Today, a relatively new brewery out in east Tokyo that was surprisingly popular when we visited shortly after opening on a Saturday afternoon. Folkways Brewing is out in Koto-ku near Kiyosumishirakawa station in a pretty unassuming building next to what looks like a parking area for buses. I know next to nothing about it, so let’s just finish the intro here and get on to what you need to know.
– Interior is surprisingly different from the exterior. Look for the keg on a stool next to the road and approach. Inside is modern and wooden with the brewery near the entrance, a counter for eight and a small table for four or five. There is some limited standing room too near the entrance. As I mentioned above, it was surprisingly busy early at the weekend, so bear that in mind.
– Eight taps, four of which were their own and three were US guests (the other tap had nothing on, in case you are questioning my maths). Their own beers were ¥800-¥900 for a tulip style glass of around 350ml and ¥1000-¥1100 for a US pint. The guests were more expensive naturally. ¥1100 and ¥1400 for the same sizes and an imperial stout was served in smaller sizes at ¥900 (200ml) and ¥1200 (300ml). I’d say that the guests, (Oxbow and Fair State), were in my completely biased opinion, a little bit classier than other places regular US guests.
– No cover charge, no smoking, daytime opening at the weekend, but no sign of wifi. There were snack items available and they looked pretty classy. I guess I keep saying classy about this place.
A very interesting visit and quite unexpected. I had no idea it would be so popular so perhaps they have been getting some buzz recently. I’m am very out of touch and enjoying being that way. It was interesting that in addition to the IPA and Hazy IPA they had made, they also had a fruited sour on. I quite enjoyed the beers but my enthusiasm was perhaps slightly tempered by the fact that I had overdone it numerous times in the preceding days so wasn’t quite on top form. The prices seem reasonable for a small independent place and I’ll be interested to see how they develop. Will definitely go back some time soon.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Folkways
Opening Hours:
Wednesday-Friday, 17:00-23:00
Saturday & Sunday, 15:00-22:00
Closed Monday & Tuesday
Location/map:
平野 3-6-3, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Telephone:
None
Links:
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