Part 14 of this site’s never-ending digest posts. The picture has nothing to do with anything. I just thought it looked better if there was something in the thumbnail. The strange thing is that my dream is that one day I will be able to delete a previous digest post as there will no longer be places on there that haven’t been visited and I will have written posts on everywhere that was on there. But more likely it will be because the places have closed down. After all this site has been going a long time now…
If you want to see all of the digest posts and find out a little bit about places that we have not made it to yet, please check the digest category on the right hand side or alternatively you can just click here. As with previous digest posts, an inclusion here doesn’t vouch for a place, but does just say that it looks like it might be of some interest. (Or in the case of some, it might mean that I’ve been there and it was OK but not that exciting). Places will remain as a ? on the map till they have been visited. But hopefully in the brief write ups there will be enough to give you some idea of what they might be like.
AiD STATiON – Otsuka
Name is dangerously close to being a disaster. And the capitalization is a bit mysterious. 10 Taps of mainly Japanese stuff but with a couple of imports on the tap list I saw. From a picture of the menu I found online it looks a bit pricy, but I guess that’s what happens when you have a lot of Hazy IPAs. Seems like it opens in the daytime and seats about 20.
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Badass Beer Base – Fuji
Bottle shop and phantom brewery that is a bit out of the way, but reasonably near to what seems like it could be a train that occasionally runs. And that’s about all I know. Might have a standing counter I’ve heard, so I guess there could be drink on site possibilities. But basically, as the info I could find is so vague, I’m putting it on here in the hope that someone who goes there can let me know what’s going on.
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Beer Cafe Miss.Holiday – Matsumoto
Another wild name. Six taps of Japanese craft as far as I can see. Some interesting choices. Lots of nice looking food on their Instagram. Daytime opening. Will have to give this one a try next time I’m in Matsumoto.
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Beer Jam – Fuji
Beer Standard – Fuji
Bit confusing as both of these places which are extremely close to each other are taprooms for the Rough & Laugh brewery, which itself is in the same area. I think the idea is that each location has a different kind of feel. Big fan of the Beer Jam logo by the way. I asked my Shizuoka expert source for a comment as he’s been to both and he said ’Jam is more of a dining bar, and a busier place. Standard is a basement bar, and much more of a quieter beer focused bar. I like both, but had more fun at Standard.’ Bet you can guess which one I think I’ll prefer.
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Beer Standard Instagram
Beer Maison – Fujisawa
According to Instagram, a ‘Tapas Bar & Restaurant . AI creator’. Maybe they have to put that if they use AI on their posts. Haven’t seen it before, but as a combination of businesses, it would be quite interesting. Seems like just four taps and one of them is by Brewdog. Prices are ok, selection is also… ok. Better to focus on the food, I think, which looks more interesting than the beer. But I guess it’s another option in Fujisawa. Although I’d probably just go to the Shonan Beer place which is nearby.
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Bright Blue Brewing – Fujiyoshida
Brewpub with limited opening and apparently five taps of their own beers on when they are open. The beers they mention on their Instagram look kind of interesting. Hopefully next time I’m in Shizuoka they’ll be open. (I should have deleted that previous sentence to save my blushes but I thought it was quite funny. Not sure why I’m interested in it being open next time I’m in Shizuoka as this place is actually in Yamanashi. Lovely stuff!) From the limited photos I’ve been able to find, it looks like the taproom is basically just a section of the brewery, so don’t expect fancy decor and luxurious furniture. Maybe instead something that involves pallets.
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Chigasaki Beer – Chigasaki
Big money behind this place it seems. Large event space / venue for hire near the ocean that also happens to make some beer. Apparently the beers are ok. But there are almost certainly plenty of other more interesting places to visit nearby.
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Citta Brewery – Chiba
Initially thought this might be in Kawasaki near the live venue, but it’s actually out in Chiba on the way to Shiokaze. Looks like they have four taps, but only two of them are their own beers on the menus I’ve seen. Prices seem reasonable for their own stuff and little pricey for the guests as you might expect. Looks like they do burgers too. Has only been open about half a year, so maybe things are still settling in.
