Field Ales Brewery : At a Glance
- Opened : 2026
- Japanese name : フィールドエールズ
- Location : Shinano, Nagano
- First beer : Field Ales Saison
- Head brewer : Shinnosuke Wakai (若井真之介)
- Homepage :
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Field Ales Brewery : Background
Field Ales Brewery is a small brewery in Shinano, Nagano, founded by Shinnosuke Wakai after he spent several years brewing at Shiga Kogen Beer. The brewery began as Wakai’s attempt to build something of his own, but the idea behind Field Ales is less about creating another “local brewery” and more about reflecting the place and lifestyle he has chosen.
Wakai had been thinking about going independent for some time and originally spent around two years looking at potential locations in Kagawa, Shikoku. Nagano eventually won out, partly because of its unusual relationship between city and countryside. From central Nagano, it doesn’t take long before the urban landscape gives way to mountains, fields and rural communities. Wakai liked that contrast and wanted the brewery to exist somewhere between the two.
That explains the name. Rather than defining the brewery by a particular town, Wakai sees his “field” as the wider area in which he lives and works. The brewery is in Shinano, while Field Ales PUB opened in Nagano City in March 2026. The two locations are an important part of the concept. Wakai spends his weekdays brewing in the countryside before heading into the city to pour his beers himself at the weekend.
Being behind the bar is not simply a way of selling the beer. Wakai wants to see who is drinking it. For a small brewery, that direct connection means he can see people’s reactions, talk to customers and get a better idea of what they actually want to drink. That feedback then goes back into the brewery.
The beers are also split between the two sides of the Field Ales idea. Pint is the “city” beer, designed to be easy-drinking and refreshing enough for a first pint in Nagano before heading somewhere else. Field Ales Saison, meanwhile, is the “countryside” beer. Bottled and bottle-conditioned, it reflects a different drinking culture, where there may be fewer pubs, limited public transport and more occasions for drinking at home with friends or family.
There is a pleasingly personal element to Field Ales Brewery. Wakai makes the labels himself, works the pub counter, and sees the beers as something that should change alongside his own life. Rather than building a rigid brewery identity and sticking to it, he wants the beers to reflect where he is, who he meets and what he feels like drinking. For such a young brewery, Field Ales already has a fairly distinctive sense of place. It isn’t simply beer from Nagano. It is beer from the space between the city, the countryside and the life of the person making it.
Field Ales Brewery : Beer Reviews
The following are some of the beers we’ve had:
- Field Ales Pretable – a 5.5% hoppy saison brewed using French saison yeast and Amarillo hops.
- Field Ales Saison – a 6% saison with this March 2026 version having been brewed using locally grown Cascade hops from Nagano.
Field Ales Brewery : Details
- Address : Kashiwabara, Shinano, Kamiminochi District, Nagano 389-1305
- Phone : –
- Homepage : –
- Online store : –
- Social Media : Instagram
