Dotonbori Beer Brewery

Dotonbori Beer Brewery is an essential name when talking about Osaka craft beer. It has been around since the early days of local Osaka beer, with a brewery established inside the Osaka Shochikuza in 1996.

It was started by founder Masahiko Ohgaki, driven by a single goal: to let people in Osaka drink fresh, delicious draft beer made right here. They obtained their beer production license in 1997 and have been brewing for nearly 30 years now. Today, his son Takuji Ohgaki has taken over as president.

Their concept is unique: "draft beer that goes well with Japanese cuisine." They use 100% malt with no adjuncts at all, and employ top fermentation with water from Osaka, the city of water. Their standard lineup consists of three beers: Osaka Kölsch, Osaka Alt, and Osaka Porter. All of them are light and easy to drink, to the point that they are often described as beginner-friendly.

Osaka Kölsch has a fruity flavor, Osaka Alt is marked by a gentle hop bitterness, and Osaka Porter is a top-fermented dark beer with a rich body. The clean, crisp design never gets in the way of delicate Japanese flavors, so pairing it with kushikatsu or dashi-based dishes works really well.

Of course at the brewery restaurant in Dotonbori, but there is also "Dotonbori Craft Beer Brewery" in Namba CITY, a 200-plus-seat location with a striking semi-basement atrium that feels very open. Seating options range from counters to private rooms, and plenty of people use it for dates. There is also a standing bar inside Osaka Namba Station.

That's right, they don't make bottles or cans. They focus only on freshly made draft beer, so you can only drink it here. As the only craft beer brewery in Dotonbori, it's great that they have become rooted in the Minami district.