Asia

Arguably Japan's most famous craft export, and it came from a 200-year-old sake house, not a startup. The owl ('Hitachino Nest') now shows up on taps from Tokyo to Brooklyn, yet Kiuchi still makes…

The undisputed pioneer of Hong Kong craft. Young Master earns global acclaim for a mixed-fermentation and barrel program that's rare anywhere in Asia, and its Cha Chaan Teng-inspired sours (salted…

A true pioneer of the Chinese craft movement. Great Leap's Honey Ma Gold — brewed with Sichuan peppercorns that leave a tingling 'ma' numbness — proved Chinese craft could be defined by Chinese…

Super Dry did not just win a market, it redefined what Japanese beer was supposed to taste like. The Dry Wars were the last time a beer style genuinely changed a country.

An American-Japanese couple brought West Coast hops to a market that had no vocabulary for them. Half of modern Japanese craft is downstream of that stubbornness.

A dominant force in capital nightlife known for locally inspired, highly creative brews like their watermelon ale.

Okinawa's beer, built for heat and the local table. Nomura and Carlyle took it private in 2019, and the archive spent years noting that private equity has an exit date its brands do not share. The…

Named for Peiping — what Beijing was called before 1949 — by a brewery founded in 2015. Reaching for a discarded name is a very deliberate way to say you are from here.

China's most internationally recognized beer brand, boasting deep historic roots tracing back to German settlers.

Tiger built Singapore's beer identity from a 1931 joint venture, and now anchors Heineken's whole Southeast Asian operation.

Founded by a pivotal craft figure, legendary for seamlessly blending traditional Chinese ingredients like jasmine tea into modern styles.

The oldest brewing lineage in Asia, and the only brewery in this archive whose name was changed because a Prime Minister would not walk through the door. Edward Dyer built a brewery in the Himalayan…

Bintang holds a remarkable position — the dominant beer in a country where selling it is heavily restricted.

Better known worldwide for whisky, and one of Japan's Big Four brewers regardless. Premium Malt's competes on process detail in a market that actually rewards it.

Kingfisher owns Indian beer the way few brands own any market, and the company behind it is older than it looks in two different directions. Thomas Leishman, a Scotsman, formed United Breweries on 15…

A beloved staple of Beijing's hutong craft scene, delivering flawless traditional English and European styles.

A massive state-owned enterprise famously designated as the official pour for banquets in the Great Hall of the People.

Thailand's first brewery, still in family hands after ninety years — a genuine rarity at this scale in Asia.

The undisputed heavyweight of volume, producing the globally ubiquitous and best-selling Snow Beer.

Sweet potato in a beer sounds like a novelty until you taste Beniaka. Ji-Biru at its best was always about using what the region actually grew.

A Shenzhen institution famous for wild experiments, including rye-bread Kvass and some of the best ciders in China.

Backed by a regional sake producer. Utilizing flawless Mount Daisen subsoil water, they craft one of the best Weizens in Japan.

Yuzu and sansho pepper used as brewing ingredients rather than gimmicks. Kagua works because the restraint is doing the work, not the novelty.

A mochi shop serving shrine pilgrims that became an award-winning brewery. Four centuries of feeding travellers turns out to be relevant training.

Ichiban Shibori uses only the first press of the wort and throws away the rest, which is an expensive way to make a mass-market lager. It is also why it tastes the way it does.

Three sisters running one of Japan's most respected breweries, on stout and pilsner — the two styles with nowhere to hide.

A towering figure in the Chinese scene, globally celebrated for their award-winning Beijing Gose.

Founded by brewers who apprenticed in Canada, resulting in a bold, North American-influenced lineup of IPAs and stouts.

Independent and malt-forward, brewing in the shadow of Tsingtao. Being the alternative in that particular city is a deliberate position.

A pub chain that brews its own core range across Guangdong. Owning both the beer and the taps is a harder model than it looks.

Japan's oldest continuous beer brand, founded by a German-trained brewmaster in Hokkaido. Black Label has outlasted every trend sent at it.

Early Beijing craft pioneers celebrated just as much for their Monkey's Fist IPA as for their legendary taproom burgers.

A true Japanese craft legacy. Winning early global awards, their use of pure Agano River water results in flawless brewing.

A historic sake brewery growing its own hops in the Nagano mountains. Very few breweries anywhere control that much of their own supply chain.

The pioneering craft brewery of Akita Prefecture. They are widely and rightly celebrated for their local beechwood-smoked Rauchbier.

Barrel-aged stout and wild ale out of an industrial unit in Kwai Hing. Hong Kong rent makes a barrel programme close to irrational, and they run one anyway.

Japan's largest craft brewery, and Yona Yona is the beer that taught the country what a pale ale was. Scale here was the mission, not a compromise.

Operating one of the largest single-site beer facilities globally, this is a cornerstone of the southern Chinese market.

The godfather of the Shanghai craft scene, heavily responsible for introducing high-quality American ales to the mainland.

China Pass 76. Current core Chongqing brewery and Carlsberg China registered operating company at Hengshan East Road 9. Licence SC11550012036111 was renewed 2026-03-06 and runs through 2030-11-20 for…

Comic book superhero concepts meet pristine brewing. A wildly creative Hong Kong operation.

Beerlao punches absurdly above its weight — a rice lager with a genuine cult following well outside Laos.

