Yesterday we shared our blog reviewing 2025 (see blog). Today we look towards 2026 and the year we have in store for us.

We finished off talking a bit about how all of our hard work on our product lineup and quality, both in terms of refinement of technique, and implementation and use of some of the latest industry technology, has made our beer some of the most stable in the industry. This doesn’t only mean longer best before dates and the ability for some of our products being kept at room temperature. This also means that our hoppy beers are as bright and characterful as possible. Our other light beers are bright, and off flavours due to degradation won’t kick in for a long time. In short, our beer is better, and will stay enjoyable for much longer, which is something we take a lot of pride in.

Growing the Pie
Where this also places us is that we can now be a brewery that can look to pioneer craft beer to a new audience.

This is not the first time we have spoken about this, but one of the big reasons we got into the industry was the people. Unlike almost every other industry, especially in the drinks business, ideas and knowledge are shared for the greater good in craft beer. The belief is that the better the beer gets, and the more we help each other, the more craft beer can grow. This is something we still believe in, and we hope that we can say the same thing about the industry in another ten years.

We also know that for the industry to grow it is imperative that more people get to try it. While in America craft beer represents 25% of revenue in the beer market (or 13-14% in volume), in Japan it is believed to be a mere 2%. Furthermore, this 2% includes modern styles brewed by large scale manufacturers, whilst the American market separates publicly owned and non-independent companies. This means that most beer drinkers have never tried real artisanal beer. If craft beer remains only available in craft beer bars, craft beer specialised liquor stores, and the odd department store or high end supermarket, it really will stay as a niche, and this leaves it as an industry in a precarious position, with its very survival vulnerable to consumer sways.

For this reason, one of our goals has been for some time to help craft beer spread out to more conventional retailers. We have been delighted to see how many sales points for our beer now exist in Kyoto station, from the Grand Kiosks to the smaller stores on the Shinkansen platforms. This means that it is passing in front of the eyes of all sorts of people as they go on and come off trains traveling across the country. Beyond this, we want to see it becoming available in more casual supermarkets, both across Japan and especially in Kyoto.

Our flagship saison, Ichigo Ichie, refermented in package for greater stability, more authentic yeast character and high carbonation, serves that purpose, as does our Belgian Wit, Habakarisan, on a more local basis. Additionally, we have plans in place to increase with the addition of a second nationwide product. Our goal for these is to expand the perception of what beer is, and to also allow them to become a gateway into the broader world of craft beer, and all its different styles.

Staying Out of Our Comfort Zone
We alluded at the end of our last post to our renovation at our taproom. Our taproom has remained unchanged for a long time, now, and while we are often complimented on it, we have long felt that people don’t necessarily leave knowing much about our company and who we are. That is something we want to change, and this is the beginning of why we are midway through a taproom facelift. This will be finished in early January, but it’s not just about the visuals. We also want to look to improve the experience, and also make it more accessible by increasing the number of opening days.

While the taproom is somewhere very close to home and familiar, we don’t want to stop there. The last two years have involved a lot of stepping out into the unknown, and 2026 will be very much that as well.

As of the end of March, we will be running our own direct store, which will be a restaurant and bar set within Eigamura, the Toei film studio theme park. While this to many people is a surprising first step into the bar and restaurant world, we think it serves a superb opportunity.

Toei, the film company owning and running Eigamura, has long been keen to attract a more mature audience in addition to the existing customer base heavily geared towards families and school trips. For this reason, they are rebuilding the entire facility over the coming 3 years, with the first stage going live in March. From the current hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., they are shifting to 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., allowing customers to enjoy a different atmosphere.

The customer base at Eigamura going forward will therefore consist of local families visiting, people traveling in to Japan from overseas, and domestic travelers of a wide range of ages. What they have in common is they want to experience something different from the norm, to have fun, and to step out into a different world from reality. While we expect most of the customers to be unfamiliar with craft beer, we do expect them to come looking to try new things, and we think this makes it a great opportunity to introduce people to craft beer. If they live in Kyoto, this can hopefully light the touchpaper for their relationship with craft beer, off the back of which they may seek it out elsewhere locally. If they are travelling from further afield, this could be what makes them ask the question, “I wonder what kind of beer is made closer to my home?”

This will be our first step into the world of bars and restaurants, but we don’t want it to be our last. Long have we wanted to start direct stores where we can introduce people to Kyoto Brewing, and also go a step further in introducing people to the wonderful combinations of beer with food. It has always felt like an intimidating step, however. Getting the look and feel of the place right for our brand. Staffing. Making sure the food is right. All of these challenges are going to be new to us. And there is a lot of weight to it as well. Aside from the risk involved from a business perspective, there is also the risk of damage to the brand if the place doesn’t live up to our standards. These last two years, as tumultuous as they have been, have taught us to leap out into the unknown and challenge ourselves in new ways. Direct stores will be representative of that for us in 2026 in the same way as this year we hosted our first festival in the form of Naminamito.

And so we move out into year 10+1. We aren’t a new company any more, but we certainly feel like we are doing new things all the time. We again have a busy year ahead, but we have an image as to what we need to work towards. As we head out, we look forward with a touch of trepidation at how our new endeavours pan out. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more!