7-Eleven Setagaya Chitosedai 2 chome (!)

Thanks to a recent sponsorship deal I’m pleased to announce that the next few hundred blog posts on here will be about the marvelous craft beer heavens that are 7-11s… Only joking. I would never accept sponsorship as my impartiality is not purchasable at any price. Well maybe I’d sell all of this out for some price but, you know what I mean. This throwaway joke is a good link to allow me to thank the two people who have ‘bought me a coffee’ on the Buy Me A Coffee page I recently set up. Thank you so much! It was a lovely surprise. I’ve been holding back on visiting or listing new places recently what with the whole state of emergency impending corona virus disaster closing all the bars. Well, not all of them actually… But it seemed that I wasn’t going to be able to provide any useful information even from looking at websites and Facebook pages whilst we are still in a state of emergency as places are closed and/or are not sharing tap lists. I’m making a weird exception with this post as I have walked myself into the ground in the last couple of days in search of the new Baeren Italian Pilsner and thought that I would have two possible places to buy it in Chitose Funabashi. This was one of them, and it so nearly might have been the place I found it as they had the last Baeren seasonal can but not the Italian Pilsner. But anyway, it did give me a chance to visit the craft beer 7-11 I’ve heard a few things about. (In case you were wondering, I finally got the Italian Pilsner today in the Iwate satellite shop in Higashi Ginza). One caveat before I launch into the bullet points. (Actually it will probably also only be one bullet point as there’s not a lot to say). This 7-11 is very much an exception. In most branches you’ll be lucky to even find a Yona Yona. (The convenience store to go to for fake craft is probably Lawson in case you were wondering). Apparently the franchise holder of this 7-11 is a craft beer fan. I believe franchise holders have some flexibility over what they stock but in my experience of loads of 7-11s this is the only one that has ever had anything that is not macro. Ok, here’s what you need to know.

– One fridge of craft beer with perhaps 30 or 40 selections. Mix of Japanese craft and imported stuff from the US, Australia, Spain and France and probably some others I can’t remember. Imported breweries I remember included the not so often seen Popihn, Stone, Garage (the Spanish one)… Actually that’s all I can remember for the imports. The Japanese breweries are listed below. The usual kind of prices you’d expect in beer shops. Other than these beers, it’s a totally normal 7-11 so there’s no point me writing much else.

Chitose Funabashi is not exactly central Tokyo but it’s not far out on the Odakyu line. It’s probably a fifteen minute walk from the station to the shop though, so I guess this is all pointing to the fact that it’s probably not somewhere you’re going to travel to. However, I’d love to have a similar selection in my local 7-11 and this place must be a godsend for people living in Chitofuna who only have Aeon Liquor apart from this. There aren’t even any craft beer bars I think. Opening in the market there, eh? Some people might think it’s not a good thing to post about a 7-11 but these are individually owned franchises of what is admittedly a massive company and I think it’s only right to support a franchise owner who is using their stocked products to reflect their interests. Bravo!

Japanese breweries stocked when I visited
Hideji
Distant Shores
Repubrew
Izumi
Baeren
Uchu
Two Rabbits
West Coast

Opening Hours:
It’s a 7-11 so it’s always open

Location/map:
2-27-20 千歳台, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

Telephone:
03-5490-5900

Links
Instagram