A new team in J1 means a new away fixture for me and therefore an opportunity to visit some new bars in a new town. I guess I’m pushing things a bit with this post and the next one, as it takes quite a while to get to Matsumoto from Tokyo. However, given that these two places are taprooms, I thought it was worth adding them. First up, the Matsumoto Brewery Taproom. Here’s what you need to know:
– Pretty small place with a small bar as you enter which looks a bit like a British pub. Room for maybe four or five at the counter, which is standing (I think. Can’t remember exactly…) and a small standing table for maybe a couple more. Upstairs there are three tables for four each, but it’s not as spacious as that makes it sound. And as there’s no music up there conversation could become a bit awkward as you’re pretty much sitting on top of strangers, albeit on separate tables.
– Five taps of their beer available plus a fridge of bottles featuring some different stuff to what’s on tap. Think you can take these away if you want. Draught beers are served in two sizes, half and pint (looked like US pint and UK half, but who knows really), and they are priced at ¥900 and ¥600 respectively. This price includes tax and there is no cover charge. It’s cash on delivery, so pay as you go. We were sitting upstairs and after we’d paid, they told us we could go back to our seats and they’d bring the beers up for us.
– Has quite limited opening hours, but they are in the daytime, so that’s a bonus if you’re on a day trip. They have another taproom in a shopping centre a little bit closer to the station which is open later. The place is no smoking and as I said above there’s no cover charge. Couldn’t find WiFi though.
So that’s about it. We chose to go here rather than the other branch as it’s always better to go to a bar when the alternative is sitting in a food court. I always enjoy visiting a brewery’s own premises as unsurprisingly, the beer tends to taste the best there. If you want a Matsumoto beer outside of the limited opening hours this place has, check the other branch out on their website (link below) or alternatively you can find their beer at quite a few bars around Matsumoto.
Japanese breweries seen on tap:
Matsumoto
Opening Hours:
Wednesday-Monday, 13:00-19:00
Closed Tuesday
Location/Map:
中央3-4-21, Matsumoto-shi, Nagano-ken
Telephone:
0263-31-0081
Links:
Website
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