Southeast Asia's oldest brewery, founded by Spanish royal grant. The San Miguel sold in Spain is a different company entirely — the two parted ways in the 1950s.

A foundational Shenzhen brewery pushing crisp, tropical IPAs perfectly tailored for the humid southern climate.

Founded to help a fishing town rebuild after the 2011 tsunami, and now brewing some of Japan's best hazies. The beer is good. The reason it exists is better.

China Pass 76. Current Yanji brewery with roots in the 1958 Yanji Beer Factory. The plant's current beer licence was issued 2026-04-20 and runs through 2031-04-19; 2025 provincial sampling maps…

China Pass 76. Current Shenyang brewery and direct corporate successor to the Snow birthplace. Current SC licence issued 2025 covers cooked, draft, fresh and specialty beer through 2028; 2025…

China Pass 76. Current Chengdu brewery within Chongqing Brewery/Carlsberg. The company's 2026 half-year report continues to list it as a 100%-owned beer-business subsidiary, and 2025 Chengdu sampling…

A massive regional Yunnan fixture. Enjoy the famous 'Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon'.

World-class hefeweizen was not enough to keep the lights on, and fellow Japanese craft brewer Yo-Ho bought them in 2020. Quality does not automatically pay for itself — and the buyer here was a peer,…

Massively successful, accessible session IPAs. A global export founded by expats.

China's oldest operating brewery, holding a dominant presence in the Northeast with their classic Hapi pale lager.

China Pass 76. Current Kunming Carlsberg brewery. Carlsberg still publishes environmental information for the Yunnan unit, and 2025 Kunming regulator sampling maps Tuborg, Dali V8, Special Carlsberg…

Brewed on the 'Roof of the World'. Try unique lagers using Tibetan highland barley.

Deeply cultural, mythologically inspired ales. A critically acclaimed Hong Kong staple.

Home of Cass. AB InBev sold it, watched it grow, then bought it back for about four times what they let it go for.

Reinheitsgebot obsession in Hokkaido, and flawless Bavarian lager as a result. Self-imposed limits produce better beer than unlimited options usually do.

333 and Bia Saigon own Vietnam. The 2017 sale to ThaiBev was one of the biggest beverage deals Asia has seen.

A foundational pillar of Japanese craft beer. Their history is directly tied to the vital deregulation of the country's brewing laws.

One of southeastern China's most-drunk beers, tied directly to Fujian banquet culture. Volume like that comes from occasions, not from ratings.

Backed by a historic 1872 sake brewery. They brilliantly apply sake-brewing precision to classic German and American styles.

Kirin resurrected the name of Japan's first commercial brewery for its craft-style line. A real piece of history used as a brand, which is worth knowing before you order one.

A modern craft operation housed within a historic 1874 liquor business. A seamless blend of Yokohama's beverage history and modern tastes.

Eighty-five percent of the Xinjiang market, and a red label lager nicknamed Kill Me At 3 AM. It travelled the whole country on that reputation.

They make Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844, a wood-cask-aged luxury beer at $44 a bottle, under CBR Brewing. The same brand sells as cheap American lager elsewhere. The label is worth whatever a market will…

The cornerstone of Chengdu’s beer community. Exceptional in-house nano-brews await.

China Pass 29. Local name: 北京双合盛五星啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: State-owned wholly controlled. Entity type: BREWERY_COMPANY_HISTORIC_LINEAGE. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Founder: Hao Shengtang and…

Flawless modern West Coast IPAs. An award-winning Pearl River Delta heavyweight.

A highly rated, experimental operation relentlessly pushing the technical boundaries of wild ales and sours.

China Pass 76. Current Harbin brewery and corporate heir to the 1900 Harbin brewing lineage. AB InBev identifies Harbin brewery as opening in 1900 and the country's oldest beer brand; current SC…

China Pass 29. Local name: 百威雪津啤酒有限公司（莆田旗舰工厂）. Ownership as recorded: Budweiser Brewing Company APAC / AB InBev. Entity type: GLOBAL_FLAGSHIP_PRODUCTION_SITE. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Lineage…

Intensely fruited sours in Fo Tan. A highly modern, aggressively scaling brewery.

China Pass 76. Current Qiannan/Longli Snow brewery. Although the indexed beer licence is stale, 2025-2026 regulator samples directly map multiple Snow beers to this plant, and Guizhou environmental…

China Pass 76. Current Neijiang brewery. Licence SC11551100200016 is valid through 2026-11-04; 2025 local regulator sampling maps Kingway Pure Brew and Brave the World directly to the plant.

China Pass 76. Corporate/network entity, not a single physical brewery. Keep individual plants separate in later passes.

Delicate sours out of a nano-brewery in Suzhou's canal district. Restraint is a harder sell than intensity and a much harder thing to brew.

Pushing excellent, highly-rated IPAs and dark beers to a rapidly expanding southern craft market from their massive Shenzhen space.

Japan's first microbrewery, opened the moment the 1994 tax law made it legal. Deregulation is an abstraction until somebody actually walks through the door.

A nano-brewery in Ningbo with a ratings footprint far larger than its size explains. Word of mouth still outperforms distribution.

