KBC 10 Year Anniversary, "Naminamito"

You are informally invited to Kyoto Brewing Co.’s 10 year anniversary celebration "NAMINAMITO"!

KBC was started in 2015, and on the 10 year anniversary of our first ever release, Hajimemashite, we are hosting a party as a way of saying thanks, and to celebrate with those who have helped make everything happen.

To make it a special occasion, the 20 breweries with whom we have collaborated over this past 10th year have been invited, and all 20 are going to be attending!

Let's raise a cup together.

Basic information

Date: Saturday, May 10th, 2025
Time: 12 - 6 p.m.
Location: Ohigashisan Hiroba (in front of Higashihonganji Temple)
Entrance fee: free (beers and food to be purchased as you go)
Brewery number: 21 including Kyoto Brewing (estimated 100+ varieties of beer)
Food vendors: 8


Beer Tickets

Advance tickets with 5 beers and a reusable cup are available for ¥3800 online, purchasable at PassMarket, and include a ¥500 discount.

Tickets are also on sale at our taproom, as well as at certain beer bars and some attending breweries.  Tickets can also be bought at the event venue (cash, credit card, PayPay all usable), and beers can also be purchased using PayPay at individual booths (note: cash and credit cards cannot be directly used for beer purchases)

Beers will be offered in a reusable plastic cup

Tickets on the day will also be available

・1 ticket = 1 beer @ ¥800
・Reusable cup @ ¥300
・5 ticket sets available @ ¥3,800 (¥200 off)
・5 ticket set + reusable cup @ ¥4,000 (¥300 off)

※You can purchase at the ticket booth using cash, credit card, and PayPay
※Purchases using PayPay can also be made directly at booths (reusable cups must first be purchased as we do not intend on offering beer in disposable cups)


Attending Breweries

DD4D Brewing (Ehime)
DD4D as a company started from owner Yamanouchi-san's family business, which dates back to 1998, which was actually in the world of apparel. From there they launched as a brewery in 2019, with head brewer Mike bringing his wealth of experience. From there, they have leaned heavily into using a lot of the local ingredients from their Ehime base, one of Japan’s two big pillars of citrus production. They make a wide range of beers, but are perhaps best known for their fruit beers. 

West Coast Brewing (Shizuoka)
Also starting in 2019 was West Coast Brewing. Few breweries in Japan have had the sudden impact that they have, quickly catapulting themselves to the forefront of hoppy beers in Japan. Their larger-than-life owner Derrek has launched a number of popular WCB bars, as well as a hotel that opened its doors in 2022, and WCB are very much on the destination brewery map for hop heads and beer fanatics in general.

Godspeed Brewery (Toronto)
Based in Toronto, Godspeed’s owner Luc has been involved in KBC from almost day 1. In fact, he was on the ground and helping out for our first brews, imparting his knowledge to make sure everything worked out ok. Luc has made almost every type of beer under the sun, and to the highest level, but is known now for making the best Czech-inspired beers that Canada has to offer.

Kobo Brewery (Toyama)
Continuing the Czech theme, Kobo’s brewer, Kot’as, makes primarily Czech lagers, in line with the tradition of his home country, and you won’t find better examples from anyone else in this country. In addition to being a fantastic brewer, Kot’as is also simply one of the best people we know, and a great friend of KBC.

Y.Market Brewing (Aichi)
Opening 1 year before we did, Y Market are one of the most respected breweries in Japan, with their brew program being run by Kachi-san, a brewer capable of making great lagers, wonderful IPAs, and high ABV beers, all of which he does regularly. He is also the brewer with whom we have collaborated more than any over the years!

Zakkoku Koubou Microbrewery (Saitama)
Whilst they make a wide range of both clean and mixed culture beers, Zakkoku Koubou are perhaps most well known for their use of barrels and foeders. Despite their small batch sizes, they could certainly make a claim for being Japan’s kings of barrel and farmhouse beers, and we are honoured to have them taking part in our event – expect some special beers to enjoy!

