Koshien Outfield Brewery

What kind of brewery is Koshien Outfield Brewery?

hop excitedHop Bro

Koshien Outfield Brewery. The guy there, Yasuyuki Takagi, has such an interesting background. He’s from Fukuoka, lived in Koshien for over ten years, got shocked by craft beer from a tiny brewery, then did hands-on brewing at Wakayama Brewery, helped launch a brewery at Kibi Dotenka Beer in Okayama, and finally trained seriously at Vector Brewing in Tokyo.

mugi surprisedMugi

What? Wakayama, Okayama, and Tokyo!? He really trained all over the country!

hop proudHop Bro

Exactly. Then in April 2025 it first opened as a beer bar, and in June it got its brewing license and started brewing in-house. Its first commemorative house-brewed beer was a session IPA called "PLAY BALL."

mugi happyMugi

PLAY BALL! It’s named that because it’s near Koshien Stadium! What does it taste like?

hop excitedHop Bro

It uses Citra as a single-hop beer, with bright grapefruit and lime aromas and a firm bitterness. ABV 4.8%, IBU 63. Takagi has a philosophy of "bringing out the character of the malt," and there’s a kind of purity in competing with just one type of hop.

mugi thinkingMugi

Ohh! So with a single-hop beer, the hop’s personality comes through directly?

hop normalHop Bro

Exactly. There’s nowhere to hide, so your skill gets tested. They also have an English pale ale called "Koshien Spirits," which is characterized by a strong caramel-like maltiness. Since they switch to the next beer when the keg runs dry, you’ll find a different beer every time you go.

mugi excitedMugi

Different every time!? That makes me want to keep going back. It’s just a 5-minute walk from Hanshin Koshien Station, right?

hop normalHop Bro

Five minutes on foot from the station. You can see the brewing equipment from the glass-fronted entrance, and Takagi says he wants it to be a place where local people naturally gather and conversations start flowing. It’s a great spot to drop by after a baseball game.

mugi happyMugi

Watching baseball at Koshien and then toasting with PLAY BALL afterward sounds perfect! I also saw an article saying they were handing out chocolate on Valentine’s Day, so it seems like such a warm, welcoming place.

Signature beers: PLAY BALLKoshien Spirits

articles about bars serving beers from Koshien Outfield Brewery

Nishinomiya craft beer spots in