Great Dane Brewing – Akiu

Great Dane Brewing was founded in Wisconsin in 1994, and in January 2024 it opened its first brewery outside the United States in the Akiu hot spring area of Sendai. The Japanese brewery and restaurant, which uses the line "Wisconsin born, Sendai brewed", chose Akiu partly for its natural setting and water, and the project was also framed as support for the region's recovery from the 2011 disaster. Sendai's mayor attended the opening ceremony. The brewery's awards over three decades include medals at the Great American Beer Festival.

The restaurant pours up to 16 beers brewed on site. The core range includes Akiu Pilsner, Scotch Ale, Everyday IPA and Great Lager, some of which are also canned, and seasonal releases in 2026 have included an Oktoberfest beer. Early on the brewery also made a limited Akiu beer with locally grown rice. From 5pm daily an unlimited tasting offer lets you refill a 150ml glass as often as you like for ¥3,500, with no booking needed.

The kitchen mixes American cooking with Miyagi produce: Wisconsin-style fried cheese curds made with Zao cheese, hoya (sea pineapple) chowder and sandwiches of Ishinomaki kinka mackerel have all featured. A shop sells cans, merchandise and the brewery's own beer snacks.

Akiu is about 30 minutes by taxi from Sendai Station, or around ten from JR Ayashi Station. Buses also run from Sendai Station: the Seibu Liner to the Grand Hotel-mae stop, a five-minute walk away, or the Miyagi Kotsu bus to Biwahara, a minute away. There is free parking on site. The restaurant opens from 11am to 9pm with drinks last orders at 8.30pm, and closes on irregular days, so it pairs well with a day at the Akiu hot springs.