Ballpark brewery wins gold again at IBC2026
A session IPA from a brewery inside a Hokkaido baseball stadium, Sora to Shiba by Yo-Ho Brewing, has won its second gold medal at International Beer Cup 2026, following 2023.
Sora to Shiba by Yo-Ho Brewing is a brewery restaurant run by Yo-Ho Brewing, one of Japan’s leading craft beer companies. It is located inside Es Con Field Hokkaido, a professional baseball stadium in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido. Hokkaido is a large island at the northern tip of Japan. The brewery’s Sora to Shiba Play Ball! Ale won gold in the Session India Pale Ale category at International Beer Cup 2026, held in Tokyo from 3 to 6 October 2026. The same brewery’s Sora to Shiba 2026 Limited Mokumoku White also won a bronze medal, its first, in the South German-Style Hefeweizen category.
Recognition at a long-established international competition
International Beer Cup began in 1996. It is the third-oldest beer competition in the world, after the International Brewing Awards in the UK and the World Beer Cup in the US, and is regarded as one of the world’s major competitions. In 2026, 1,459 beers from 21 countries were entered, and 100 expert judges from 25 countries tasted them blind, with the labels hidden (blind tasting). Medals are awarded only to beers that meet the standard, so a win reflects recognition of the brewer’s technical skill.
Two beers made for the ballpark
“Play Ball!” is the call that signals the start of a baseball game. The beer named after it is the brewery’s flagship, with an alcohol content of 4.5%. A session IPA is a style that keeps the hop aroma of an IPA while holding down the alcohol so that it can be enjoyed in a light, easy-drinking way. It is characterised by a citrus-like aroma and a light mouthfeel, and some of the hops used were grown in Kamifurano, Hokkaido. Brewer Kisui Murata, who was in charge of its development, says that the beer has been refined continually since the opening, and that this second award, following 2023, feels like a reward for that effort.
Mokumoku White is a hefeweizen made with wheat malt, with an alcohol content of 5.0%. It is characterised by a banana-like fruity aroma and a mellow mouthfeel, with restrained bitterness. Brewer Kohei Mita says he has kept improving the flavour over the past year.
A note for readers in Europe
Both award-winning beers can only be drunk at the stadium brewery, so it will be hard to get hold of them in Europe. Even so, the fact that a Japanese brewery has been recognised for a hefeweizen, a style that originated in southern Germany, offers a clue to how far Japanese craft beer has come. If you come across Japanese craft beer in a specialist shop, check whether it has won awards at international competitions such as IBC. Comparing it with a local hefeweizen or session IPA, you may notice something distinctly Japanese in how the aroma is brought out and how the bitterness is balanced.
Sources
This article was written by The Sake Wire editorial team, summarising the public sources listed above. Images are our own.
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