China Pass 29. Local name: 福建省燕京惠泉啤酒股份有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Yanjing Beer controlled. Entity type: LISTED_BREWERY_COMPANY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current listed Fujian brewery…

Brewing to match Macanese and Portuguese food — a cuisine that exists nowhere else. The beer had to be designed for it because nothing off the shelf fits.

Named for Beijing's Workers' Stadium district and brewed for the crowd that fills it. Knowing your room is an underrated brewing skill.

China Pass 29. Local name: 杭州千岛湖啤酒有限公司 / 千岛湖啤酒. Ownership as recorded: Independent / Cheerday. Entity type: BREWERY_COMPANY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current official site says the brewery was…

Sake-brewery money, sansho pepper and oyster stout. The Japanese craft scene's best ideas keep coming from people who were already fermenting something else.

China Pass 29. Local name: 济南泉麦酒业有限公司 / 泉澄精酿. Ownership as recorded: Jinan Lixia Holdings Group subsidiary. Entity type: STATE_BACKED_CRAFT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. State-backed Jinan…

China Pass 29. Local name: 劲派啤酒（山东）有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent / multiple house brands and OEM. Entity type: CRAFT_BREWERY_AND_SUPPLY_CHAIN. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current…

China Pass 29. Local name: 麒麟啤酒（珠海）有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Kirin Group. Entity type: INTERNATIONAL_BREWERY_PRODUCTION_SITE. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current official Zhuhai brewery site is…

China Pass 76. Current Fushun regional brewery. Company and government records trace the predecessor Fushun Beer Factory to 1979. A 2026 environmental report documents expansion from 18,000 tons to…

Contemporaneous 2017 Hong Kong coverage states Lucky Dawgs had settled in North Point and built its own brewery facility; contemporary event/travel listings describe a craft brewery and tasting room…

A modern Shanghai favorite that gained serious notoriety for successfully brewing a highly divisive Durian Porter.

Japan Pass 1. Recorded in the source workbook as "Miyashita Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. — Doppo". Historical lineage traced to 1915; current brewing operation from 1995. Continuity as recorded: SAKE…

China Pass 29. Local name: 青岛醇岛优品啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent/local craft brand. Entity type: CRAFT_BEER_COMPANY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE_BRAND_CURRENT. Qingdao Daily documented its…

China Pass 29. Local name: 青岛东崂啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent/local craft brand. Entity type: CRAFT_BEER_COMPANY_BRAND. Status as recorded: ACTIVE_BRAND_CURRENT. Current 2026 exhibition…

China Pass 29. Local name: 青岛崂金精酿啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent/local craft brewery. Entity type: CRAFT_BREWERY_COMPANY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. 2024 Qingdao regulator sampling…

China Pass 76. Official company history says founded in November 1994 in Shazikou, Laoshan, with 100,000-ton production capacity.

China Pass 29. Local name: 青岛青麦生物科技有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Qingmai craft brand. Entity type: CRAFT_BEER_COMPANY_BRAND. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current 2026 registry/media evidence shows the…

China Pass 29. Local name: 生力（广东）啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong subsidiary. Entity type: INTERNATIONAL_BREWERY_PRODUCTION_SITE. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Official San…

China Pass 29. Local name: 山东Oasis啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent / contract brewing supplier. Entity type: BREWERY_COMPANY_AND_SUPPLY_CHAIN. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Official site says…

China Pass 29. Local name: 山东威海卫酒业集团威海有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent/local brewery group. Entity type: BREWERY_COMPANY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Weihai environmental authorities list the…

China Pass 29. Local name: 山东阳春啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent / contract brewing supplier. Entity type: BREWERY_COMPANY_AND_CRAFT_SUPPLY_CHAIN. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Official 2026…

A groundbreaking high-altitude operation brilliantly utilizing local Tibetan highland barley for their unique ales and porters.

Named after a historic fishing port, they craft highly drinkable ales perfect for the tropical coastal weather.

China Pass 29. Local name: 屾乘啤酒（嵊州市）有限公司 / 山乘酿造. Ownership as recorded: Ye Tianze and two partners. Entity type: INDEPENDENT_CRAFT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Shengzhou local-media reporting…

China Pass 29. Local name: 青岛啤酒（三水）有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd.. Entity type: SUBSIDIARY_PRODUCTION_SITE. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Tsingtao's 2025 interim report lists…

China Pass 76. Current Taiyuan brewery. Tsingtao's 2025 annual report lists Taiyuan as a wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary; 2025-2026 regulator samples map Tsingtao and Laoshan beers directly to…

China Pass 29. Local name: 扎夫德国精酿. Ownership as recorded: Independent. Entity type: INDEPENDENT_CRAFT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Founder: Dirk Frauenheim; Lin Ya. First-party site…

China Pass 29. Local name: 浙江禾城酿造科技有限公司 / 南湖啤酒. Ownership as recorded: Independent/local revival company. Entity type: CRAFT_BREWERY_AND_HISTORIC_BRAND_REVIVAL. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Company…

Famous for Okhotsk Blue, an eye-catching brew made with local blue seaweed and actual winter drift ice.

Located beautifully in a historic hot spring town. They masterfully fuse British cask culture with Japanese ingredients and barrel-aging.

One of the most hyped modern breweries in Japan, dominating the scene with extreme, thick, fruit-packed smoothie sours.

