Libushi — Restaurant in Nozawaonsen

A cosy little tap room with a good selection of craft beer and friendly staff... although we got the impression that the staff weren't as familiar with different styles of beer as someone working in this industry should probably be. I say that because they had the kegs for their NEIPA and English Bitter the wrong way around. After ordering the English Bitter I could tell just by looking that I'd instead got what looked like tropical juice (classic NEIPA). And was a little disappointed as the two styles really couldn't be more different, and I'm really not a fan of NEIPAs. When I asked to try a sample of the NEIPA what I got was the distinct delicious flavour of an English Bitter. So the staff either don't know enough about beer to know that an English Bitter neither looks nor tastes like tropical juice, or didn't care and didn't think anyone else would know enough about beer to notice. Either way, they lost a star from me. But aside from that little hiccup I really...

I visited here during a week of snowboarding in Nozawa Onsen and enjoyed both of the beers I tried. It was a lovely little accidental find during a stroll one evening, the wooden exterior façade making it easy to remember. Small on the inside, yet cosy, especially during winter—two benches outside if you want extra space/fresh air. It is small, local places like this which I love to visit and I would happily return on another visit to the area. Highly recommend for a drink or two...

Fun, interesting micro brewery in Nozawa Onsen. I found they had a good variety of draft choices (12 when I was there) and they actually make a good IPA, which is not common in Japan. They also have a selection of local juices on offer.

I recommend the Nozawa IPA or the Rhubarb Saison if they have it. Both were quite tasty and out of the ordinary for Japanese craft beer options. Worth the visit if you're here skiing or...