In just three years, Belgian Beer Weekend has become one of Japan’s biggest beer events, rivaling if not surpassing some of the massive Oktoberfests in terms of excitement. As many readers may remember, it launched in Roppongi in 2010, drawing a staggering 15,000 visitors. The following year, organizers added Osaka to the schedule and drew 34,000. In 2012, Nagoya joined the fun and the numbers swelled to 64,000. This year, Yokohama and Fukuoka also act as host cities, providing for a total of 37 drinking days among the five cities. Organizers hope for as many as 150,000 visitors.

But this isn’t about numbers any more than Belgian breweries are about pumping out huge volumes of beer. It’s about quality and the overall experience. Visitors can of course expect an impressive lineup of some of Belgium’s best beers at affordable prices. Delicious beer demands good food to pair with it. Belgian staples, both main dishes and desserts, will be available from multiple vendors. And no party is a party without great music. Some of Belgium’s top live musical acts will be touring with the festival, covering a variety of musical genres. Dancing? They’ll be some people dancing, for sure.

Now let’s get back to the beers, since this is the heart of the festival. This year’s Belgian Beer Weekend features a total of 97 varieties of beer (not all cities will have the same beers). Most are specialty beers, including unique fruit beers for which Belgian brewers are well known. Traditional Trappist beers follow. About half are draught, the other half, bottled. There will of course be big names at the taps, like Hoegaarden, Orval and Leffe, as well as an array of lesser know breweries. The majority of beers start at ¥600, with some rarer (and higher alcohol varieties) coming in at ¥800 or the occasional ¥1000. Since there’s no admission fee, just a “starter set” that comes with an original glass and 12 beer/food coins, guests can typically get three beers, a main dish and a dessert. Extra tickets are available for those who want more.

This article was published in Japan Beer Times # () and is among the limited content available online. Order your copy through our online shop or download the digital version from the iTunes store to access the full contents of this issue.