Nagoya Asahi Brewery Tour!!!

If you live near the Nagoya area, there is no reason why you shouldn't take this tour at least once or twice a year. If I lived within a reasonable distance, I think I would start every Saturday morning off with a tour of the Nagoya Asahi Brewery!!!
Japan may not do everything well, but they usually have tours down pat. Tours are informative, entertaining, and usually end with you getting something for free. The same is true at the Asahi Brewery... Even though the Asahi Brewery isn't a micro brew, and they do turn out some really crappy beer, it is still good to go and have a peek at how they do things. Hey, you could call it research in how NOT to make beer...or you could call it an excuse to drink free beer, which is always welcome in my world.
The Asahi Brewery is open from 9:30am to 3:00pm for FREE tours most days, although you for sure need to call ahead to make sure that they are open on the day you plan on visiting, and that they have room on a tour for your happy self. As with most things in Japan, it is best to have a reservation and if you or a friend can call and make a reservation in Japanese, your life will be easier. The Nagoya brewery does have a website, but again, it is all in Japanese. Nevertheless, check it out here for updates and news from the brewery.
The easiest way to get to the Brewery is to take the JR Chuo line from Kanayama station to Shinmoriyama Station. The ticket will cost you about 200 yen and it is only three or four stops away. From Shinmoriyama station, the brewery is an easy 10-15 minute walk, and there are signs along the way to guide you easily to the factory. (The signs are in Japanese, but they have a map that is easy to read, fear not!) If you get lost and don't speak any Japanese, just walk up to the nearest person that you see and say, "A-SA-HE BEE-ROO???" and look stupid. They will point you in the right direction. A bus does come to Shinmoriyama Station and run back and forth to the factory, but you will need to call and make reservations and check the schedule. If you want to call up the factory and chat a while, the number is 052 792 8966, but remember--Japanese only!
The tour has varied each time I have taken it. If you have a large English speaking group, you can arrange an English tour, but you have to take a tour at the time they tell you. Since I went with Michi in the morning, we opted for the Japanese tour. It helps if you have a basic knowledge of the brewing process, and makes it much easier to follow along. The tour guides are nice Japanese girls that kindly tell you fun facts about Asahi and the factory and teach the basics of brewing. Along the way there are many boards and posters that illustrate the brewing process, and they usually have a short English explanation as well. At the front desk you can ask for an English brochure, which also is a big help.
The highlight of the tour is the end!! After the tour, which takes about 45-50 minutes, you will be escorted into a large hall where your free beer drinking will commence. You are seated, given a short speech on how to taste beer and what kind they offer, and then you have about 15-20 minutes to drink free beer.
Usually, they say you can have three beers, but this limit is not enforced. If you are sly enough, you can keep getting refills, but remember, you only have about 20 minutes. I can hear all of you college boys out there now talking about how many beers you can drink in 20 minutes...but you will be hard pressed to put down more than five and not make a scene.
At the end of the last tour we took, I was amazed to find that not only could you drink the freshest SuperDry in the world (and it DOES taste fresh and better!), but we could also drink Asahi Black and Bass!!! Bass??!! Black? Free???
Bass was available because Asahi is the importer of the English Pale Ale, and it was delicious! A black and tan made with the Bass and the Asahi was also mighty tasty, even if they didn't have the spoon available to make the proper pour...
We enjoyed a few FREE beers and were on our way. It was a great start to a Saturday morning, and the best part is that it is FREE! If you consider that between Michi and Myself we drank seven beers, half of them premiums, we were in the green about 30$ already on the day, minus our train fares...Not a bad start!
In conclusion, get your rear end to the Asahi Brewery in Nagoya. There is no excuse anymore. You can take a morning tour and be done by noon with a belly full of fresh, free, cold beer. And that, my friends, is what I call a lovely start to the day.