An island-based brewery deeply tied to agriculture. They are famous for uniquely and deliciously brewing with local Awaji onions and lemons.

Actively pushing aggressive flavor profiles across Kyushu with their top-tier fruited sours and IPAs.

An absolute legend in the backpacker haven of Dali, brewing local ales long before the modern craft boom hit.

Fanatically dedicated to traditional German brewing. Operating a 100-year-old copper coolship guarantees an incredibly authentic experience.

Infusing a heavy punk-rock aesthetic into Kanagawa. They prioritize hyper-local sourcing to throw incredible community-driven release events.

Elevating Aomori's presence in the craft scene. Their brilliant use of local apples makes for an incredibly distinct tasting profile.

Chang launched in 1994 aimed squarely at Singha's price point, and took most of Thailand within ten years.

China Pass 76. Current Nanning brewery. 2025-2026 Guangxi samples map Harbin beers directly to the plant, and Nanning's 2026 environmental-disclosure list continues to include the company as a…

China Pass 29. Local name: 百威雪津（漳州）啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Budweiser Brewing Company APAC / AB InBev. Entity type: GLOBAL_BREWERY_PRODUCTION_SITE. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current 2026…

A fast-rising modern microbrewery celebrated for striking can art and beautifully aggressive dry-hopped IPAs.

China Pass 76. Current Dali brewery and Carlsberg Yunnan core. First-party environmental disclosure is current in 2025-2026; Dali government reporting says it became a national green factory in 2026.…

China Pass 29. Local name: 嘉士伯啤酒（安徽）有限公司 / 天长啤酒厂系. Ownership as recorded: Carlsberg / Chongqing Brewery platform; predecessor Chongqing Beer Group Anhui Tiandao Beer. Entity type:…

Fruit-forward beer built to survive Hunan chili heat. Brewing to a local cuisine rather than to a style guide is the more useful instinct.

China Pass 76. Current Leshan/Emeishan brewery. Licence SC11551118100015 remains valid through 2027-02-24; 2024 provincial sampling maps Brave the World and Brave the World Iceberg directly to the…

China Pass 76. Current Xindu brewery at Xingguang Road 108. 2025 sampling maps Kingway and Snow Original Wort products to the plant; 2026 procurement shows continuing factory services and…

Malt-forward brews for misty mountains. Pairs perfectly with local night markets.

Operated by a historic taruzake sake brewery. They expertly transition their deep knowledge of wood-aging into a complex craft beer line.

An incredible fusion of British pub culture and subtropical flair. Expect brilliant use of local Okinawan spices and citrus.

Attached to a pub chain, which craft purists will hold against them, and pouring genuinely well-made West Coast IPA regardless. Distribution is not a character flaw.

A major production force in Guangzhou boasting an extensive catalog of top-rated hazies and heavily fruited sours.

Refreshing pilsners for northeastern beachgoers. Heavy dry-hopped coastal perfection.

An incredible Chengdu operation focusing on barrel-aging and sour programs that cut perfectly through fiery local dishes.

Current brewery ordering/reservation pages identify Deadman as a brewery at the San Po Kong industrial address and actively offer brewery experiences; competition records separately identify Deadman…

An incredible social enterprise brewery in Osaka. You can drink excellent craft beer while directly supporting a vital community cause.

American expats brewing hard IPA and serving Chicago deep dish in Tokyo. Beer scenes are usually built by people who could not find what they wanted at home.

Fermentation treated as laboratory work. Clean lager punishes every shortcut, which is why so few breweries make it their calling card.

Clean hoppy IPA and fruit sour shipped to taprooms across the mainland. Consistency at that distribution range is genuinely difficult in Chinese craft.

China Pass 29. Local name: 胖胖啤酒马. Ownership as recorded: Founded by German brewer David Krings with local partners. Entity type: HISTORICAL_CRAFT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: CLOSED. Pioneering…

A highly technical new project pushing the absolute boundaries of wild ales, barrel aging, and mixed fermentation.

A 2020 Hong Kong independent-media profile states the business transformed from a small restaurant into a brewery after its 2017 lease ended and identifies owner Angus and locally produced beer.…

Japan Pass 1. Recorded in the source workbook as "Fuji Kanko Kaihatsu — Fujizakura Heights Beer". Continuity as recorded: ACTIVE. Entity type: CRAFT_PRODUCTION_BREWERY. Founder: UNKNOWN. Owner/parent…

One of Kyushu's most aggressive modern players. A fantastic spot to crush top-tier Mexican lagers and heavily hopped hazies.

Hop-forward beer for a craft audience Fuzhou is still building. Somebody has to be early in every city.

Craft beer for the factory towns of the Greater Bay Area. Industrial cities drink enormous volumes and almost never get taken seriously as a market.

Malt-led beer from a coastal nano-brewery, at a moment when everyone else is chasing hops. Going the other way takes some nerve.

A modern microbrewery embracing Yokosuka's maritime culture with brightly flavored hazies and sours.

China Pass 76. Baise brewery with historical cooked/raw beer licence and manufacturer-mapped pineapple-flavour beer in both 2024 and 2025. Shanghai's official sample records a 330mL ≥0.65% beer…

Sours and pilsner suited to Guizhou's cool mountain air. Brewing to a climate is an old idea that modern craft mostly forgot.

