Suntory Kyoto Brewery Tour: How to Book and Review
Love Japanese beer? Here is your complete guide to booking the Suntory Kyoto Brewery tour, including transit tips and our honest tasting review.
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Love Japanese beer? Here is your complete guide to booking the Suntory Kyoto Brewery tour, including transit tips and our honest tasting review.
As a well-known beer lover,
whenever I travel to Japan, I always make sure
to visit a brewery if they offer tours! :)
Following my adventures at the Asahi and Sapporo Beer Museums,
I decided to check out the
Suntory Kyoto Natural Water Beer Brewery during this trip to Osaka.
Table of Contents |
1. How to Book the Suntory Kyoto Brewery Tour |
2. How to Get There |
3. Brewery Tour Course |
4. Tasting Review |
5. Souvenir Shop |
Suntory Kyoto Brewery · 3 Chome-1-1 Choshi, Nagaokakyo, Kyoto 617-8530, Japan
Suntory Kyoto Natural Water Beer Brewery
Opening Hours: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
How to Book the Brewery Tour
First off, the Suntory Brewery tour
requires a prior reservation before your visit.
Once you pick your desired date, if you're visiting with kids,
you can choose the "Parent-Child Tour."
If you're visiting as a group of adults,
just opt for the "Ages 20+ Only" course.
The tour runs 6 times a day,
so you can easily choose a time slot that fits your schedule.
You can pre-pay using a Travel Wallet card,
and the price was 1,000 yen per person, including tax.
When booking, I used a translator to convert
my name into Japanese (Katakana) and entered that,
but I just wrote down my regular phone number.
For the address, simply entering the postal code of your hotel in Japan
will auto-fill the rest, so you only need to type in the postal code!
Once everything is successfully booked, you'll get a confirmation email.
We actually saw a "payment canceled" notification, so we called to check.
They told us that it would be charged again after the tour.
So if the same thing happens to you,
don't worry too much!
▼ Brewery Tour Reservation Link ▼
How to Get There / Shuttle Bus
The Suntory Kyoto Brewery
operates a free round-trip shuttle bus to Nagaokakyo Station.
If you're coming from Osaka or Kyoto
and want to take the shuttle, head over to Nagaokakyo Station.
You can reserve your spot on the shuttle bus in advance when making your booking.
Instead of taking the shuttle from Nagaokakyo Station,
we decided to get off at Nishiyama-Tennozan Station
and walked to the brewery.
As you can see in the photo guides, you must exit through the East Exit,
so keep this in mind if you're heading to Nishiyama-Tennozan Station!
On the way to the brewery! 🍺
The weather was absolutely perfect, a gorgeous day for some daytime beers.
Arrived at Nishiyama-Tennozan Station!
It was just a pleasant 10-minute walk from the station to the brewery.
Just head out of the East Exit and keep walking straight ahead.
Keep walking and you'll arrive!
You can spot the massive brewery tanks in the distance, so you literally just have to
keep walking straight toward them.
We told the security guard at the entrance that we were here for the tour,
and they kindly let us inside.
Brewery Tour Course
Right from the entrance,
they welcomed us so incredibly warmly.
Their extreme hospitality made us feel a bit shy as we walked in!
Once you head inside, just give them the name your booking is under,
and they will show you the safety guidelines to review first.
You're more than welcome to snap as many photos as you like inside,
but please note that video recording is not allowed.
There is plenty of seating in the lobby,
so we relaxed and hung out there until the tour started.
Our tour group had about 20 people,
and about half of them were fellow travelers from Korea.
About 10 minutes before the tour begins,
everyone moves to a screening room,
where you get to watch an introductory video while waiting for the official start.
The best part? Even if you don't speak Japanese,
they provide a real-time translation service for the guide's commentary.
It made following along so easy and enjoyable!
After the video, we finally headed into the main factory floor.
The first stop of the tour was an introduction
to the core ingredients of beer: malt, hops, and water.
They passed around some malt for us to taste.
It was pleasantly nutty, but to be honest, it didn't have much flavor on its own.
We couldn't taste the hops, but they handed around a jar for us to smell.
The pungent, herbal aroma was surprisingly strong!
After watching a brief clip on the brewing process,
we moved over to the actual brewhouse containing the massive kettles.
There were several humongous kettles lined up.
They had warning signs cautioning us not to touch them because of the heat,
and you could literally feel the warm, toasty draft just standing nearby.
The corridors were filled with great illustrated guides and explanations,
so we had plenty of interesting things to look at as we walked.
