After moving around Tokyo in the way that only a bar in a shed on wheels could, Beer Brain finally has a location that can’t be towed away by an over-zealous and misguided parking official. Also, perhaps since I last added a Beer Brain place on here, they also now have their own brewery out…
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Frank’s Barbe(e)r The Stand
Written by James I love to drink beer in the afternoon but it is difficult to find places to enjoy a craft beer before 5-6 p.m. I saw this place on Instagram and was attracted by the fact that, being both a barber shop and a bar, Frank’s Barbe(e)r The Stand is always open during…
U.B.P. Brewery / Grande Cafe
Written by Mothy U.B.P. (Urawa Beer Project) Brewery is the third child of Kobayashi Kenta, following his first shop, Beer Hunting, and his second shop, Beernova. This time he’s made himself a brewery, and while Beernova really felt like just a bigger version of Beer Hunting, this time the taproom seems to have a very…
Sour Swamp
Sour Swamp is a relatively new bar and bottle shop in Chitose Funabashi. Chitofuna was an area that until recently had absolutely no craft beer places. That seems to be changing though with the arrival of Sour Swamp and then the very recent opening of a new Caliquors branch. I was going to try both…
Beer Glass Hopper
Written by James Beer Glass Hopper is a one man bar located about seven minutes from Mizuhodai station on the Tobu line. I have a soft spot for one man (person) bars and I have met the owner several times at different bars on Thursdays, which is their day off, so I decided to check…
Tsukuba Brewery / Pebbles Beer
Written by James After climbing Mount Tsukuba (for work as it happens) I decided to check out Tsukuba Brewery. The first thing to note is that it’s quite hard to get to. Even if you are at Tsukuba station, it’s still a 3km walk or taxi ride away. That said, if you are in Tsukuba…
Southbound
Southbound is the new taproom/bottle shop for the beer importer Cardinal Trading. So that probably gives you a good idea of what to expect from it. It’s situated by the river near Hinodecho station in Yokohama, not far from plenty of other bars and well within walking distance. I popped in briefly during their pre-opening…
Beer Olyn
Written by James A relatively new craft beer bar just two minutes walk from Kagurazaka station. I found Beer Olyn on Instagram and decided to check it out. The first thing you notice is the cool homemade window sign (see photo). It’s not on the first floor and the sign helps people find the place….
Citraba Nakano
My recent attempt to drink a Japanese craft beer in every ward of Tokyo over the course of 2022 (#beerineveryku) left me at a bit of a loss when it came to Nakano. Despite being next to Shinjuku and therefore pretty central, Nakano has a bit of a dearth of craft beer places. There are…
Libushi Bashamichi
Libushi Bashamichi is the relatively new brewpub and taproom for the Nagano based brewery AJB in central Yokohama. Although you can get AJB beer in quite a few places around the Kanto area, this new place gives you the opportunity to try plenty of taps of their beer in one place without having to go…