Abashiri Beer : At a Glance
- Opened: 1998
- Japanese Name: 網走ビール
- Location: Abashiri, Hokkaido
- First Beer: 1998
- Brewery: Abashiri Beer Co., Ltd.
- Head Brewer: —
- Website: abashiribeer.jp
- Last Updated: September 2026
Table of Contents
Abashiri Beer : Background
Way up in the northeast of Hokkaido, where the Sea of Okhotsk meets a landscape of lakes, forests and wide-open farmland, sits Abashiri. It is a city best known for its harsh winters, drifting sea ice and spectacular scenery, but it is also home to one of Hokkaido’s more distinctive craft breweries: Abashiri Beer.
The brewery’s story began in 1998, when research into brewing beer using wheat provided the starting point for what would become Abashiri Beer. The company was established later that year, with the Beer Hall opening in 1999. From the outset, there was a strong emphasis on producing beer that was connected to the surrounding region rather than simply copying brewing traditions from elsewhere.
That connection to Abashiri has remained one of the brewery’s defining characteristics. Local ingredients have found their way into the brewing process, including barley and wheat, while some of the beers have taken inspiration directly from the landscape and culture of eastern Hokkaido. Over the years, Abashiri Beer has experimented with an impressively eclectic range of ingredients, including cherries, scallops and milk. It is not a brewery particularly interested in staying inside the lines.
Perhaps the beer that best demonstrates this approach is Ryuhyo Draft. Released in 2008, the striking blue beer was inspired by the drift ice that arrives along the Sea of Okhotsk each winter. The unusual colour quickly made it one of Japan’s most recognisable regional beers and helped put Abashiri Beer firmly on the national beer map. The brewery subsequently continued developing beers that played with the identity of the region, including Shiretoko Draft and Abashiri White Ale.
Not everything is designed to shock, however. Abashiri Golden Ale, first released in 2018, takes a more traditional approach while still retaining the brewery’s local character. The beer combines malt made from locally grown Abashiri barley with German malt, while American Citra and Simcoe hops provide citrusy aromas and bitterness.
That balance between experimentation and regional identity is what makes them so interesting. Some of its beers are deliberately unusual, while others are much more familiar styles, but there is usually a connection to the place behind them. In a part of Japan where the landscape can be as dramatic as the weather, Abashiri Beer has spent more than two decades turning a little piece of northeastern Hokkaido into something you can pour into a glass.
Abashiri Beer : Beer Reviews
The following are some of the beers we’ve had:
- Abashiri Golden Ale – a 5% golden beer that uses local Abashiri wheat, alongside Citra and Simcoe hops.
- Abashiri Hamanasu Draft – a 5% fruit beer that uses locally sourced rose hips, known as hamanasu, as an additional flavour.
- Abashiri Jaga Draft – a 5% spiced beer that has locally sourced purple potatoes, chinese yams, and also food colouring.
- Abashiri Okhotsk Blue Ryuhyo Draft – a 5% spice beer that uses locally sourced water from Okhotsk icebergs, yams, and also corn starch.
- Abashiri Premium Draft – a 5% premium lager that uses locally grown malt and hops from the Okhotsk region.
- Abashiri Prison Stout – a 5.5% stout that uses the local Abashiri Prison as its influence with the addition of sugar used to increase the flavour.
- Abashiri Sakura no Shizuku – a 5% fruit beer brewed with local cherries, and has starch used as an adjunct.
- Abashiri White Ale – a 4.5% witbier made using locally sourced Okhotsk malt, along with orange peels and coriander.
Abashiri Beer : Details
- Address : 4-1-2 Minami Nijo Nishi, , Abashiri, Hokkaido, Japan 093-0012
- Phone : 0152-45-5100
- Homepage : https://www.abashiribeer.jp
- Online store : https://www.abashiribeer.jp/online/
- Social Media : Facebook / Instagram
