Where to? Minoh Brewery in Osaka, Japan

Why you’ll love it: Hyper local Minoh Brewery, located about 30 minutes outside of Osaka, is a beer lover’s paradise. Originally founded in 1997 by Masaji Ohshita, the grandaddy of craft beer in Japan, the tiny brewery is now run by Ohshita’s daughters and wife since his passing in 2012. Minoh Beer has won a boatload of awards, especially for its silky smooth stout.

If you take the time to visit the brewery in person you’ll be rewarded with friendly faces, fresh draughts and an inside look at where the magic happens. The little outfit still sticks all of the labels on by hand, and is always coming up with funky new brews, such as peach Monkey beer, ganja, and even cabernet beer. But if you’re more into the classics,  you can’t go wrong with the clean and crisp IPAs or the imperial stout.

Fun fact: If you can’t make it to Osaka, you can find Minoh beer at Zoetrope in Tokyo. A hole-in-the-wall whisky bar, Zoetrope is dedicated to all things artisanal and even plays silent black-and-white movies on a film projector at the bar.

Get there: From Osaka, take the Minoh Line to Makiochi Station. Walk toward Nagino Park, where you’ll see signs for AJI Beer, and later Minoh Brewery (3-19-11 Makiochi, Minoh, Osaka, (+81) 72-725-7234). Get there mid-day to ensure plenty of tasting time, and avoid Thursdays when it’s closed.

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