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Clann By The River – Kiyosumi Shirakawa
Kind of confusing. This place used to be called Pitmans and was as far as I know, a BBQ place run by the same company as August Beer. Now it’s been reborn as Clann By The River, (thank god they didn’t spell it with a K), and seems to serve some guest beers and stuff by the Pitmans Kiyosubashi brewery which is a subsidiary of August Beer. At the same time I’ve seen that the same brewery might be called Dawn Brews. So maybe everything is all still the same just with different names. Seems quite food focused looking at the website. Eight taps and it looks a little on the expensive side.
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Craft Beer Stand dnats – Jujo
Don’t know much about this place. Interior looks kind of interesting from pictures on Tabelog. I wonder if it used to be a restaurant or something. 10 taps with an unusual range of breweries and also an unusual range of prices. They have some stuff that I’ve never heard of. Whether that is a good or bad thing, well, I’m not sure. Looks intriguing, will try to check it some time. No idea what the name means.
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DevilCraft – The Corner – Kanda
13 taps of their own beer, (or maybe actually 12 and one guest cider), at decent prices. Unlike the other Devil Craft bars which serve Chicago style pizza, this branch serves Detroit style pizza. I don’t know the difference but the photos make it look more like a focaccia than a quiche. As you can see, I’m not an expert. Can’t really get a grasp on how big this place is from the photos, but as they accept group bookings for eight and over I’m guessing it’s not as small as some of those photos make it look. Cashless payment only.
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Interplay Brewing – Matsumoto
Interesting looking new brewery but as far as I know they aren’t brewing yet. From Untappd it looks like they get some good stuff in, but presumably once they brew there won’t be so many guest beers. Basically know nothing about this, but it looks intriguing. Will check it out.
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Kanpai Stand – Shibuya
Taps, bottles and cans. Football shown on TV including some J League. They have their tap list on their website and there’s a regrettable amount of Brewdog included. They do have six taps of Japanese stuff though. Prices are… a little bit higher than other places. But not too much. In that bit of Shibuya on the side of the station that people don’t go quite as often. They seem enthusiastic but maybe it’s not quite my kind of place. Could be perfect for you though!
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Karafa – Tateishi
Bit of a mystery. Their Instagram shows lots of expensive looking imported rare bottles. They also post pictures of beer they have on tap too and they usually seem to be domestic. Looks like six taps but no idea about prices. The location and these photos make me quite curious about this place. Will check it out soon hopefully.
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Kitasuna Bakushu – Kitasuna
Was gutted to find out this place existed just after I visited the area for the first (and I thought possibly last) time. Has the look of one of those bars that refers to itself as a brewery but here they actually seem to make beer. I definitely need to go and check it out. 12 taps and about a quarter are their own stuff at the moment. Prices look good, but I can’t see the actual sizes, so maybe I’m getting tricked by how big I anticipate they might be. Definitely looks like a US pint glass in some of their Instagram photos though, so who knows? I will go and check this one out soon.
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Neighbors – Kamakura
Not to be confused with either Neighbor, a beer bar in Nogata or Green Neighbors, a cidery in Iwate. This one is in Kamakura. Nine taps split roughly half and half between domestic craft and imported stuff. Prices for both are a bit higher than usual. Food too. Looks like a quite small place. Never made it to either of the bars that occupied this building before they did, so I suppose it would be a surprise if I made it here now. But definitely useful for those doing touristy things. Very close to the station.
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Noroshi Brewing – Kashiwa
Looks like a reasonably new brewery with a taproom with limited opening. They do seem to already be brewing though. The beers they are making look quite interesting! (And after finishing writing this, I realised I’ve had one already and it was quite nice). I’ve put it as Kashiwa as that’s perhaps the closest recognisable station, but it’s actually a few stops and a little walk from Kashiwa itself. Quite limited opening and I’m not sure how much of a taproom there is, so approach with caution. But I will try to get here next time I’m in Kashiwa for a football match.
