Hida Korikori no Kuni Beer!

This weekend again saw the split of the Good Beer Country Boys as Nate went to drink beer and look at rocks and I went on a weekend get-a-way with the ole' lady. (I have been told that 'ole lady is not an appropriate term to call her by, but since I don't think she is reading this, I will continue to use it.)
We decided on the spur of the moment that we would try to spend the night at a nice Japanese style hotel somewhere up in the mountains. Since the day before we did what I wanted to do (toured the Asahi factory and chilled in Nagoya...more to come on that later!) I decided to give her the reigns and let her decide to take us wherever she wanted. She landed on Takayama in Gifu-ken, and luckily we scored a room at Sosuke, an awesome minshuku (mini Japanese hotel) within walking distance of the old city. Before we left out from Toyohashi, I did some quick Internet investigating to find out as much as I could about craft beer in that area. As luck would have it, Nate and I had scored a Takayama brewed pale-ale the day before at a shop in Nagoya, and it was pretty tasty. I found that there were two different beer breweries in Hida-Takayama, but not too much beyond that. Hopefully others following in my path will be able to be more informed than I was. That is our goal people!! We are doing the hard work--finding the good beer for you, and telling you how to find it quickly!!
Hida-Takayama is a beautiful old town in the mountains that has a old section of town that really reminds me of Kyoto. I won't write about the history of the town, since you can read all you want about it here. Mixed in with the old shops and restaurants (great Hida-beef sushi can be bought on the streets for $5 for two pieces...expensive but good!!) are many liquor shops and sake breweries that sell the local sake and beer made right there in Takayama! Most of these offer free sake and shochu tastings, some with about eight different varieties available to taste for free!
Michi and I decided to duck in one of the local shops and bought some Hida beef on a stick and two Kolsch style Korikori Beers.
The beer had a light body and tasted just like some of the Kolsch style beers I had tasted in Germany. Kolsch styles aren't my favorite, especially in winter. That being said, this beer was very good... After that we drank some of the other micro-brew, Hida Takayama Brewing Agricultural Company (HTBAC), which I will write about later. HTBAC is now my favorite Ji-Biru company in Japan, which is saying a heck of a lot. Look forward to reading more about it.
Later that night we decided to check out the KoriKori Beer's brewpub which was in walking distance of our hotel. Upon arriving, we found that it was closed! Blast! No worries however, as it was a good night and the brisk walk was very enjoyable.
The next day for lunch we made our way back to the brewpub to find it open for business! We entered in and immediately were in love! This place has a nice fireplace, great atmosphere, and the largest collection of Japanese Ji-Biru bottles I have ever seen. There are large glass windows that look down on the fermenting tanks and tables set up near the window offer great views. There is also outdoor seating available when the weather permits! This place looks like something that belongs at the bottom of a ski-slope and the room and the staff are very inviting. We sat down and ordered a taster set for 700 yen--not too bad for three 200mL samples! The Kolsch on draft was even better than from the bottle, and we also sampled an Alt style beer and their winter seasonal, which was called "Harmony." All three were good beers, but the Alt was definitely the best. Lovely caramel flavor, nice body and a smooth finish. The Harmony was darker and had a hint of chocolate malt and some nice hoppy flavor...but was outdone by the Alt by far. The Kolsch was great as well for a lighter style beer, and I am sure that those that are not fans of fuller bodied beer will love it for sure. The beer here was also available at a great price, for 1000yen for a liter. To those of you at home, that's about $10 a beer...but for micro brewed beer in a touristy mountain town in Japan...that's a heck of a deal.
The only downside to the Brewpub is that it is only open from 8am until 4pm...which means you have to start early! The place is available for dinner parties however, and after asking the staff they seemed very welcome to the idea of accommodating large after hours groups. Just call ahead!
Korikori beers are defiantly worth checking out. Plan on taking a weekend trip to Takayama, seeing the sights, eating some good food, and drinking some great mountain Ji-Biru.... If you plan on driving...be warned...when you are up in the mountains...you may find yourself caught in a snowstorm just like we did!!!