Two Rabbits Brewing (Shiga)
Our neighbours in the beautiful Omi Hachiman in Shiga, Two Rabbits have quickly established themselves as major players in the beer scene in Japan. Offering a very wide range of styles, they are also proponents of Australian styles and ingredients, and their hoppy beers and fruit sours are as popular as their maltier offerings.

Totopia Brewery (Aichi)
Starting first in the beer bar scene with the wonderful Brick Lane in Nagoya, the Moritas decided to open up a brewery, and hired the talented Eugene as their head brewer. They are perhaps best known as proponents for the Sour IPA style, the popularity of which has continued to grow in Japan no small thanks to them.

Nara Brewing Company (Nara)
Started up by Yasu Namioka, the first brewer Kyoto Brewing ever hired, we knew that these guys were going to be a huge success from the off. Nara are also well known for using Belgian yeast and a very large range of styles, including hoppier beers and higher ABV beers, they are also well known for their skillful use of adjuncts, adding more strings to their already bow.

Minoh Beer (Osaka)
What more is there to say about Minoh? Run by the Oshita family, headed by the wonderful Kaori-san, we are forever indebted to Minoh, even amongst the many breweries to which we owe thanks. Minoh are legends in the beer world in Japan, and for good reason. Whilst renowned for their weizen and their special peach edition, in addition to their classic IPAs, is there a more famous stout in Japan than Minoh’s?

Yamorido (Kyoto)
Yamorido is owned and built a few years ago by Laff International, the company that designed and built out our own brewery, in Fushimi, an area rich in sake brewing history. The building is in an old tea shop, and to this day tea is also sold there, along with the beers brewed by Hiroko, a former brewer of KBC and, before that, Yoho Brewing. While small in scale, this brewpub puts out a wide range of quality beers, and their beautifully renovated building is one to be envious of.

Ape Brewing (Osaka)
The Osaka brewery owned by Kato-san of Yellow Ape, someone who has been supporting KBC since day 1, Ape Brewing is another brewpub, and their brewer another form KBC member. Matsumoto-san, or Matchan to us, had a career at Minoh before KBC, and is particularly fond of British styles. Indeed, we would argue he makes some of the best bitters in Japan, along with many other styles, and Ape Brewing are an excellent addition to the Osaka scene.

Flora Fermentation (Shiga)
Starting just last year in Shiga, Flora is another brewery co-founded by a former KBC member, this time in Kai, who hails from Canada. A fan of more traditional styles, Kai first plied his trade at Steel and Oak, a respected brewery renowned for making quality lagers, but equally capable of making a good hoppy beer as well. Kai has inspired us to make some niche German styles, and we can’t wait to see what Flora can produce over the coming years.

Be Easy Brewing (Aomori)
When we, former residents of Aomori in Northern Japan, heard from a foreigner looking to start a craft brewery in the heart of sake country - and a place, we might add, where beer meant one thing when we were living there - we thought he must have a few screws loose. And he does! But in the best possible way. It’s no surprise that Gareth is not only the owner of one of the most successful breweries in Tohoku, but is also a celebrity within his prefecture.

Kyoto Nude Brewery (Kyoto)
Owned and run by Kakezan, the company behind beer bars Takumiya, Takanoya, and Crafthouse Kyoto, the brewer at Nude is our very own former brewer, Joko-san (JK to us), who was one of our very first employees. Nude Brewery have not been going for long, but have grown in reputation fast, and make a huge range of styles from dark to hoppy, and Belgian to American, to cover just a part of it, and we’re delighted to have them helping to build the craft beer scene side by side with us in our city.

Vertere (Tokyo)
We were quite taken when Vertere’s cans started appearing here and there. Their tall boys (unusual in Japan) were all consistent in design and they immediately stood out. We were surprised to learn later that all was being done in-house. Vertere as as meticulous about other elements of their business as their design, and their beer is no exception, putting themselves on the forefront, especially of modern beer styles. They are now well known mainly for their hoppier beers, but are great with their yeast-driven beers as well.

