Beer Owle The Bottom Line
Beer Owle is perfect for popping in and having a couple of quiet beers while you wait for friends, or picking up some beers to take away – especially useful as there are very few bottle shops in Shizuoka. The whole place is non-smoking and also offers up growler fills for drinking off-site too. There are a few snacks too, though if you’re hungry, make sure you stock up beforehand as it’s just some crisps and cheese going. There is free WiFi and some of the menus have English on them. The main downside though to Beer Owle is that all of the cups are plastic and incur an additional cost if you’re drinking in – regardless of if you buy draft beer, cans, or bottles. Another factor to remember is that prices do not include tax either so don’t forget about that.
Beer Owle The Full Review
After reading so much about craft beer in Shizuoka, I felt that this was the best place to start off our little craft beer crawl of 3 days – a small bottle shop where I can get some beers to try, get some to take home, and then make my way to another bar to meet some friends. Beer Owle is located about 10 mins walk from Shizuoka station, though Shin-Shizuoka – a train station that you may probably never take – is closer for those who live in the area. It’s quite a quaint little shop too though easy to miss. Beer Owle is located on what appeared to be the old main shopping street in the area oft seen in many Japanese towns and cities – a long road with a parade of shops on either sides, with corrugated shutters pulled down late in the evening.
The giant owl that adorns the back of the wall also helps Beer Owle stand out from the dull and boring shops around it, especially with the lights focussed on it. There isn’t any seating in Beer Owle, besides a couple of seats set up outside though in January it was cold and nobody wanted to sit out there I guess. As such, there is no table charge and you don’t get any snacks either. Beer Owle is completely non-smoking too and also has some free WiFi for usage as well. The atmosphere is fun and friendly – the owner very kindly gave me a map of Shizuoka craft beer and told me of all the places he recommended and also what beers to try at the bars too.
Though Beer Owle is a bottle and can shop, it does have ten taps of beer on with a healthy split between imports and predominantly local craft beer. The beers come in three sizes: 300ml from ¥650, 500ml from ¥950, and 1000ml from ¥1,800, with the latter being used for growler fills. The prices do not include tax and you have to add on an extra ¥20 for a plastic cup, which isn’t explicitly said – a shame as it could have been a nice little tax for people who didn’t bring a glass with them, though we know of some people who may forget or break their glass. As such there are no beer flights or happy hour on offer either. You can also pick any of the bottles or cans to drink in Beer Owle, which is a good idea as there is no charge for opening the bottles. This does mean though that the bottles and cans cost the same if you drink in or takeaway.
In terms of food, it’s a good idea to eat before you come here because there are only some basic snacks in the form of crisps and cheeses on offer. Admittedly I’m a sucker for crisps and cheese but I still ate before coming here.
Beer Owle Details
Open: Weekdays 15:00 – 22:00 (L.O 21:30) Weekends & Holidays 13:00 – 22:00 (L.O 21:30)
Happy Hour: None
Phone: 050-3716-2169
Homepage (in Japanese): https://beerowle.com/
Social Media: Facebook / Instagram
How to Get to Beer Owle
The closest station to Beer Owle is Shin-Shizuoka on the Shizuoka Railway (Shizutetsu) or 10 minutes from JR Shizuoka.
[ezcol_1half]Directions from Shin-Shizuoka
[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Directions from JR Shizuoka[/ezcol_1half_end]
