Saien Microbrewery with Kitchen

Saien Microbrewery with Kitchen in Morioka is a brewpub produced by Baeren Brewery, and the key point is that it deliberately doesn't carry the "Baeren" name.

It's a sign of the intent to make it a place for brewing more challenging and ambitious beers, unconstrained by the beers Baeren has made until now. Managing Director Yoichi Shimada said he wants to create new beers while talking with customers, so it's positioned as an experimental space.

There's a glass-walled brewing area inside the shop, and each batch is 200 liters, run through four tanks. It's the first microbrewery in downtown Morioka, and it opened in 2017 after renovating the directly operated restaurant Cucina. You can watch the brewing process while drinking freshly made beer.

They have eight taps, ranging from Baeren's standard beers to limited-edition Saien originals. Recently, they released a new "Hop Cider," a dry cider accented with Citra hops, and it's pretty bold too.

They even hold collaborative beer events with Mikkeller. That's the hugely famous Danish brewery, you know? Being able to have a Mikkeller beer event in Morioka is kind of amazing, isn't it?

You can buy beer to go by weight starting from 100 grams. If you bring your own container, there's no container fee. You can buy both Saien Craft and Baeren, so it's useful for drinking at home too. It's about a 15-minute walk from Morioka Station, so it's easy to stop by while traveling.