Hops and Herbs One Paragraph Review
If you’re ever in the Kofu area and looking for some craft beer, then look no further. Hops and Herbs is definitely on the list of places you should visit, besides the temples and waterfalls in the area. The bar has free wifi, no table charge, all prices include tax, and is non-smoking. What more do you want in your craft beer bar? Reasonably priced beer – well you got it here too.
Just some of the awards Outsider Brewing has won over the years.
Hops and Herbs Full Review
Kofu might not seem to be the bustling place to go drinking in after work has finished or chores have been done, but Outsider Brewing is doing something to try to encourage people to venture out of the izakayas that populate the area around Kōfu station. Hops and Herbs is perhaps the first craft beer bar to open in Kofu and it is Outsider Brewing’s local dispensary for their beer produced downstairs.
Spacious but fills up quickly in evenings and weekends.
We popped in after our interviews with Niwa-san and Mark and quickly found a seat at the bar, though it was early afternoon on a Saturday, the usual time for people to be hiking around the hills and mountains that surround Kōfu. Mark was kind enough to join us for some follow-up questions, beers, and anecdotes about his time in Japan. It’s also one of the very bars, let alone places, open on New Year’s Day in Japan.
The beers on tap were all from Outsider Brewing, with their main lineup of Innkeeper Bitter Lager, Flanders Belgian White, The Counties Pale Ale, Bunyip Australia IPA, and Drunk Monk Triple all on the time. Beers cost ranged from ¥750 to ¥900 for a 500ml glass, while the 300ml glass ranged from ¥500 to ¥600. We were lucky enough to be treated by Mark to a couple of beers though; however, we have tried their beers before at the Keyaki Hiroba Festival in Saitama and also the Japan Brewers Cup in Yokohama. There were also some limited edition beers on too, with a grape cider on show as well.
On our first visit, we didn’t have any of the food as we had a massive portion of Kōfu’s houtou noodles before coming out though the customers next to us had some of the Fujizakura sausages which smelt incredible. but on subsequent occasions we’ve eaten some of the basic staples – chips and fried chicken. The Hell’s chicken was tasty but it was painfully spicy when the burn kicked in. The food menu ranged from small bites, such as basic staples of edamame, fried chicken, and pickles to pizzas and pastas to boot.
Hops and Herbs Details
Open: Weekdays 17:00 – 24:00 / Weekends and holidays 12:00 – 24:00. (L.O 23:30)
Phone: 055-225-2012
Homepage (in Japanese): Hops and Herbs
SNS: Facebook
How to Get to Hops and Herbs
Hops and Herbs can be reached from Kofu station on the JR line. It’s about a ten to fifteen minute walk though so a taxi is recommended after a long days’ walk.