China Pass 76. Hainan government recorded trial production in May 2026. By August 2026, Yangchun's own site described the Tunchang factory as completed and explicitly marketed three products as…

A massive driver of Hokkaido's craft scene. Using exceptionally mineral-rich groundwater from Mount Hakodate makes their lineup spectacular.

Brewed with Thousand Island Lake water, and the source is the entire marketing proposition. Water is the ingredient breweries talk about least and depend on most.

Dark porters and winter ales in a city defined by macro lager and serious cold. A small counterweight, brewing for the actual weather.

A famous Awamori distiller that pivoted into craft beer. Their use of local ingredients like goya makes for truly unique Okinawan brews.

Tropical hazies in sleek, modern cans. A design-forward microbrewery in Hangzhou.

Recipes built for year-round heat on Hainan. Tropical brewing is a fermentation-temperature problem before it is a flavour one.

A fiercely independent nano-brewery near the famous Hikawa Shrine that acts as a major local community hub.

A confectionery company brewing the Oni series — some of the most aggressively hopped beer in Hokkaido. Nobody plans a brewery this way.

Current first-party site calls Hong Kong Whistle a boutique brewery founded in 2016, explicitly describes small-batch production, lists a brewery address, brewery pickup, tours and brewing workshops.…

As the name implies, they are absolutely obsessed with hop-forward brews and lead the charge for ultra-hazy NEIPAs in China.

Heavy stouts and IPA in Qingdao — the one Chinese city where the macro brewery is the local landmark. Carving out space there takes some stubbornness.

Straight to the top of the ratings within a couple of years, on clean IPA and lager rather than novelty. Precision travels faster than gimmicks.

Named for the year modern brewing reached Shandong, brewed with local artesian spring water. The name is a claim about lineage and the water backs it up.

Widely beloved in the craft scene for their wildly popular Earl Grey infused beer and vibrantly colored fruit ales.

Bold pale ale set against Sichuan heat, for Chengdu's young drinkers. The city's whole culture is built around lingering, which suits beer.

Masters of the Belgian farmhouse style in Shizuoka. They brilliantly utilize local produce like green tea and seasonal fruits in their brews.

A highly rustic, scenic riverside brewery. Their unpasteurized ales are explicitly designed to perfectly pair with local Japanese cuisine.

A fiercely independent regional macro brand. Holding the central plains market proudly.

A massive regional macro deeply tied to Shenzhen's explosive 90s growth, now backed with a minority stake by Heineken.

Highland botanicals and wild flowers from Yunnan, a province with more plant diversity than most countries. Using it is the obvious move nobody else can make.

Leaning heavily into maritime history, they are famous for their signature Naval Man's Beer.

The impressive craft wing of sake giant Kizakura. Brewing with legendary Fushimi groundwater creates an incredibly pure tasting profile.

Tea beers in the city that defines Japanese tea. Obvious in hindsight, which is usually the sign of a good idea.

Belgian yeast, American hops, brewed in the old capital. The Kyoto scene has a shape now, and this is largely where it came from.

Craft beer on the Silk Road, in a city where summer heat is punishing. The market is small and the reason to be there is obvious once you have been.

A tiny but highly respected neighborhood microbrewery producing pristine, expressive pales for the local community.

Jinan's famous springs, used for crisp lager. When a city is known for its water, brewing with it is the least you can do.

Massive Shanghai industrial gastropub. Experience peak farm-to-table freshness onsite.

Early pioneers of the Japanese microbrewery movement. They are internationally respected and awarded for their flawless traditional Kolsch.

The flagship blonde ale of Macau. Ubiquitous across the region's casino complexes.

World-class IPA and stout from Inner Mongolia, a very long way from the coastal cities where Chinese craft is supposed to happen.

A nano-brewery showcasing the best of local Nagano agriculture, including regional hops, apples, and peaches.

Modern hops and traditional ale for Tianjin, a port city permanently overshadowed by Beijing an hour away.

Gao Yan scaling up his own pioneering work. Chinese craft beer needed someone to prove the demand was real before anyone else would build for it.

A heavily community-focused operation pouring excellent craft just a short walk from the historic Matsumoto Castle.

Located beautifully on the sacred Miyajima Island. Brewing with pristine Mount Misen spring water makes these ales remarkably smooth.

An iconic Kyushu operation, globally awarded for their Kuri Kuro Dark Chestnut Ale that utilizes local chestnuts.

Located on a massive agricultural eco-farm, heavily emphasizing rustic agriculture, local ingredients, and sustainability.

Sporting Nagoya Castle's golden dolphin branding, they famously brew a highly unique regional lager incorporating real red miso.

A fast-rising microbrewery bringing excellent top-tier hazies and experimental stouts to the Anhui province.

Led by a female pitmaster and brewer, they are uniquely and brilliantly focused on mastering smoke-infused beers.

Rice-infused lager and sessionable pale ale for Jiangxi. Rice in beer is treated as an adjunct shortcut in the West and as a local tradition here.

World-class modern craft in Japan's ancient capital, and the aesthetic is as deliberate as the beer. Nara is not a city that tolerates sloppiness.

Legendary for their Nine-Tailed Fox vintage barleywine series, specifically designed to be cellared for decades.

Rich stouts honoring Xi'an's dynastic history. A highly regarded independent lineup.

