I missed my chance four years ago to head to the Hokkaido Sapporo Beer Factory, luckily I live not far from the Asahi Brewery. It will hold me over until I get a chance to head up to Sapporo ^^. It’s less than a 3 minute walk from the train station, and not hard to miss.
From the exterior, my first thought was that Asahi was the Willy-Wonka factory of beer. Inside, was really neat and clean, especially the equipment when it wasn’t being used. We went on the weekend when everyone had the day off, but we were still able to see the equipment that were at a standstill. It was a pretty cool day despite the rain.
Asahi Beer Tour
During the tour, Asahi was also promoting the green program it implemented. For example, the roof is lined with solar panels, which lights the building all year long. The recycle program of cans and bottles are recycled to make the company uniforms, and various other products.
At one point during the tour we stopped by a counter that showed samples of the main ingredients Asahi would use in their beers. The open bowls are meant for picking up and feeling the ingredients, while bottled sources are designated tasting samples.
Open counter bowls for feeling ingredients.
Edible ingredient samples.
Beer Sampling
After the tour we got 20 minutes to sample 3 beers. There was also unlimited tasting for non-alcoholic beverages; which in convenient for those that don’t like beer, or for parents that brought their kids along. The counter staff also offers half glasses of beer in case someone doesn’t want a full glass.
Seating is arranged by group reservation, so almost every party had their own table. Signs were arranged on tables with names written in either kanji or katakana. There was also a basket filled with a set of light beer snacks and wet napkins for each person.
The beers on tap were regular, dark and cherry imported from Belgium. The cherry flavor isn’t available for purchase, it’s a seasonal special brought in specifically for the Sakura (cherry blossom) season. Out of the three, the “regular” beer was my favorite. It tastes REALLY good when fresh!
Cherry Beer for Sakura season.
BC Roll in Japan 