Next, they showed us the beer storage tanks.
The only thought running through my mind was,
"How incredibly delicious would a glass straight out of those tanks taste?"
We also got to watch the canning line in action.
To minimize contact with oxygen and keep things fresh,
they first flush the cans with carbon dioxide,
and then quickly fill them with beer before sealing them tight.
On the day we visited, they weren't running beer,
but were packaging Strong Zero 9% instead!
They mentioned that the drink being canned changes from day to day.
This packaging line is essentially the final stop of the factory tour.
With the factory tour wrapped up, it was time to head to the tasting session!
Since the facility is so massive, we hopped on a shuttle bus to get there.
The Tasting Review
On the tour, you can taste up to three glasses of
freshly brewed beer straight from the factory.
As soon as you sit down at your assigned table,
the staff starts pouring fresh draft beer for you right away!
First up is Suntory's signature beer, The Premium Malt's!
They also provide a wet towel and a light snack to go with it.
The Premium Malt's has that classic premium lager feel—
with a clean aroma and super smooth foam,
making it really well-balanced overall.
Though honestly, the complimentary nut snack wasn't really my thing.
For my second glass, I tried the Master's Dream.
You can choose a design for the beer foam art—
just let the staff know what you'd like!
We asked for the signature design
and the cutest one we could find.
Just like the official description says, the Master's Dream
has layers of gentle bitterness, deep flavor,
and a subtle sweetness.
For me, it felt a bit heavy,
and I even got a slight metallic aftertaste.
Personally, I prefer a cleaner finish
like The Premium Malt's.
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For my final glass,
I went with the hands-on "Pour Your Own" Kaoru Ale experience.
You might think, "How hard can pouring a beer be?"
but watching the others, it was an absolute foam-over-the-rim frenzy!
Since I'm basically a demolition expert, I made my boyfriend pour both of ours,
and he did such a perfect job that even the staff was impressed!
Out of the three, the Kaoru Ale definitely had the most distinct aroma.
The fragrance hits you even before you take a sip,
and it has a very clear, fruity note on the palate,
making it the most refreshing of them all.
I had to tap out after about two glasses,
so my boyfriend happily finished the rest.
The tasting time is quite short—around 20 to 30 minutes—
so downing three full beers in that window was a bit of a rush
(at least for a lightweight who loves to drink, like me!).
The Souvenir Shop
After wrapping up the tour,
we headed over to check out the souvenir shop.
They actually have a system in Japan where they'll ship
freshly brewed beer straight from the factory to your doorstep on a selected date.
Since the guide recommended it as a great pairing for beer,
we bought some smoked bacon to try.
Unfortunately, the smoky aroma was a bit too intense for me—almost like cigarette smoke,
so it wasn't really my favorite.
Also, the beers here are actually pricier than in local supermarkets, and my absolute favorite,
the Kinmugi line, wasn't even in stock.
It's a big mystery why buying straight from the factory is more expensive than at the grocery store...
They even had limited-edition beer glasses exclusive to this Kyoto brewery.
If I didn't already have a cabinet full of beer glasses at home, I would have grabbed one in a heartbeat.
But since my collection is already overflowing,
this was the spot where I spent the longest time debating whether to buy one!
They even had some adorable merchandise for kids.
If you're a fellow beer lover,
I highly recommend adding this to your itinerary for a unique travel experience.
The entire system, from booking to the tasting session, is incredibly seamless.
Plus, even if you don't speak Japanese, the real-time translation features make
the entire tour super easy to follow.
If you're planning a trip to Osaka or Kyoto,
I definitely recommend visiting the Suntory Brewery! :)
Nishiyama Koppedo: A must-visit bakery near the Kyoto Suntory Brewery
Next stop: The Kirin Brewery!
The tour costs 1,000 yen per person, including tax. Payment must be made in advance, and you can also use a Travel Wallet card.
You can take a round-trip shuttle bus from Nagaokakyo Station or walk for about 10 minutes from the East Exit of Nishiyama Tennozan Station. If you plan to use the shuttle bus, you must request to board it in advance when booking your tour.
Yes, you can fully enjoy the tour even if you don't speak Japanese. A real-time translation feature for the guide's explanation is provided, making it easy to follow along.
Taking photos inside the factory is allowed, but video recording is strictly prohibited. Even for photos, you must obtain permission beforehand.
The tasting session lasts for about 20 to 30 minutes, and you can drink up to 3 glasses of freshly brewed draft beer. Three types of beer are provided during the tour: The Premium Malt's, Master's Dream, and Kaoru Ale.
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