China Pass 29. Local name: 拾捌精酿. Ownership as recorded: Independent / private craft brewery (reported). Entity type: CRAFT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Founder: Wang Fan. Wuhan craft brewery…

Housed in a beautifully repurposed nursery school. An international team delivers fantastic, modern, fruit-forward American IPAs here.

One of the absolute earliest pioneers of the Japanese microbrewery movement, launching right after the 1994 deregulation.

A distinctly Okinawan operation that famously utilizes local water filtered through coral-formed limestone caves.

Brewing in former elementary school buildings in Kobe. Japan has a lot of empty schools now, and this is a better answer than most.

True pioneers of wild yeast experimentation in Japan. Their master brewer's influence echoes throughout the entire modern craft scene.

A massive crossover success from a historic sake brewery. Gunma's famous soft water ensures exceptionally smooth craft ales every time.

Built on bold branding, they were pivotal in introducing craft beer to a younger, lifestyle-focused demographic in Beijing.

Hangzhou’s vibrant, youth-driven microbrewery. Enjoy approachable, fruit-forward ales here.

Deeply embedded in the Shonan coast surf culture. Their crisp, sessionable lagers are absolutely perfect for a day at the beach.

China Pass 29. Local name: 口袋精酿啤酒厂 / 口袋精酿. Ownership as recorded: Independent founders including Deng Aiqing; legal representative Sun Shihai reported by Fuzhou government. Entity type:…

Glacial meltwater brews on the Tibetan Plateau. An extreme high-altitude experience.

Clean execution out of Guangzhou, expanding fast across the Greater Bay Area. In Chinese craft, consistency is the rarer achievement.

Once a third of the Shanghai beer market. Reeb is beer spelled backwards, and it was the city's default order for a generation.

Operating out of a cool subterranean basement. They boast a massive cult following for their ultra-fresh, densely hopped hazy IPAs.

Built from recycled materials in Japan's first zero-waste town, brewing with agricultural surplus. The brewery is the argument.

Founded by expats, this brewpub has rapidly become a major hub in West Tokyo for highly crushable session beers.

China Pass 29. Local name: 山东王城精酿啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Reorganized/combined with German Yige Beer Co., Ltd.. Entity type: CRAFT_BREWERY_COMPANY_LINEAGE. Status as recorded:…

Their Emperor Qin's Imperial Stout took gold at the International Brewing Awards — a Shanghai brewery beating the world at a British style.

A united collaborative brewing space. Taste regional Liaoning homebrewing at scale.

Southern fruit and modern hops in Guilin, among the karst peaks. Tourist towns rarely produce serious breweries; this is one.

Not beer, and included anyway. Dry-hopped cider from Nagano apples is part of the same fermentation scene, and pretending otherwise is just tidiness.

A strictly Belgian-focused operation. Their use of hyper-local Kisarazu ingredients creates beautifully nuanced, bottle-conditioned ales.

Top-tier hazy IPA out of Wenzhou, a city known for merchants rather than beer. Highly rated, and a long way from the craft centres.

Chengdu’s laid-back experimental spirit. A fantastic independent microbrewery experience.

The pioneers of the Tokyo waterfront craft scene. Transforming a historic warehouse into a brewpub created a premier drinking destination.

Taiwanese-founded, now brewing wildly inventive fruit beer in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Fruit beer done seriously is much harder than fruit beer done sweet.

Housed in a gorgeous historic brick warehouse, pouring classic styles designed for freezing Hokkaido winters.

A state monopoly turned national icon. Taiwan Beer's rice-brewed character makes it genuinely distinct from its regional rivals.

A craft staple in Nanshan pouring highly rated signature IPAs for Shenzhen's tech-forward community.

Their Osmanthus Wheat Ale bottles the smell of Hangzhou in autumn. Local flower, local beer — the kind of idea that only works where it is from.

Music-themed, heavily hyped, and barely two years old. Hype is not evidence of quality, but it is evidence that Japanese craft has an audience waiting.

A cozy, highly-rated microbrewery serving up solid, unpretentious ales to the massive Guangzhou market.

Out of Hebei and into Beijing on triple IPAs. Chinese craft brewing is moving fast enough that most beer writing about it is already out of date.

A heavy metal-themed brewery operating under the motto 'Extreme Beer Only!' with intensely bitter West Coast IPAs.

An experimental microbrewery operating out of an industrial zone with constantly rotating, hop-forward small batches.

A highly technical operation in Tokyo. They consistently deliver flawless classic English styles and robust West Coast IPAs.

Dry-hopped hazies and heavily fruited sours to an audience that queues. Aichi is not where anyone expected this to happen.

A true craft beacon in the mountainous southwest, consistently ranking among China's top-rated microbreweries.

Bold IPA and busy taprooms in Guangzhou. Southern China's craft market is younger than the north's and moving faster.

China Pass 76. Current successor production operation at Dongjiang Lake. Tsingtao's 2025 annual report still carries the Chenzhou subsidiary; 2026 Chenzhou reporting describes an 11.6-ha brewery with…

China Pass 76. Current Yulin brewery. Tsingtao's 2025 annual report lists it as a wholly owned manufacturing subsidiary; 2026 procurement records show ongoing equipment, boiler and plant-maintenance…

The name at the centre of Japan's haze craze, selling out on release. Hype this durable usually means the beer is genuinely holding up.

