With three places in totally different parts of the prefecture on here having proper write ups, I thought that visiting a new brewery in Ibaraki would give me a good opportunity to finally start a round up post. (Which doesn’t completely make sense, but it’s much easier to do digest posts for non Tokyo places, and I am getting quite lazy). Saying that, there aren’t a great deal of other places that I know off that aren’t on here that I will eventually get to and put on. As usual, this post will be something of a work in progress, with places being added as and when I visit them, with links to places that already have full posts and with the whole thing divided by city or area. So here we go.
Kashima
Paradise Beer Factory
See post here
Mito (and Oarai)
Hitachino Brewing Mito
See Post Here
Beach Culture Brewing
Not in Mito, but in Oarai, about 15 minutes from Mito on a small train through the countryside. Oarai is something of a beach resort but on a Wednesday afternoon there weren’t many people around. Beach Culture is a brewery based in a shopping centre not too far from the beach and about 15 minutes walk from the station. There are a few seats inside where you can sit and drink, but I guess when it’s beach time, lots of people take away.
They had nine taps of their own beer on, served in two sizes, pint and half and they also did plastic cups to take away and growler fills. And they have a vending machine with bottles of their own beer in too. Almost no food, but apparently it’s OK to bring your own and there are some options in the little shopping centre that the brewery is located in. Prices were good. ¥600-¥650 for the half and ¥900-¥950 for the pint. A few of the beers were made using what I guess is a local speciality, hoshiimo. Whether this is a good thing depends on your point of view I guess! Was a fun place to visit!
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Irish Pub Kells
Pretty much what you’d expect from an Irish pub in Japan, but maybe what you wouldn’t expect is that it has a decent amount of craft beer available along with the usual Guinness. (Although it is a feature of a few Irish pubs I know). They had four Tap Marche taps and five others which were much more interesting, with some very modern styles that perhaps you wouldn’t usually associate with an Irish pub. Think hazies and smoothie sours. The food was nice and it’s open later than most places are. We had a fun time here. It’s also reasonably close to the station.
Website
Senba Brewery & Grill
Fancy new taproom and brewery next to lake Senba, one of Mito’s main tourist attractions. Unfortunately at the opposite end of the lake to the station though! When we visited they hadn’t yet started brewing so had guest beers, (all from Ibaraki if I recall correctly), and some collaboration beers they made together with some of those breweries. Seems quite food focused and there were lots of people there to eat when we visited. Has lots of seating inside and a little patio too where you can get a nice look at the lake. Was a fun place to visit but as they haven’t started brewing yet, there’s not much point me talking about beers. Will revisit next time I’m in Mito.
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Motoyamacho Brewery
Seems like a very popular local institution. A few people told us it was the best place to drink in town. Very small standing taproom but spills out onto the small side street on a little patio and even across the road too where it seems that often have food pop ups. Forgot to take any notes about beer here and also forgot to take a photo…. As far as I can remember it had six taps and had some small snacks available. Was a fun place and the regulars were very welcoming and friendly. Much like most places in Mito, it’s not the easiest to get to, but it’s quite near Mito Brewing, (see below), which is on plenty of bus routes.
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Mito Brewing (Nuriya Daikumachi Brewery)
Small taproom, (or is it a brewpub maybe? Perhaps that was all hidden out the back), with standing at the counter and a couple more small seating areas out front on the street. Their menu showed nine of their own beers and a guest, but I think they only have eight taps, so things are taken on and off depending on the day, (I believe). Some small snacks too. Situated just off the main street that leads back to the north exit of the station, so relatively easy to get to and from if you don’t mind taking a bus.
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Tsukuba
Tsukuba Brewery / Pebbles Beer
See post here