Yebisu Brewery Tokyo is opening in April 2024

Beer lovers, mark your 2024 calendars, next April, Yebisu beer will finally return to brewing in its original home neighborhood after a 35-year absence. The iconic Japanese lager brand is setting up the new Yebisu Brewery Tokyo inside Ebisu’s Yebisu Garden Place, combining a working microbrewery with an interactive beer museum.

Yebisu’s history in Tokyo’s Ebisu district stretches back to 1890 when the first Yebisu beer was produced. But in 1988, brewing operations moved out of Ebisu and beer-making ceased at the original factory site. In 2024, Yebisu is coming back thanks to a 1.3 billion yen investment from brewery owner Sapporo.

Bringing Brewing Back to Ebisu

The relaunched Yebisu Brewery Tokyo will feature a small brewery capable of churning out approximately 130 kiloliters of beer per year, mostly to be served fresh on-site. The exciting focal point for visitors will be getting to taste beer straight from the tanks in the heart of Ebisu, Yebisu’s spiritual home.

Surrounding the brewing facilities, interactive museum exhibits will immerse guests in Yebisu’s rich 130-year story. Beer fans can also take special tours of the operational brewhouse and watch collaboration beers being produced using traditional techniques blended with modern technology.

According to Sapporo, the expected 200,000 annual visitors will get to soak up the heritage of the brand while sampling inventor Seibei Nakagawa’s iconic crisp, malty lager. As Hiroyuki Iwamoto, a senior executive at the brewer explained, responding to consumer demand for authentic Japanese products is a key driver behind Yebisu’s Ebisu revival.

The highly anticipated opening has been made possible by extensive renovations at the former Yebisu Beer Museum site, now transformed into a stunning blend of historical and contemporary beer-making outlooks.

The chance to be one of the first to say, “Welcome home, Yebisu!” after 35 years, enjoying a brew created on site in Ebisu once more, will certainly be a momentous occasion. When the doors of Yebisu Brewery Tokyo open next April, get ready to raise your glass to a new era of Japanese beer culture built on traditional foundations.