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Morioka, Japan is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture, part of the Tohoku region. Not many visitors make it to this area of Japan, which is a shame because there’s beautiful scenery in every direction. Morioka is a great base for making day trips to Lake Tazawa, Hachimantai, Tono, and plenty of other landscapes. It’s also home to the three great noodles of Morioka. Eating all those noodles will make you thirsty, so then there’s beer. Here’s my guide to the best craft beer in Morioka, featuring my favorite breweries and bars from my visit.
The Best Breweries in Morioka
Baeren Brewery
No discussion of Morioka’s beer scene would be complete without mentioning Baeren Brewery. Baeren is the dominant player locally, with a large brewery and a few brewpubs and restaurants in town, including one right outside Morioka station. Their beer can also be found at several other bars. Chances are good that if you’re drinking craft beer in Morioka, you’re drinking Baeren. They focus mostly on German styles.
After a long post-noodle walk, I made it to Baeren Brewery, which is on the northern edge of Morioka. I hadn’t researched it beforehand, besides seeing that it was a place that existed. The brewery is spread across a few buildings on the property.
When I went inside the main building, I quickly realized it wasn’t set up with a tasting room like many breweries. There’s a gift shop where you can purchase bottles & other items, along with one tap.
One of the employees brought the overseas sales representative back from the office, and he gave me a quick, unscheduled tour of the brewery while I drank a beer. It literally started in the office, where I walked past people who were sitting at their desks.
After that, I saw their bottling room and the rest of their brewing equipment, including the old copper kettle still used to make their classic beer.
The brewery now offers scheduled tours on weekdays; see their website below for details. If you’re looking for the widest Baeren beer selection, you’re better off going to one of their brewpubs.
Given how expensive craft beer can be in Japan, Baeren has notably low prices.
One pub (Zaimokucho) is located along the Kitakami River, and has a nice outdoor patio with sunset views (well, half of a patio, as the other part was roped off & looked less than sturdy). I had a seasonal pumpkin wheat beer, which was quite nice.
Brewery address: 1 Chome-3-31 Kitayama, Morioka, Iwate 020-0061, Japan (map)
Brewpub address (Zaimokucho): 7-31 Zaimokucho, Morioka, Iwate 020-0063, Japan (map)
Brewpub address (Nakatsu): 1 Chome-1-21 Nakanohashidori, Morioka, Iwate 020-0871, Japan (map)
Beer Base Baeren Moriokaekimae & Beer Front Bearen Morioka Station: Japan, 〒020-0034 Iwate, Morioka, Moriokaekimaedori, 8−11 盛岡駅前ビル B1F (map)
Website
Saien Microbrewery with Kitchen
Saien Microbrewery is an offshoot of Baeren, so this bar has 10 taps that are split between the two breweries.
Compared to Baeren, Saien’s beers tend to be less traditional, including smaller one-off batches. They also have Pilsner Urquell, along with a wine & port selection.
Address: Japan, 〒020-0024 Iwate, Morioka, Saien, 1 Chome−5−10 グリムハウス 1F (map)
Sakura Brewery
Sakura Brewery is located in Kitakami, but they opened a brewpub in Morioka in October 2019.
Since it wasn’t on any maps yet, the only way I spotted it was that I happened to see their very first Untappd check-ins from an hour before.
The bar is located on the 2nd floor of a building around the corner from Saien.
Sakura has a rotating tap selection, which had four of its beers on when I visited. They also have a full food menu with lots of meat.
Address: Japan, 〒020-0024 Iwate, Morioka, Saien, 1 Chome−11−23 2F (map)
The Best Craft Beer Bars in Morioka
Aeron Standard
Aeron Standard is probably the best craft beer bar in Morioka, with one caveat: they only serve American beers. As long as you go in with that expectation, you’ll be happily taken on a trip to Portland, Oregon.
When I first visited, nearly the entire beer selection at Aeron Standard came from Portland & nearby breweries in the Pacific Northwest. And not just the biggest breweries, either. There were 3 taps from HUB & Level, along with dozens of cans & bottles from Ex Novo, Culmination, Rogue, Crux, & Base Camp, plus non-Oregon breweries Stone & Maui. The selection has since evolved to cover more of the United States, but still mostly maintains that national focus.
I opted for the one beer they had that could possibly be considered local – a special collaboration beer that Aeron Standard had made with Culmination called “Clouds Are Genius.”
Since all of the beers are imports, you might expect the prices to be outrageous. I wouldn’t say that the beers at Aeron Standard are cheap, but given that most craft beer in Japan is expensive, even from local breweries, I thought the prices seemed more than reasonable.
There’s also a huge food menu with a full range of American and Japanese dishes. I enjoyed the excellent local fisherman’s miso-based tartare. From the other side of the Pacific comes American BBQ, burgers, and pizza.
They clearly know quality & have a fantastic selection American craft beers, so it would be great to see them also offer a place for local Japanese beers, should they be interested in opening another bar.
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This is especially true because the bar I had researched as having had the best Japanese beer selection in Morioka (CraftBeer Hoppers) had ceased operations just a couple of weeks before my visit.
Address (Aeron Standard): 3 Chome-7-9 Odori, Morioka, Iwate 020-0022, Japan (map)
Website
Morioka Train Station Gift Shop
Many Japanese train stations have gift shops that sell local items. The one in Morioka has a nice little bottle & can selection from around the Iwate Prefecture, including Iwate Kura & Tono beers.
Address: Japan, 〒020-0034 Iwate, Morioka, 1, 岩手県盛岡市盛岡駅前通1-48 2F (map)
Have you spotted other great Morioka craft beer bars or breweries? Let me know in the comments!
Do you love craft beer? Check out more of my recommendations for the best craft beer around the world!
