Craft Beer in Setouchi: Brewery Taprooms You Can Actually Visit in Hiroshima, Tokushima and Kagawa (and When They’re Open)

Quick answer: Setouchi has plenty of craft beer, but many taprooms open only a few days a week, so plan around the hours. In Hiroshima city, the easiest are Hiroshima Neighborly Brewing’s brewpub Harebare (12:00–22:00) and KeMBY’s Brew Pub (evenings), both near Peace Park. In Tokushima, RISE & WIN in Kamikatsu is now closed on Sundays and Mondays (since April 2026), while Kamiyama Beer and 2nd Story Ale Works open only at weekends and on holidays. In Kagawa, Setouchi Brewery’s Takamatsu taproom opens on Friday evenings and weekends. The 1st Shikoku Beer Festival is in Marugame on 21–22 November 2026.

I’ve drunk craft beer in Hiroshima, Tokushima and Kagawa — at brewery taprooms, at beer bars, and from bottles and cans I’ve bought. I’ve been to RISE & WIN in Kamikatsu, Kamiyama Beer (a few times), KeMBY’s Brew Pub, Hiroshima Neighborly Brewing’s brewpub Harebare, and Setouchi Brewery in Takamatsu. I haven’t been to Session’s, Hiroshima Kita Beer, Miyajima Brewery, Onomichi Brewery, 2nd Story Ale Works, OHLOY, MIROC, Shirosuzume or Mamemame Beer, so those are what I’ve researched. The RAKU BEER and festival details are researched too.

Before you go: limited hours

• Many taprooms are small and open limited hours — some only Friday to Sunday, some only on weekends and holidays. Hours also change with the seasons.
• Check the brewery’s website or social media on the day. Below, hours come from the official site where there is one, otherwise from recent listings.
• Payment: some places take cards (Harebare and KeMBY’s do), but Onomichi Brewery, for example, is effectively cash only on site. Carry cash.
• Never drink and drive. Several breweries are in the countryside — go with a driver who isn’t drinking, take the train or bus, or stay nearby.

Hiroshima

Notes:

• Harebare is the brewpub inside Hiroshima Neighborly Brewing; its beers include Hiroshima Hinode Lager and Lady Ginger Pale Ale. Cards and e-money are accepted.
• KeMBY’s serves American-style food; its own beers include Wabi-sabi IPA (¥800 regular, ¥1,000 US pint). Its website also showed a temporary-hours notice, so check before you go.
• Session’s moved from Eba to Tokaichi-machi in 2022, and some listings still show the old address. Its beers include Oyster City Stout and Hiroshima Lemon Ale.
• Hiroshima Kita Beer brews in Kabe, in the north of the city; THE BASE, next to Hiroshima Station, is its city bar (opened 2023).
• RAKU BEER has 15 taps of Japanese craft beer — handy if you’re out in Nagarekawa. See Hiroshima Nightlife: Nagarekawa and Ebisu-dori.
• Miyajima Brewery: go for the 1F beer stand and shop. Beers include Momiji Lager.
• Onomichi Brewery: half pint ¥680, pint ¥1,100; takeaway available.
• Saijo is famous for sake, not beer — I couldn’t confirm a craft brewery with a taproom there. See Saijo Sake Brewery Walk. In Kure, IB Brewing sells online only, with no taproom.

If you’d rather have someone show you round, evening bar-hopping food tours run in Hiroshima’s Nagarekawa area.

Tokushima

Notes:

• RISE & WIN changed its hours on 1 April 2026. Older guides say it’s open at weekends — that’s now wrong. It’s a brewery with a BBQ restaurant and shop, and its Kamikatz Stout won gold at the Japan Great Beer Awards 2026. The site also has HOTEL WHY and a glamping unit, so you can stay instead of driving. More in Kamikatsu, the Zero-Waste Town.
• Kamiyama Beer: draught from ¥800. See Kamiyama, Tokushima for the rest of the valley.
• 2nd Story Ale Works moved to Hata in 2024. Children and pets are welcome, and you can bring outside food.

Kagawa

Notes:

• Setouchi Brewery’s taproom sits beside the tanks; its SETOUCHI series includes West Coast IPAs. A recent listing gives half ¥700, pint ¥1,000. The city tourism site gave different hours in 2024, so check.
• OHLOY made its beer at other breweries from 2022 and unveiled its own brewery in Mure-cho in May 2026. The store has 8 taps.
• MIROC has 10 taps, brewed next door (half ¥770, pint ¥1,100).
• Mamemame Beer serves fresh beer from the brewery next door; its core range uses local rice, barley and citrus.

For more on the city, see Takamatsu City Guide.

1st Shikoku Beer Festival (21–22 November 2026)

• When: Saturday 21 – Sunday 22 November 2026, 12:00–20:00.
• Where: the plaza in front of Marugame City Hall (in front of Marutasu), Kagawa.
• Who: 33 breweries from all four Shikoku prefectures.
• Tickets: price not announced at the time of checking — check before you go.

While you’re in Marugame, try the local grilled chicken: Marugame Honetsukidori.

Local fruit beers

Local citrus turns up in a lot of Setouchi beer. I’ve had a sudachi beer, a lemon beer, beers made with other local citrus, and an ume (plum) beer from Kamiyama. Here are some made in the region:

• Sudachi: RISE & WIN’s YATTTOSA BEER, a sudachi lager released in 2026, is sold only in Tokushima Prefecture (not online).
• Lemon: Session’s Hiroshima Lemon Ale, Onomichi Brewery’s Onomichi Lemon Radler, and 2nd Story’s Yocchan Lemon (a Berliner Weisse).
• Other citrus: Onomichi Brewery’s Innoshima White Ale uses hassaku; listings say RISE & WIN’s Leuven White uses yuzu; 2nd Story’s flagship farmhouse ale uses farm citrus and herbs; and Mamemame Beer uses local citrus.

Line-ups change, so ask at the taproom what’s on.

Where to stay

The simplest plan is to stay where you can walk or take a tram to the taprooms: central Hiroshima (Hondori/Peace Park for Harebare and KeMBY’s, or by the station for THE BASE) or Takamatsu (for Setouchi Brewery and OHLOY by Kotoden).

See also: Hiroshima Nightlife · Kamikatsu · Kamiyama · Takamatsu City Guide

FAQ

Are Setouchi taprooms open every day?
Many aren’t. Onomichi Brewery opens Friday to Sunday, Kamiyama Beer and 2nd Story Ale Works open only at weekends and on holidays, and RISE & WIN is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Check before you go.

Where can I drink craft beer near Hiroshima Station?
Hiroshima Kita Beer THE BASE is about 2 minutes’ walk from the station. Harebare and KeMBY’s are near Peace Park, a short tram ride away.

Is RISE & WIN open at weekends?
Saturdays yes, Sundays no. Since 1 April 2026 it opens Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00–17:30, and closes on Sundays and Mondays except national holidays.

Can I buy the sudachi beer outside Tokushima?
RISE & WIN’s YATTTOSA BEER is sold only in Tokushima Prefecture, not online.

When is the Shikoku Beer Festival?
21–22 November 2026, 12:00–20:00, in front of Marugame City Hall, with 33 Shikoku breweries.

Taproom hours, prices and festival details checked on the breweries’ official websites, the Takamatsu city tourism site, Dive! Hiroshima, KSB news and recent brewery listings on 1 November 2026. Hours change often — check before you go.

Kaz

Tokushima local with family roots in Hiroshima

I live in Tokushima and my family is from Hiroshima, where I also used to live. I still go back several times a year. The guides here come from places I have actually been. Where I haven't tried something myself, I say so.