Written by James
THIS is a relatively new brewery and trendy bar very close to Yushima station and about ten minutes from Ueno. The layout of THIS is a bit unusual. There is a standing only counter on the first floor (see photo). The counter is very modern and the whole place is spotless. At least six people could comfortably drink here but, as it’s standing only, you could fit quite a few more people in. The brewing tanks can be seen behind the counter which definitely adds to the atmosphere. Despite the fact that this seems to be a one man operation, there is a second floor. It’s also very swish and modern. I counted at least enough tables for 14 people.
There are six taps. When I went three were their own beers and three were guest beers. This seems to be standard here. I really like the fact that there are always guest beers too, although I have to say that THIS brew very good beers! The three beers brewed by THIS were a Double IPA (I loved it), a Juicy IPA and a Saison with Rosemary and Lime. If I tried to describe the beer here in one word it would be, “clean”. They are perfectly balanced and the brewer is definitely talented.
Brewing licenses in Japan can either be limited to “Happoshu” or include “Beer”. There is a definition for what constitutes beer and what is considered Happoshu. Happoshu was originally invented to save tax because beer has higher tax than any other alcohol in Japan. It seems crazy that a litre of Shochu is taxed less than a litre of beer but that’s just the way it is here. The vast majority of craft beer breweries (including THIS) only have a Happoshu license. Basically, there are lots of ways to make anything you brew pass the Happoshu definition so it’s easier and cheaper not to bother with the beer license.
Beer prices for their own beers range from ¥1,200 to ¥1,350 for a large and from ¥800 to ¥900 for a regular. The glasses aren’t pint shaped but are tasting glasses, so it was difficult to guess the volume. I felt the large was probably a little less than a pint (maybe 400ml) but I could be wrong. I really liked the shape of the glasses and I felt that the prices were cheaper than average for Tokyo these days. The guest beers were a little more expensive. A large ranged from ¥1,350 to ¥1,500 and a regular cost between ¥900 to ¥1,000. There is a take-out option for all the draught beers too. There is also a fridge with cans that you can drink in or take out. There is a charge (usually ¥200) to drink cans on site.
Being a one man bar, food was very limited. Basically just crisps, olives and other snacks. The one exception was a really good panini made using pizza dough from a local shop.
THIS is an unusual place. It must be very difficult for one person to run a bar with two floors. Somehow it seems to work though and the friendly owner even manages to make time to chat to the customers at the counter. THIS is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but has daytime opening, from 1 p.m. at weekends and 3 p.m. on weekdays. I highly recommend you pop into THIS for a beer if you find yourself in the Ueno area. I’ll definitely go back the next chance I get.
Japanese breweries on tap when I visited:
THIS
Kakegawa Farm
Shiga Kogen
Hobo
Opening Hours:
Wednesday-Friday, 15:00-21:00
Saturday, 13:00-21:00
Sunday, 13:00-20:00
Closed Monday & Tuesday
Location/map:
上野 1-3-7, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Telephone:
None