Hokkaido Abashiri Beer: A Craft Brewery on the Shore of the Sea of Okhotsk
Abashiri is not just a river and a brackish lake in eastern Hokkaido. It is the administrative center of the Okhotsk subprefecture, a city with a rich history and one of the most unusual craft breweries in Japan. Hokkaido Abashiri Beer started in 1995 at the Ryuhyo Kaido roadside station, and in 2007 it got its own pub-restaurant on the riverbank. Today it is a place where local ingredients meet the Japanese love of visual effects.
Ryuhyou Draft — blue beer from drift ice
The brewery’s best-known beer is Ryuhyou Draft, also called Okhotsk Blue. Its bright blue color comes from seaweed and gardenia extract. The brewing water comes from melted drift ice, which floats to the shores of Hokkaido from the Sea of Okhotsk every winter. It is 5% ABV, with a light, refreshing taste and a faint saltiness. The price in Japan is about 350 yen per can.
Prison Black — a stout inspired by a prison
Abashiri Prison is one of the city’s landmarks. Built in the Meiji era, it held political prisoners and today works as a museum. The brewery paid tribute to that history by creating Prison Stout at 5.5% ABV. Five types of malt give it a deep black color and a smooth, unexpectedly sweetish taste, which is rare for a stout.
The three colors of Hokkaido
In 2009 the company launched a “three colors” line, developed together with the Tokyo University of Agriculture:
- Hamanasu Draft — a red beer made with rose hips and anthocyanins. The local hamanasu rose hip is known as a diuretic, but in beer it gives a pleasant fruity sweetness and a refreshing tartness.
- Shiretoko Draft — a green beer, whose color comes from safflower seaweed and plants of Shiretoko National Park. A salty aroma and an unusual color.
- Ryuhyou Draft — the blue one we already talked about.
All three beers are 5% ABV, light and easy to find.
What else is brewed in Abashiri
Besides the colored beers, the brewery makes Abashiri Premium Beer, a classic pale ale from local malt and hops, Cherry Drop with Abashiri cherries, and experimental drinks. In 2007 the world saw “Bilk”, a beer made from milk with hops and yeast. The name comes from beer + milk. It costs 380 yen for a 330 ml bottle.
A pub on the riverbank
Hokkaido Abashiri Beer is not only a brewery but also a full cafe with delivery and takeout. The menu has meat appetizers, snacks and grilled dishes. In the evening the place is transformed: warm lanterns, a view of the river, craft beer in a glass. According to visitors, tasting sets and all-you-can-drink beer for 6,300 yen are popular.
Summing up
Hokkaido Abashiri Beer is all about place. Every beer points to the geography, history or nature of Hokkaido: drift ice, the Meiji-era prison, rose hips from the coast, the greenery of Shiretoko. Yes, some of the stories are marketing. But the result is impressive: in Japan, where visual culture is valued as much as taste, blue beer made from icebergs finds its audience.