Brewing classic German styles utilizing exceptionally pure meltwater sourced directly from the dramatic Kurobe Gorge.

High-quality, award-winning wheat beers. A massive and respected micro-production facility.

Among the westernmost breweries in China, in Xinjiang. Ingredients arrive across thousands of kilometres, and they brew anyway.

An iconic experimental brewery that originally evolved from one of Tokyo's most highly regarded craft beer bars.

Mixed-fermentation and hazy IPA from the mountains outside Tokyo. Being hard to get to has never stopped anyone finding a good brewery.

Modern American IPA in Shizuoka, plus a hotel across the road with beer on tap in the rooms. Commitment to the format, at minimum.

A massive recent hit in the capital's hutongs, pairing sleek modern branding with highly regarded hazy IPAs.

Bringing bold American brewing to China's spiciest city by utilizing local herbs to perfectly match Sichuan cuisine.

A certified German brewmaster adhering to the Reinheitsgebot on a tropical island. It offers an incredibly unique and pure tasting experience.

The undisputed kings of the Central China craft scene, known for wild creations like a hot dry noodle-inspired stout.

Bringing top-tier craft to the ancient capital of Xi'an with an impressive lineup of locally infused ales.

West Coast IPA in the old imperial capital. Xi'an trades on thirteen dynasties of history and now has an independent brewery too.

Small-batch IPA and stout at the springs of Jinan. Nano-scale brewing in a city that mostly drinks macro.

Nagoya's first craft brewpub situated right in the market. A fantastic destination for aggressively hopped, West Coast-style IPAs.

Acclaimed for their award-winning Black IPA and notable for operating as a fully vegan-friendly Japanese brewery.

A brewery deeply connected to Nara's culinary roots. They focus heavily on accessible beers that pair seamlessly with traditional local dishes.

Historic coastal brewing with deep legacy. An industrial pillar of the Shandong peninsula.

China Pass 29. Local name: 烟台醴泉啤酒股份有限公司 / 烟台啤酒厂. Ownership as recorded: Historical predecessor to modern Yantai Beer. Entity type: HISTORICAL_BREWERY_LINEAGE. Status as recorded:…

Founded by a former Kirin master brewer. Seek them out for a truly world-class pilsner brewed with pristine mountain spring water.

Iconic pastry stouts and experimental batches. A creative powerhouse in Shijiazhuang.

Norse mythology and heavy metal in Kanagawa, with hop bills to match. Theme breweries live or die on whether the beer backs it up.

China Pass 29. Local name: 义合精酿啤酒工坊. Ownership as recorded: Village collective / poverty-alleviation industry project. Entity type: RURAL_CRAFT_BREWERY_PROJECT. Status as recorded:…

Brewing in the exact city where Japanese commercial beer started. Continuity like that is worth more than most breweries' entire origin story.

A massive cult favorite in the Japanese scene, highly regarded for their rustic, seasonally driven farmhouse ales.

China Pass 76. Current Dehong brewery. Licence SC11553310200257 is valid through 2026-12-05 for cooked beer. 2025 customs-linked reporting shows active export production through Wanding, and Dehong's…

A true grain-to-glass operation where the brewers actively farm and cultivate their own organic ingredients.

Experimental IPA and stout in Henan, an early mover on the central plains. Craft beer reached inland China years after the coast.

China Pass 76. Core Henan production company behind Jinxing. Company history traces the brewery to the 1982 Dongfeng Beer Factory; 2025-2026 first-party and regulator evidence show current Zhengzhou…

Backed by a historic sake brewer, they thrive by being located in Tono, Japan's premier domestic hop-growing region.

China Pass 76. Pass 51 closeout classification: Yanjing's audited 2025 report continues to list Jinzhong as a wholly owned subsidiary engaged in beer production and sales, but the company is absent…

China Pass 76. Current Xinxiang-area production brewery. 2025 Henan regulator sampling maps multiple Harbin products directly to the Weihui plant at Budweiser Avenue No.1; Xinxiang University also…

China Pass 76. Pass 48 correction to Pass 46: Mudanjiang has a current Budweiser brewery. Licence SC11523100426151 covered cooked/fresh beer through 2026-06-16; 2025 regulator publications map…

China Pass 76. Current Nanchang manufacturing brewery, formerly Nanchang Asia Brewery. 2026 county-government activity confirms the company remains active locally; current regulator samples map…

China Pass 76. Current Jiulongpo branch. Licence SC11550010736127 was renewed 2025-11-21 through 2030-11-20 and covers cooked bottled/keg beer, bottled draft/raw beer and specialty bottled beer.

China Pass 76. Current Chengdu Snow plant at Yiyuan 3rd Road. The indexed licence is stale, but 2025 Sichuan regulator sampling maps Snow Mars Green directly to this plant, proving current brewing.

