Lit Work Place

Lit Work Place in front of Hanamaki Station is a complex facility with bagels and coffee in the morning and 12 craft beer taps at night, and its first floor houses its own brewery, "BrewBeast."

Exactly, it's right by the east exit of JR Hanamaki Station. It's run by Ryo Takahashi, a Hanamaki native who originally aimed to become a professional snowboarder, but had to give it up because of an injury.

Takahashi is deeply committed to making Hanamaki a city that young people can be proud of. It seems he arrived at craft beer as a way to create something local people could brag about. Brewing began in 2019, and now they operate five locations in the city.

The one to watch is "Fresh Hop IBUKI IPA." It uses 4 kg of freeze-crushed fresh hops from the IBUKI hop variety grown in Tono, and compared with a typical IPA, it keeps the bitterness down while bringing out a bright, floral aroma. It also has a clean finish and is easy to drink.

They also make fruit beers using local grapes and apples, as well as collaboration beers with other breweries. They expanded their brewery in the fall of 2023, so the lineup has probably grown too. Including beers sourced from breweries across Japan, they have 12 taps, which makes choosing fun.

With the all-you-can-drink course, you can pour your own beer from the tap. Right next to the brewery, too. Hanamaki is strongly associated with Kenji Miyazawa, but it's becoming interesting as a craft beer city as well.