When I asked my young niece where she wanted to go during her summer vacation, she insisted that we go back to the Okayama Kirin Beer Park.
Okayama Kirin Beer Park which is located not too far from Wake town and Osafune (Setouchi city) and is a nice day trip destination for the whole family. You might think that bringing kids to a beer factory is an odd thing, but the beer park is most definitly family friendly.
The tour of the factory is free but it is strongly recommended to make reservations to make sure you can secure your spot.
After you register at the front desk, you will first view a movie about the factory. I learned that they brew enough beer cans in one year to circle the earth 4 times if they were stacked on each other.
After the movie, the very friendly tour guide takes you to see the gigantic fermenting tanks which are currently in use to brew the beer. You also get a chance to touch and smell the hop which Kirin uses.
After this, you take a short bus ride to the packaging factory which is located at the other end of the plant. The packaging plant is the most fascinating part of the tour.
After the tour of the factory, we were taken to a huge beer hall where we could sample some of the freshest beer available in Japan. My niece really liked this part because she got to drink 3 glasses of juice since Kirin also manufactures juice and coffee drinks.
They normally have 4 different beers on tap, but this year they added a special frozen foam beer which is really refreshing. You can enjoy 3 beers or non-alcoholic drinks for free. My wife tried the new 0% lemon chu-hi which she really liked.
This visit to Kirin Beer Park is not just a great way to learn about the manufacturing process of beverages but it has made me a fan of this brand. Okayama Kirin Beer Park is a great place for the whole family and remember to never drink and drive.
