A great selection of beer on tap all day long.
What is a dive bar? I had never heard of one before this place as growing up in the U.K. meant that I was well-protected, aka ignorant, from American idiosyncrasies and their associations. Craft Beer Bar iBrew is a dive bar. Now I’ve been there, I know what it means. A run down shack that is frequented by well-dressed customers who like craft beer at reasonable prices with friendly service. Am I right?
Craft Beer Bar iBrew is located about ten minutes from the Kyobashi exit of Yurakucho station on the JR Yamanote line; however, it is pretty easy to miss as I walked past it twice without realising. Don’t worry, a map will be posted later on in the review for you to navigate. BeerTengoku also managed to come across an Okinawan goods shop which meant picking up some Okinawan beer too. Happy days. No awamori for us though. I like to remember my evenings.
Blurry shot but you get the idea.
First things first. Ambience. Atmosphere. Craft Beer Bar iBrew is tiny. Seriously tiny. The picture above does not really convey how small the bar. Luckily, we knew someone already there so we had a seat saved for us; however, Craft Beer Bar iBrew seats a maximum of 12 normal sized people inside and that is sitting shoulder to shoulder. It’s a not a place for claustrophobics or agoraphobics. Yet, people were queuing up to get in so out came the plastic fold-ups and another bar was quickly formed outside.
The beer at Craft Beer Bar iBrew was all Japanese craft beer and came from across Japan. There was a smörgåsbord of choices on tap; a major problem for me. Did I want a weizenbock? A pilsner? A wheat beer? An IPA? I DON’T KNOW ANY MORE. All I knew is that the place was cheap. Too cheap for craft beer in Tokyo? How could Craft Beer Bar iBrew sell so much craft beer on the cheap? Regular glasses, about 220ml, are ¥421 which includes tax, and large glasses, about 450ml, are ¥745 which also includes tax.
I didn’t indulge in any of the food at Craft Beer Bar iBrew as I had an appointment at a certain other establishment in the area that is well-known for serving craft beer and pizza. However, from what I saw, fresh prawns in garlic butter were cooked in front of us, along with a pizza that randomly appeared from under the counter, followed by some cheese gratin. Where the heck was this food coming from?!
Craft Beer Bar iBrew One Paragraph Review
If you can get to Craft Beer Bar iBrew and manage to get a seat, then you will have the perfect opportunity to sample some decent Japanese craft beers at a much reasonable price. Don’t go in expecting some high-class decor or home comforts but do expect friendly bar staff and great conversation with some random person next to you.
Craft Beer Bar iBrew Details
Open: Weekdays 17:00 – 25:00, Weekends and holidays 14:00 – 23:00
Phone: 03-3281-6221
Website (on Facebook): Daily beer list on Facebook
How to Get to Craft Beer Bar iBrew
There are three stations located near to Craft Beer Bar iBrew so we’ve included a couple of maps to help you out. The first is using Ginza-itchōme station on the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line and taking exit number 3. The other is from Kyōbashi station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line and taking exit number three from there too. It can also be reached from JR Yurakucho station too.
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4 comments
Thanks for the input and feedback.
We don’t use JR passes, Metro one-day passes or anything like that so there is no intentional bias on the transport though we do try to use well-known stations if possible as a base. Personally, I try to use the station that people new to the area will use to get somewhere – either people who have never visited the area before or are new to Japan, for example, El Nubichinom we used the Keiyku line to get there. We also go back to bars and will happily change reviews if we find a better way to access the bar or area.
Steve, long time, buddy.
Direction ideally should be from all stations.
I usually access ibrew from Kyobashi station on the Ginza line, as I am coming from the Toyoko/Ginza connection. This also takes me right past Towers (another excellent standing bar) and the new ibrew wired, brother of ibrew and featuring 10 import beers at similar prices. both bars within a stones throw of each other and highly recommended. Both non smoking inside but smokers can go outside so watch those window drafts. Great guys but I do think their beers are all served with low gas so the impact from the flavours is a little lower than it should be but this place is one of my favs.
We would love to include all directions though we do prefer to choose the closest station/exit where possible from now on
Updated with new directions from all three major stations in the area.