A quick post today to move somewhere off one of my digest posts and onto a fully formed post of its own. There are a lot of places around now that have large taplists of rare beers, but sometimes it’s nice to stick to something you know if the surroundings are nice. This place is also quite close to my house which, as I get increasingly lazier, means a place has more chance of getting on here. So, here’s what you need to know.
– Irish pub, with the decor you’d expect. Not huge, but not so small with a counter for maybe five and seats for perhaps 30 more at a variety of tables. The atmosphere is pretty nice, relaxed but also lively, if that makes any sense. You order and pay at the counter as you go, but they bring your food or drinks to you.
– For the purpose of this blog, I’ll avoid mentioning the macros on tap. (I’m not sure if this means that I should talk about Yona Yona or not. I guess not). Aside from macros they have Shiga Kogen IPA as a permanent tap and one Japanese craft beer guest, which was from Daisen when I visited. Beer is served in three sizes, UK half (284ml), US pint and UK pint. The prices of the craft beer ranged from ¥650-¥750, ¥900-¥1080 and ¥1080-¥1230 for the three sizes. They also have some bottles available which included a few craft beers from different breweries. By no means the biggest selection, in fact, quite small, but to be honest, I’m always good with a pint of Shiga IPA if the atmosphere is nice.
– No cover charge, no smoking and wifi is available. There’s some daytime opening at the weekend and it’s also open quite late some nights.
Not a lot else to say really. The food was nice and was as you’d expect for Japanese pub food. It was pretty busy on the Friday night we went there and it seems popular with foreigners. It’s always good to see a regular pub having some nice beers on instead of (or as well as) the usual rubbish, and the pricing is pretty good I think. Perhaps not one for those visiting with limited time and an appetite to visit lots of Japanese places, but a decent option for those who just want to enjoy a nice pint in relaxed surroundings.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
Shiga Kogen
Daisen
Opening Hours:
Monday, 17:00-00:00
Tuesday-Friday, 17:00-01:00
Saturday, 15:00-00:00
Sunday, 15:00-23:00
Location/map:
富ヶ谷1-6-10, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Telephone:
03-3481-0216
Links:
Website
Facebook
A reader was unable to post this comment so I said I'd do it for them. Reader, over to you…
When I visited Tokyo in May 2009, I was permitted to stay at the office where Bryan Harrell worked on _Tokyo Brews News_. (2-14-4 Tomigaya Shibuya-ku Tokyo 151-0063) Each day I was there began and ended at Yoyogi-Koen or Yoyogi-Hachiman. Back then, there were no craft beer bars anywhere in the neighborhood.
Neil, if you're going down the rabbit hole of no macro beers, you're going to have to rule out the U.S. imports of Goose Island, Elysian, Saint Archer, and New Belgium. All of which I suspect are appearing in Japanese craft beer pubs, bars, and bottle shops.
I endorse your vista. But it is going to be more difficult going onward discerning between craft and “crafty” brews. The Brewers' Association [U.S.A.] has a seal of an upside-down bottle to symbolize genuine craft brewery beers, and urges everybody to Seek The Seal, but this is not going to be visible for people drinking draught beers.
When I last covered indoor soccer games, I had a pocket cassette player|recorder for describing significant moments of game play. Nobody manufactures cassette-based recorders anymore, but you should look into obtaining a hard-drive-based audio device to provide the tasting notes.
I do not have a mobile telephone. I do not like its privacy and security incursions. I do have a laptop computer which I use to access the internet outside the abode here, including in Japan. Finding wi-fi networks in Japan is much easier than it was in 2010 (the first time I had a netbook). What let me connect at more venues was the scheme where, once you had an internet connection [for me, this was via the hostel where I stayed], you sent a _blank_ e-mail to jrw@ forguest.wi2.ne.jp . I used an e-mail proxy address just in case the host decided to sell that e-mail address to a spammer. I am glad to scribe it did not. It sent back an access password to a nationwide telephone network of wi-fi hot spots.
The Coronavirus | Covid-19 pandemic is the literal and physical 'bubble pop' for bars, brewpubs, and (some) restaurants in the U.S.A. Many states have issued “stay at home” orders to try to limit the disease's spread. My last trip to a beer bar was Wednesday, 11 March, when I went from downtown Chicago to Naperville | Aurora on the Metra BNSF train line; a venue called "Draft Picks". I've been confined to the abode here since. All the above mentioned venues have been closed. (Fortunately, I had bought a lot of packaged beer in February. The beer cellar here is well-stocked.)
The other edge of this pandemic is for the employees of the venues which have closed (or need only a minimal staff to prepare food for take-away). They are not earning any money, and their bills are coming due. A number of gift-card-type accounts are being implemented for them.
An appropriation package was just passed last night in the U.S. Congress and signed into law. I'll be receiving a check for $1,200.00. The stock market is rolling down. I do not perceive this financial handout is going to help it.
The tsunami of people dying from Covid-19 combined with the economy and most significantly, “Wall Street” crashing to epochal lows may take down not merely the President, but the entire Republican Party.
Steve De Rose 8=}}