Sichuan-style saliva chicken, deep-fried Awaji sudachi chicken, and pizza with five-cheese topping and honey. It is a 5-minute walk from Otori Station, and very close to the intersection famous for danjiri festival turns.

Since it just opened, the beer lineup will probably keep growing. The Otori area of Sakai is also getting attention because of redevelopment, so I am looking forward to seeing how it develops as a locally rooted brewpub.