Akashi Brewery Workshop Toki

Akashi Brewery Workshop "Toki" is a brewpub opened by Toshio Kiyohara, who used to be a design engineer at a water heater manufacturer and then quit his salaryman job to start this place.

Kiyohara apparently came across Koenji Beer Kobo in Tokyo online and was blown away. He fell in love with the brewpub format, where a brewery is attached and freshly made beer is served on the spot. Being able to see customers' reactions directly probably really appealed to his maker mindset.

Their flagship is a pale ale called "GENTEN." As the name suggests, it's a beer that goes back to basics, using British malt and British and German hops. They also make a light IPA called "HOP." With eight taps available year-round and one or two varieties changing each month, it has a real once-in-a-lifetime feel.

Yes, and what's interesting here is that it's self-service. Customers wash their own mugs and keep using the same one for refills. That keeps prices down and makes local beer easy to enjoy. They wanted to break the image that "craft beer is expensive."

Also, they get shiso and basil from nearby farmers and brew seasonal beers with them. They have a red shiso beer called "Akaishi no Shiso," which feels like they turned Akashi's local ingredients directly into beer. The farmers are said to be happy that their produce becomes beer too.

It's about a six-minute walk west from JR Akashi Station. They opened the shop in 2016, and the in-house brewing equipment was completed the following year. Because he's from an engineering background, he tries and refines each recipe every time, constantly improving quality without locking in a fixed standard lineup. It really feels like beer making by a technician, which is cool.