Luxury Hotels that Brew Their Own Beer

Craft beer is the new fine wine, with everyone thinking about hops terroir and eager to try the local IPA wherever they travel. Now savvy hotels are getting in on the act, brewing their own custom small-batch beers on site. Forbes has put together a list of eight establishments to raise a glass at and these are our favourites.

The Trunk Hotel, Tokyo

The nearby Ishikawa Brewery—which has been regarded as one of the best breweries in Tokyo since it began operation in the 19th century—makes a special small-batch beer for this year-old design hotel in the trendy Harajuku district. Along with serving the beer in the hotel’s restaurant and bar, it also sells bottles in the signature Trunk(Store), which specializes in local upcycled items specially made for the hotel, such as sandals, T-shirts and snacks.

Kerry Hotel Pudong, Shanghai

This hotel, part of the luxury Shangri-La brand, is the first five-star hotel in Shanghai to have its own craft brewery and resident brewmaster. Aptly called the Brew, the brewery doubles as a lively, contemporary bar—designed and built around the three-story stainless-steel vats used for brewing and storing beer—with pub-style dishes and live music. It offers six handcrafted beers and one cider along with plenty of other beverages. And it recently added a novel Beer Tower, a dispenser that serves fruit-infused beer, like a limited-edition British-style IPA infused with grapefruit, orange and lemon.

Hotel Okura, Japan

This hotel in the Fukuoka prefecture is unique in Japan for having its own brewery inside the building. The original beer is freshly brewed every day, and guests can enjoy the high-quality craft beer “Hakata Draft” with their meals at any of the restaurants in the hotel.