Kobe Minato Beer

Kobe Minato Beer. The head brewer here, Yoji Okada, is really fired up. He's a die-hard beer lover who has been traveling around the country to drink local craft beers since he was 20.

Before this, he worked in food as a delivery lunch courier. He's long dreamed of becoming a manufacturer, and as he got more into craft beer, he decided to brew it himself. He took brewing classes in Tokyo and trained at Kiuchi Brewery in Ibaraki and at the Hitachino Nest Brewing Lab in Kanda.

He started making beer in 2014 by borrowing equipment from another brewery, and the following year, in 2015, he and his co-owner Kaori Takeuchi opened the brewpub "Kobe Minato Beer" in Shinkaichi.

It's a downtown area often called "Kobe's B-side." It's an old-school drinking district, completely different from the stylish atmosphere of Sannomiya. A white container-style building stands one minute on foot from the west ticket gate, and a navy noren curtain marks the spot. That contrast between the downtown feel and craft beer is part of the charm.

The four regular beers are Golden Ale, Pale Ale, White Ale, and Brown Ale. Okada's top pick is the Golden Ale, which combines multiple kinds of malt to create a richer, fuller flavor. The White Ale uses 60 to 70 percent wheat and is designed to be easy to drink with a subtle banana aroma.

They use the concept of "Japanese-style beer" and aim to make beers that blend Kobe water with fruit, herbs, and grains in a Japanese-Western fusion style. In addition to the four regular beers, they always have two seasonal limited editions. They even opened a second location in Takatsuki, and they're steadily expanding from Shinkaichi's downtown streets.