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Grant is a travel consultant in our office in Boulder, Colorado. As an aficionado of craft beer, Grant has already told us about his favourite watering holes in Tokyo – but his recent trip back to Japan gave him plenty more opportunities to indulge his passion. Here, he dives back into the world of Japanese craft beer…
While Tokyo has more craft beer bars than you can shake a stick at, outside of the capital you can still find that there are plenty of great places across Japan to get your dose of malt and hops.
1) Thrash Zone, Yokohama
We will start our tour only a short train ride from Tokyo in the port city of Yokohama. One of the early centers of craft beer in Japan, Yokohama is home to Thrash Zone, a tiny brewery/bar that embraces the owner’s love of heavy metal and heavy hops. Brewing intense India Pale Ales in the American west coast style, the brewery lives up to their motto: “Extreme Beer Only!”
Located near Yokohama Station Thrash Zone is well worth a visit, perhaps after a day trip to nearby Kamakura.
2) Craft Man, Kyoto
Most visitors to Japan will find themselves in the ancient capital of Kyoto at some point during their trip. The city is well known as a centre of traditional Japanese culture, with an enormous number of World Heritage Sites. As any traveller knows, though, after a long day of visiting temples, gardens and museums nothing refreshes like a great beer.
Luckily, there are some excellent options. Right next to Shijo-Karasuma station in central Kyoto lies Craft Man, a multi-level bar with a wide variety of Japanese craft beer on tap. This is a great spot to sample beers from all over the country.
3) Kyoto Brewing, Kyoto
If you happen to be in Kyoto over the weekend you can sweep into the Kyoto Brewing tasting room. One of the newest kids on the craft block, Kyoto Brewing blends American, British and Belgian styles with a unique Japanese twist. The tasting room is south of Kyoto Station, but well worth the trek. Just make sure they are open!
4) Minoh Beer, Osaka
Nearby Osaka can claim Minoh Beer, one of the most famous and popular breweries in Japan. All over Osaka you will find Minoh’s Beer Belly taprooms. Their W-IPA (Double IPA) and Dry Stouts are both excellent, and you will often find one-off, seasonal, and guest beers filling out the tap selections.
5) Kure Beer, Hiroshima
Heading further west we come to Kure Beer and their Kaigun-san no Bakushukan (Naval Man’s Beerhall) in the naval port city of Kure, near Hiroshima. While Kure is a bit off the typical tourist trail, there is a compelling reason to make the trek. For 3,900 yen (men) or 3,500 yen (women), you can enjoy two hours of all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu (thin strips of meat, veggies and tofu boiled in broth at your table) and all-you-can-drink craft beer. Since most craft beers in Japan sell for between 800 and 1,200 yen per glass, this is excellent value for anybody who wants plenty of dinner washed down with plenty of beer.
6) Baird Beer Taproom, Tokyo
Returning to Tokyo, this year a new Baird Beer Taproom opened in the Takadanobaba neighbourhood. A few stops on the Yamanote line north of Shinjuku, Takadanobaba is a pleasant neighbourhood that is home to Waseda University. Like all of the Baird Beer Taprooms, the Takadanobaba location has a house beer that is only available there, a “real ale” hand-pumped smoked porter. The cuisine here is kushikatsu, a selection of meats and vegetables skewered & battered with Japanese panko breadcrumbs before being deep fried. This may well be the perfect beer food.
7) Lawson convenience stores, all over Japan
Another great place to find some good craft beer is your local Lawson convenience store. They often carry cans of Yo-ho Brewing’s excellent beers. You might be able to find a Tokyo Black porter, Aooni (Blue Demon) IPA, or even their rotating Lawson exclusive Kimi Biiru Boku Biiru (Your Beer My Beer). With a convenience store on seemingly every corner you’ll be able to find a delicious beer no matter what city or town you find yourself in.
While Japan is most famous for sake and green tea, the burgeoning craft beer scene is leaving a delicious culinary mark on the drinking culture. If you seek out a few of the places on this list you won’t be sorry!
If you’re a fan of craft beer, get Grant to organise your trip to Japan! You can contact him directly by following this link. Alternatively you can contact any of our offices worldwide here.