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Olla – Asagaya
Taproom for the And Beer brewery which has now moved to Yamanashi but still seems to have the old space between Koenji and Asagaya. Four taps of And Beer beers and prices are ok. Not as cheap as you might expect for a brewery taproom, but there aren’t many places like that anymore I guess. Food seems to be Mexican, which is quite interesting. I’ll give it a go next time I’m in Asagaya.
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Plant Parts Craft Beer – Nishi Ogikubo
Another bonkers but quite charming name. 12 taps, a mix between imports and local stuff. Prices make it look like the imports are a bit cheaper than expected and the domestic is a bit more expensive than expected, presumably balancing each other out. But then I noticed the weird serving sizes which suggest that in fact everything they sell is very expensive. Lots of highly sought after beers here, but I don’t think I’ll bother visiting as I don’t need to drink these kind of things on tap at those kind of prices. Looks like a nice place but it’s out of my price range.
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RTB Taproom – Nakameguro
’12 rotating taps of selected Japanese craft beer in a relaxed Nakameguro beer bar’. It was nice of them to put an English description on their Instagram so I could just copy and paste it! Mix of more well known breweries and some that you don’t see so often, (for various reasons I suspect), all of which seem to be quite expensive. Looks like a lively kind of place, but I think I’m getting put off by the prices. And perhaps by the liveliness.
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Siblings – Myorenji
&Siblings – Shin Yokohama
I was a bit shocked to find there is now a beer bar in Shin Yokohama. I was even more shocked to discover that it’s the newly opened sister bar of their original bar which I also had no idea existed. Seems like they are run by some real beer enthusiasts who organize trips and events. I’m presuming they are related, given the bar names. The Myorenji place has four taps and the Shin Yokohama place, eight taps. Both have cans too and food. No idea about prices. Will definitely check the Shin Yokohama place.
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TDM 1874 Kannai Taproom – Yokohama
Six taps of TDM beer at decent prices. Some food too. I guess there are a few TDM places now, so you’ll probably just be going to the one that’s nearest rather than traveling. But this would definitely be a good stop on a pub crawl in an area where there are a lot of good bars. Very close to the baseball stadium which I guess could be a good thing, but probably depends on what you think about baseball and crowds.
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Three Pints – Odawara
A craft beer pub rather than bar and seems to be slightly British themed, with a couple of hand pumps. Food looks a bit classier than British pub food though! Oh, of course they have fish and chips. Nine taps and a couple of house beers, one made by Yggdrasil and one by Numazu. Not sure if they are always on tap or not. Seems like they have some bottles and cans too. There are a few places in Odawara that I need to go to, so maybe a trip is due soon.
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Thriller Beach Brewery – Katsuura
I really don’t know what it is about this particular digest post that means it’s got so many weirdly named places. Perhaps as there are so many places now people are trying to stand out a bit. It’s certainly working. I didn’t know where Katsuura was and now I know it’s a long way away on the other side of Chiba. Taproom has limited opening and don’t know anything about their beers apart from what I can find on Untappd and that doesn’t tell me much. Kind of intriguing but I think it’s unlikely I will be in the area any time soon.
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Tower Records Beer – Shibuya
Craft beer bar on the 6th floor of Tower Records in Shibuya. They make ‘collaboration’ beers with Japanese breweries which are naturally sold here, but they have other guest beers too. 12 taps, some of which look interesting and some not so much. Prices are pretty much average which in a way is kind of surprising. I always think that their record selection is good but a bit overpriced so I was expecting the beer to be the same. Will definitely check this soon.
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Ueno Leisure Club – Ueno
Quite confusing. Seems very trendy and apparently focuses at least as much on souvenirs and apparel as it does on food and drink. Pictures show lots of bottles and cans and I think this is where the craft beer is, with the tap draft beer looking too cheap to be anything other than a macro.
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