This was a really pleasant surprise. Because of a slightly ridiculous goal I’ve set myself in 2023, and the fact that I was kind of in the area, I made my way to Tama-shi and to Beer Bulk J. It’s not that far from the station, maybe about five minutes walk. I was aware that there was some connection to the 10Ants Brewery but wasn’t quite sure, (and am still not completely sure) about the details. Instead of finding 10Ants beers as I might have expected, there were GLaSS Hopper Brew Team beers instead. It seems that it’s the same company, but that 10Ants does the hoppy stuff and GLaSS Hopper makes beers with fruit and ingredients from nearby Hino. At least I think that’s what the case is. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Anyway, here’s what you need to know.
- Small place with a counter for four and some more seats on a little bench. Felt a bit like it used to be a small restaurant or something like that. But maybe I had that feeling because they had a kitchen with spicy food options available. I didn’t try any of the food as I was on a strict booze only schedule. (Slightly embarrassingly, whilst looking for links to add to this post, I have found that they also seem to have more space on the second floor which I absolutely failed to notice…).
- Eight taps of beer, seven of which were Japanese, (a German pils was the other one), and four of which were GLaSS Hopper brewery beers. I think they also have 10Ants on usually but when I went there it was all GLaSS Hopper, which I was pleased about as I’d never tried them before. The standard serving size is 250ml and the prices for this size ranged from ¥750-¥900. The glassware is very nice and I think you can ask for a bigger serving size of your choice. (I think it’s done by weight). Sorry this is all so vague. If I had more confidence in speaking Japanese I would probably be saying the same things but more assertively. I’m pretty sure everything I’ve written is correct, but perhaps I totally misunderstood. In addition to the taps, they have a couple of fridges of cans and bottles, some imported, some domestic to either drink on site or take away. If you drink on site you pay a ¥300 corkage fee, which is pretty much standard, I think. The prices looked decent and the selection was very interesting!
- Some daytime opening in the week (and plenty of it at the weekend), and no cover charge. I couldn’t find WiFi but maybe I should have asked. The staff member was VERY friendly and I was a bit sad to have to leave after only having a couple of drinks, but I had a tight schedule to keep to.
It’s not the most convenient location if you don’t live in western Tokyo and Seiseki Sakuragaoka is not a station I had ever heard off, but to be honest, it’s really not difficult to get to and I had a really nice time here. Atmosphere is always important I think, and the atmosphere here on a Sunday afternoon was very welcoming and makes me want to go back there when I can. With my ongoing project I’ll be out west again soon, so if I find myself passing, I’ll definitely pop in for some more beers.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
GLaSS Hopper
Uchu
Opening Hours:
Wednesday-Friday, 16:00-00:00
Saturday, 12:00-00:00
Sunday, 12:00-22:00
Closed Monday & Tuesday
Location/map:
一ノ宮 3-5-16, Tama-shi, Tokyo
Telephone:
04-2202-0502