China Pass 29. Local name: 华润雪花啤酒（武汉）有限公司. Ownership as recorded: China Resources Beer. Entity type: INDUSTRIAL_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Wuhan/Dongxihu current production and R&D base.…

China Pass 29. Local name: 华润雪花啤酒（六安）有限公司. Ownership as recorded: China Resources Beer / Snow; successor to acquired Longjin production network. Entity type: BREWERY_PRODUCTION_SITE. Status as…

China Pass 29. Local name: 广东饮料厂 / 广州啤酒厂. Ownership as recorded: Municipal/state industrial lineage; later JV partner in Guangzhou San Miguel. Entity type: HISTORICAL_BREWERY_LINEAGE. Status as…

China Pass 29. Local name: 广州生力啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: San Miguel Guangdong / Guangzhou Beer Factory joint venture. Entity type: HISTORICAL_JOINT_VENTURE_BREWERY. Status as recorded: CLOSED.…

Seed status: SEED VERIFIED. Major South Korean brewer seed. Country seed — a starting point for this state, not a national sweep. [Region Pass 04]

China Pass 76. Current Xiangtan craft brewery. 2025 regulator sampling directly maps three beers to its Bantan Road production address; Hunan industry authority also listed the company among 2025…

China Pass 29. Local name: 湖州特思拉啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent / contract & own-brand producer. Entity type: CRAFT_AND_CONTRACT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current 2026 Huzhou…

China Pass 29. Local name: 佳信劳德巴赫（福建）啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Jiaxin Group / Lauterbach brand. Entity type: SMART_CRAFT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. The Yongtai smart craft factory…

China Pass 76. Current Baishan brewery and beverage producer. Its beer-production licence is valid through 2027-07-25 and covers cooked, fresh and specialty beer; 2025 provincial sampling maps two…

China Pass 76. Current Fuliang craft production. Jingdezhen agriculture authority reports a 5,000-ton fermentation line and five characteristic products including lager craft, wheat craft and Fuliang…

Current first-party site says Made in Hong Kong, identifies Mak's Brewery, states small-scale workshop production, and gives current Tsuen Wan industrial address. Address: 12C Jing Ho Industrial…

Contemporaneous 2017 Hong Kong coverage says four beer- and cat-loving owners established their own local brewing workshop to make low-volume, high-quality craft beer. 2017 industry material places…

China Pass 76. Pass 48 correction: Nenjiang is a current brewery, not historical-only. Current licence search shows SC11523112100358 renewed through 2031-06-30; Nenjiang government also published a…

China Pass 29. Local name: 宁波鲜啤三十公里科技有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Lehui International / Fresh Beer 30 km. Entity type: FRESH_BEER_PRODUCTION_PLATFORM. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current first-party…

Seed status: SEED VERIFIED. Major Vietnamese brewer seed. Country seed — a starting point for this state, not a national sweep. [Region Pass 04]

China Pass 76. Ministry of Commerce Snow history traces the brewery to Manchuria Beer in 1933, renamed Liberation Beer Factory after 1948 and Shenyang Beer Factory in 1949. Snow beer was created…

China Pass 76. Current Yuncheng brewery. Although the older indexed SC record is expired, 2025-2026 regulator samples repeatedly map Snow products to the Yuncheng plant, a 2026 procurement notice…

China Pass 76. Current Siping brewery with licence through 2030 covering cooked, draft, fresh and specialty beer. Budweiser InBev acquired 100% of Jinshibai in 2014; 2025 regulator data maps…

China Pass 76. Same legal brewery lineage established in 1994 as Hainan Asia Pacific Brewery, later Heineken Brewery (Hainan), and renamed Snow Beer (Hainan) after China Resources took over in 2019.…

China Pass 76. Current Jixi brewery with licence through 2026-12-09, regulator-mapped products and a government-documented 400,000-kL relocation/expansion Phase II project.

China Pass 76. Current Baoji brewery. Tsingtao's 2025 report lists Baoji as a manufacturing subsidiary; Baoji environmental records list it as beer manufacturing, and 2025 regulator sampling maps…

China Pass 76. Current Xi'an production group and one of Tsingtao's most important subsidiaries. Tsingtao's 2025 annual report lists Xi'an Hans as a wholly owned subsidiary; 2025 Xi'an regulator…

China Pass 76. Current Guilin core brewery. Guilin Daily reports continuous operation since 1987, 1-million-ton annual capacity and a 2024-2026 smart-factory program. Yanjing's 2025 annual report…

China Pass 76. Government reporting shows full brewery production in Feb 2024, and 2024-2025 cooperation produced commercial tea beers. The visible SC licence expired 2024-09-04; no renewed licence…

China Pass 29. Local name: 浙江喜盈门啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent / multi-brand and OEM producer. Entity type: CRAFT_AND_CONTRACT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current 2025–2026…

China Pass 29. Local name: 百威英博舟山工厂 / 舟山啤酒厂. Ownership as recorded: AB InBev at closure. Entity type: HISTORICAL_BREWERY_LINEAGE. Status as recorded: CLOSED_2016. Founder: 2016. AB InBev confirmed…

China Pass 29. Local name: 安徽慕尼黑啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent / Münchenal platform. Entity type: CRAFT_AND_CONTRACT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. Current first-party material…

China Pass 29. Local name: 安徽相情原浆啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent/local. Entity type: CRAFT_AND_FRESH_BEER_PRODUCER. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. 2026 Anhui/Huaibei market-regulator records…

China Pass 29. Local name: 安徽紫晶啤酒有限公司. Ownership as recorded: Independent/private brewery. Entity type: INDEPENDENT_AND_CONTRACT_BREWERY. Status as recorded: ACTIVE. 2025 regulator sampling…