Kyoto Brewing Company
in Kyoto-shi,
Kyoto,
Japan 🇯🇵
Associated Venue: Kyoto Brewing Company
For our inspiration, we looked to the two brewing traditions that excited us the most: American and Belgium.
American craft beer has done more to change the face of the brewing world in the last 30 years than anything else out there. New hops, new styles, new hybrid beers, new extremes of high (and low) ABVs and IBUs. This is what we aspire for; never being afraid to try something new just because it hasn’t been done before or someone tells you that it can’t be.
Belgium is much more steeped in history and tradition, but is just as willing to continue doing what works for them, not what others tell them they should do. Effects from different yeast, both selected and wild; different taste sensations from the sweet, to the dry, the light, the heavy, the bitter and the sour, Belgian beer has been hugely varied and complex in both its methods of production and results.
While beers from both of these traditions are interesting on their own, we feel that combining our favourite aspects from both produce a more unique and rewarding product.
Our house yeast is a Belgian strain. The majority of the hops we use are American. Combining both in interesting and unique ways makes for inspired beers, flavourful products, and a really fun brewing experience. This is our starting point. Where our journey will take us and what beers we will make in the future, we do not yet know.
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
Finally got around to drinking this as I’m. It the biggest saison guy…
KBC 1 Grain, 10,000 Glasses Saison 6%
Deep Amber gold with thick off-white foam and a rich marmalade and spices aroma. Full bodied with a bit of heat. This feels like a heavier more rustic take on a saison than I’m used to seeing from KBC. Nice stuff.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Holy spot on Pilsner!
KBC x Yokohama Bay Brewing Gensen
Imperial Bohemian Pilsner 7%
Great looking clear deep yellow gold with thick foam and a floral/herbal hop bouquet. The medium to light body is very crisp with dusty Pilsner malts and a slightly non-standard fruity berry twist but it works really well.
Great stuff.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8
This is a great hazy pale ale with juicy hops and notes of prickley pear. The carbonation is a touch aggressive but overall it’s a great beer.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8
Let’s try this again!
KBC Irotoridori NZ Pils 5.5%
Crysdd Rd al clear gold with 1 cm of dense foam that leaves some lacing behind. The aroma has the same prickly pear woodsiness as the NZ Pale ale but the medium bodied brew is much crisper with a smoother mouthfeel.
The taste has some juicy elements but overall this is just a totally crushable beer.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 8
KBC x Paint Palette Route 420 IPA 7%
Matte Orange with wispy white foam and a dank prickly pear aroma. It’s got a touch of hop burn in the flavor but is big time hoppy and juicy.
Solid stuff, I’ve gotta get down to Paint Palette in 2026.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 6.5
Well I’m on holiday for another week and as it was just 500¥ it was a no brainer…
KBC 6 Day Weekend
Matte gold with fizzy white foam. Seltzer like carbonation and lightly eggy Belgium notes with white pepper. Light easy drinking stuff.
Kyotolefty (15912) reviewed Route 420 from Kyoto Brewing Company 1 month ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Tap at Komachi. Slightly hazy gold. Huge aroma of pot. Wow. Resiny and rich, with citrus and pineapple too. Flavor is lots of citrus, grapefruit and lemon, with lots of pot too, and pineapple and other tropical fruit. Intense, with a full body. Love it.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 9 | Flavor - 9.5 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 9.5
Those looking for a Japan-made Christmas beer look no further!
KBC nails another Belgian-inspired style.
KBC The More the Merrier Celebration Ale 9%
Made with nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. I’m thinking this is either their take on a Belgian Christmas ale or their take on Sierra Nevadas Celebration ale. It’s a purplish brown with thick beige foam and a banana bread and soft spices aroma.
Full bodied, smooth and full of spices but with some molasses type sweetness and brown sugar buns to balance things out.
I’ve gotta say this is great and I hope I can pick some up to cellar for the future in case they don’t make it next year. Bar none the most on point Christmas beer I’ve had from Japan.
Excellent.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
First up is:
KBC Yonder North Spruce Tip IPA 7%
Orange gold with thick off-white foam and a big pine freshener type aroma. Medium to full bodied. The flavor is very floral, perfumey and piney. LOADS of Spruce but still clearly an IPA.
I could totally see this as a winter seasonal.
KansaiBeerLovers (8927) reviewed Orion from Kyoto Brewing Company 1 month ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
I thought the enhanced series was only 3 beers then saw they’d released a fourth…
KBC Enhanced Project Orion
TSH West Coast IPA 8%
Matte Orange in color with thick foam that doesn’t leave lacing behind. It’s got a great juicy hop bouquet with citrus and some sharp fruity notes. Fairly full bodied and smooth. Really tasty hop forward beer with perhaps a hint of butterscotch as it warms.
This was a really great series for hop lovers.