THIS PLACE IS NOW CLOSED
I have been meaning to try this place for a while as it seemed like an interesting twist on the usual Craft Beer Market concept. The twist is that there are less taps and it’s more like an Izakaya than a CBM. Going to a concert in Kichijoji gave me the perfect opportunity to do so. Even though I said I was interested in the twist, it’s probably not completely up my street, as for vegetarians, Izakaya food is often just chips and edamame. This comment has made me realize that I probably should have had a look at the food menu, but sadly I didn’t. Instead I will just presume, and by doing so make a ‘pre’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’. Hmmm, that one doesn’t work so well. In any case, here’s what you need to know:
– Craft Beer Market but an Izakaya. You can take this thought and use it to work out the decor (Izakaya like but with beer paraphernalia spread around and felt a bit slicker and less weathered than some Izakaya’s do, probably due to it not having been open so long and being no smoking), and the feel (boozing and eating in a pretty relaxed place) and what’s up for grabs (Izakaya food and craft beer). Long counter for maybe 15 and three big tables for eight each. I guess these tables are for sharing.
– 10 taps, but one of them is Kirin Heartland so they are missing out on the 10 Taps tag on here. Pricing and beer selection seems to be pretty different to the usual CBMs. In those places the pricing is pretty universal for good and bad stuff, the cheapness of the good beers being offset by the over-pricing of the not so good stuff. Here there seems to be a focus on ‘rare’ or different beers. It’s very US import heavy, with only two taps of Japanese stuff when I visited. Pricing is significantly higher than CBMs and to be honest, seems a little higher than many other bars. 250ml halves range from ¥480-¥980 with the lower end being a TY Harbor beer. Their house beer made for them by Outsider came in at ¥780 a half which seemed pretty pricy to me. Pints (473ml) range from ¥780 (the TY Harbor again) to ¥1580. The list featured plenty of American fruit sours, Hazy/Brut/Milkshake IPAs and some stronger stuff. Clearly they are riding the wave of current beer trends. Whether that’s a good thing for you, depends on your taste I guess. The are some bottles and cans in the fridge too, in similar styles and similarly priced.
– Unusually for a CBM and very welcome given the higher prices, they seemed to not have a cover charge. As mentioned above they are no smoking. They have WIFI and there’s some weekend daytime opening. Which I guess is quite a few of my boxes ticked.
I’m a bit torn about this place. I think it’s just me though. For people who want to drink the latest styles in a kind of relaxed place, but one which I actually found a bit ‘cooler than thou’, this is a great place I guess. I wasn’t that excited by the tap list but once again, that’s probably just me. You can check it on their website or facebook and decide for yourself. The pricing was a bit of a shock as I hadn’t checked it beforehand and I imagined it to be in line with CBMs. I think the big selling point of CBMs is the prices. I’m always aware when I drink there that not everything is going to be delicious and in a way, trying some beers from breweries that sound like they could be a bit sketchy at a low price is half the fun. Here I found myself underwhelmed by beers that I’d paid quite a lot for. But again, that’s maybe just me. Perhaps I were a bit younger, a bit cooler and a bit more interested in Milkshake IPAs this would be the place for me. So maybe if you fit with one of those it might be the place for you.
Japanese breweries seen on tap:
Outsider
TY Harbor
Opening Hours:
Monday, Wednesday-Friday, 17:00-01:00
Saturday, Sunday & holidays, 14:30-01:00
Closed Tuesday
Location/Map:
吉祥寺南町 2-8-8, Musashino-shi, Tokyo
Telephone:
0422-29-9112
There was a golden age at this place the first few months they were open—pretty much everything on the list (and they had some great beers in) was 780. It was an insane bargain and as expected, did not last. They seemed to have gone in the opposite direction, and as you mentioned, their prices are now often higher than other beer bars for the same beers—and their line-up is wildly uneven. I live in the neighborhood, and can't remember the last time I was in.
Still, beats drinking the same/similar beers at CBM Kichijoji where they have the cheek to charge otoshi at the tiny standing bar outside. So, for a mediocre beer from Oregon they're charging 1480 for becomes 1780.
No. Just no.