A view of True Brew Outside
True Brew is Hitachino Nest’s tasting bar, or taproom, located south of Mito station’s train barriers in Ibaragi. True Brew has a seven tap selection of Hitachino Nest beers; five regular, two special, and the Brooklyn lager that Kiuchi Brewery brews in Japan. Paired with some basic food, True Brew is a café style place to sample some Hitachino Nest beer.
True Brew is located on the fourth floor, in the far south-west corner overlooking the south exit to Mito station and is fairly open and airy. It has a mixture of couches, coffee tables, window seats, and counter seats; plenty of seating for groups or for those that want to drink alone and get some work done.
The staff at True Brew were incredibly helpful and friendly. All the menus were in Japanese; however, the staff attempted to explain everything. In great detail. In very careful and correct English until I blurted out that I can read and speak Japanese. Moreover, having received one free drink coupon, the staff saw I wanted two beers, so encouraged me to use the coupon on the more expensive beer, and order the cheaper beer first. Yes, the staff encouraged me to spend less money.
In terms of drinks, all the on tap beers were Hitachino Nest but did that really need explaining? However, there were some import specials from Italy as well that were in bottles. The beers do rotate around, with Hitachino Nest specials this time around being their saison and the XH, which BeerTengoku has professed a loving desire for in the past. The beers come in three sizes: a glass, a UK pint for, and a 330ml for .. depending on whether the beer is a regular or a special.
As True Brew is a cafe, there was food available but it was pretty much standard cafe fare, with hamburgers, pizzas, pasta, and chips going. BeerTengoku just ordered some chips, and we were impressed with the size of the portion and that the chips were skin on chips.
True Brew One Paragraph Review
True Brew does a great job in advertising Hitachino Nest beers from Kiuchi Brewery and is a welcome addition; however, being in Mito, it is akin to preaching to the choir. If you live in the area, you know about Hitachino Nest. If you do not live in the area, why bother travelling here if you know where to buy the beers?
True Brew Details
Open: Daily 11:00～22:00（L.O.21:30）
Phone: 029-306-7575
Website (Japanese only): True Brew Homepage
How to Get to True Brew
True Brew is located at Mito Station, on the Joban line, which can be accessed from Ueno on the Super Hitachi Express or the local Joban line.
Go to the fourth floor, and True Brew is located in the south-west corner.
