Tamsang Tokyo x Craft Beer Bar Taptime is the slightly unwieldy name of the new branch of Taptime which was formerly in Umegaoka and has now moved along the Odakyu line to Yoyogi Hachiman. It’s not only the name that has changed though. There is a very different feel to the new bar and a bigger beer list. Previously it was a cosy little bar with low lighting and seemed to be a locals place. Now it’s bigger, brighter and seems to be attracting a quite different clientele, partly I guess, due to the location, and partly due to the theme. Here’s what you need to know.
– Bright and open space, with counter seats for seven and a maybe seating for about the same at some kind of wall bench seats (haven’t described that very well, have I?). Looks like there is a patio too. The theme of the place is apparently ‘Craft Beer, Thai Coffee and Art’. This is reflected in some goods that seem to be for sale at the front of the bar which seem to fall loosely into the latter two categories. We visited quite late on a Friday night and the atmosphere was quite different from the previous location. The counter was full, people were in high spirits and music was playing. Seemed to be a bit of a party feeling.
– Seems to have 16 taps, although some of the spots on the tap list were filled with Thai cocktails. 13 of the 16 spaces were beers though with a decent mix of Japanese breweries, (some of which I prefer significantly to others, but I’ll leave you to work out which ones are which), and some of which are very fashionable right now. It’s a bit pricy, I guess in line with the location. The beer was served in two sizes and the glassware was an unusual shape, but I think the sizes were probably in the usual US pint, UK half range. The smaller size ranged from ¥800-¥1000 and the larger from ¥1100-¥1380. They do a beer flight for (I think) ¥1450 but not sure about number or glasses, serving size or if you can choose. There are also bottles available but I didn’t see a list or prices. Bit useless, aren’t I?
– There was no cover charge and the place is no smoking. Although the hours are a little vague at the moment, they are sometimes open during the day. Check the photo of the monthly hours on twitter. I couldn’t find wifi though.
So, all a bit vague from me. Sorry about that. This is probably the first place in Yoyogi Hachiman solely devoted to craft beer and I think that is reflected a bit in the prices, which are a slightly off-putting. As I said above, the tap list is quite interesting, with a few interesting breweries. I’m not sure the upbeat atmosphere is completely for me, as I tend to be a bit of a party-pooper, but I’d imagine it’s not quite so full on earlier in the evening and on a weeknight. At the moment, the facebook page seems to be a bit of a mix of both the previous location and the new one, right down to the address which seems to be a mix. It’s still early days though, so perhaps by the time you read this they will have updated it. (There’s a new facebook page. I’m a dummy, sorry). It’s a welcome addition to the area though and I guess I’ll pop in from time to time.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Vertere
AJB
Ise Kadoya
Uchu
Preston
Daisen G
Hansharo
Minoh
Johana
Opening Hours:
Best check their twitter where they post a photo of the month’s opening hours as the hours seem to change week by week.
Location/map:
富ヶ谷 1-7-9, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Telephone:
050-3574-3466 (maybe. This hasn’t changed from the previous branch, so might not be right)