Helios Naha Airport Brewery

Did you know there’s a brewery on the 4th floor of the international terminal at Naha Airport? It’s called Helios Naha Airport Brewery, and it’s Japan’s first craft brewery inside an airport.

Exactly. The parent company, Helios Distillery, is a long-established Okinawan maker that started out producing rum in 1961. It’s also known for "Kura," an aged awamori. And in 1996, it became a pioneer by starting craft beer brewing in Okinawa for the first time.

Building on that history, they opened a brewery at the airport. When you sit at the counter, the design lets you see planes on the runway through the beer taps. They even have well-worn beer taps that have been in use since 1996.

The "Imperial Lager" brewed at the airport uses three kinds of hops and is characterized by a grape-like aroma and a crisp bitterness. They also serve "Blue Sky and Sea Beer," delivered from the main Nago factory, a South German-style weizen with a fruity aroma that makes it very easy to drink.

Yes. "Goya DRY" is especially impressive. It’s made using 100% Okinawa-grown bitter melon sourced directly from farmers. First comes the hop bitterness, and after that fades, the refreshing flavor of bitter melon follows. That "delay in bitterness" is what makes it so addictive.

And on top of that, Goya DRY won gold on its first entry at the International Beer Competition 2011, and also took home both the Kanagawa Prefectural Governor’s Award and the Yokohama Mayor’s Award at the Japan Beer Festival Yokohama. Altogether, that makes it a triple crown.