Kyoto Beer Lab (Kyoto)
KBL have a second location (KBL The Garage) now, but their original site, opening in 2018, has become a mainstay in the Kyoto scene. What amazes us is, despite the scale, just how much they manage to get out of their equipment, and the sheer range of beers they make, and make well. This is in no small part thanks to co-founder and original brewer Tom Ainsworth, and the passionate members they have brought in alongside to make beers that push the envelope creatively.

Black Tide Brewing (Miyagi)
Black Tide opened up in Kessennuma, Miyagi, a year or so before COVID. Just talking to them at that time, and understanding their plan and their strong backing, we knew they would soon become a name on the scene. They took off fast, and are one of Japan’s forefront brewers, with their own head brewer James imparting his strong scientific background and love of brewing. Black Tide are another example of a brewery renowned for their high quality of hoppy beers, but are equally skilled in the making of quality lagers, as well as more yeasty beers from weizens to Belgian-inspired brews.

Sakamichi Brewing (Tokyo)
Started off by Matthew and Daniel, two very keen cyclists (from which their brewery name was inspired!), Sakamichi are renowned for and focus on making balanced beers that are repeatedly drinkable. They last year opened up their second location, also in their locale of Tachikawa in Western Tokyo, and their sheer quality and consistency has had them become a bit of a destination for both Tokyoites and those traveling from further afield.

Yatsugatake Touchdown Brewing (Yamanashi)
When one thinks of the big names and characters within the beer scene in Japan, Hiromichi Miyashita (a.k.a. Tentsu-san) is certainly one of the first names that comes up. Aside from his charisma and his outrageously bright dress sense, Tentsu-san has given his life to crafting the finest German style beers that Japan can offer. His lagers are legendary, and his weizens are world class, but he has also been promoting a new style of hoppy weizens inspired by the New England IPAs, not to mention having shown a deft hand in applying fruit to beer, from which we have learnt much. 

About the Venue

We will be hosting at Higashi Honganji Temple, in the large new green space in front of the temple gates. The reason we reached out and chose this spot is for a few reasons. One being simply that we wanted an accessible place that is large enough for an event of decent size, and which wouldn’t get too cramped and crowded.

The bigger reason, though, is that we have a connection to this place from when we were invited to create a beer as a part of a promotional drive to gain awareness of the project, which aimed to update the area in front of the grand gate entrance to one of Kyoto’s biggest temples, which is also one of the largest wooden structures on the planet.

The idea for the space was that it could become a valuable one for the local community, and also one where events could be hosted that being people to the area, but also create a great chance for mingling of those from near and far. And so why not create such an event ourselves?

The area is 9,800 square metres, and features in the centre a large fountain, around which there is a big open space, and this is in turn flanked by two large wooded areas of grassland (a rare commodity in Japan!) which we see as being an awesome spot for sitting down with a beer, and also hope will make the event also a great family-friendly one, too. Rather than a bustling crowded event, we wanted people to have lots of room to chill in addition to enjoying the liveliness and energy.

The space will also mean that we can get a good number of food options in, many of which regulars to our taproom will be familiar with, in the form of the kitchen cars that frequent our humble brewery on Fridays and weekends. There will also be plenty of space to enjoy them, along with the many beer booths that will be set up, as there will also be plenty of space for large tents for customers wishing to stay out of the heat, or in case we end up getting some rain.

To avoid lines, we will be setting up an online site for purchasing advance tickets, which we will share over the coming weeks, in addition to sharing the most important information: what beer can be enjoyed!

Other

※ The event will go ahead in rain, but may be cancelled in the case of a storm.
※ Alcohol is for those 20 years and over.
※ Please don’t drink and drive (or cycle); please use public transport to travel to the venue.