Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar The Bottom Line
I was expecting Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar to be one thing – i.e. a taproom fro Voyager Craft Beer in the area – but it turned out to be something else, and I rather enjoyed it there. It was a shame that it was so quiet on the day that I went but the staff were friendly and nice and there was a decent selection of beer on tap too. There was, as the name suggests, a decent selection of books to read too. The main problem I had with Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar was that it allowed smoking – though I suspect now after the change in the government rules, they have changed their policy. There is some good news to be had though – Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar doesn’t have any table charges, and also has a really good happy hour too – especially if you wanted to try some of the more expensive beers on tap too. Like most places in Kumamoto, there was free WiFi going, with just a little smattering of English available to help order.
Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar The Full Review
After not getting to Ohashi Denki – long story as told on the Patreon – I went off in search of somewhere to get some post work beers. Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar came up on the map and off I went – walking for about 15 minutes before finding the place. It took a little bit of walking around until I had noticed that I had walked past the well-hidden entrance that led to the downstairs entrance into Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar. It is also one of the oldest craft beer bars in Kumamoto, having opened up in December of 2014 – quite a long time for a city that isn’t a big craft beer hub – or so I thought.
Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar is located about 5 mins from the nearest tram stops of Suidocho and Kuhonjikosaten and is found in the basement of the River Port 9 building most disappointingly. It’s hard not to look up at the upper floors and see all the outside seating but nope, you’re in the basement for this one. Inside, there is space for about 16 people, with 6 seats at the counter, and 10 seats dotted around various wall seating and tables further back, with plenty of room for standing. While there is no table charge at Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar, at the time of writing, it was a fully smoking establishment – something I only found out when I left and saw the posters on the walls. A shame really as it wasn’t that well ventilated to cope with smoking, in my opinion. For those wanting something about books, there are plenty of books to choose from, but mostly in Japanese.
Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar has four taps of craft beer on, with also the dreaded Tap Marche system making an appearance, and the taps are split between domestic and imports, with the latter costing more. Beers come in two sizes – half US pint (240ml) from ¥600 and US pint (473ml) from ¥1,000. But the best deal had to be during happy hour, which ranges from opening until 20:00, which gets you ¥200 off a beer – making some of the imports a worthy purchase. There was no beer flight on offer, but there are some cans and bottles for sale and to drink in store, or take away.
In terms of food, Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar prides itself on its local sausages, which are made by the same person who supplies them for Mugi no Oto in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and also their smoked meats too. There are also hamburgers too on offer, though vegans and vegetarians may find it more challenging to get a full meal here. The menus are partly in English, with just enough to get by.
Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar Details
Open: Daily 18:00 – 01:00 (L.O Food 0:00 Drink 0:30)
Closed: Thursdays
Happy Hour: From opening to 20:00
Phone: 096-200-7796
Homepage (in Japanese): https://voyager-beer.com/
Social Media: Facebook / Instagram
How to Get to Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar
Voyager Craft Beer & Book Bar is located about 5 mins from the nearest tram stops of Suidocho and Kuhonjikosaten.
[ezcol_1half]Directions from Suidocho[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]Directions from Kuhonjikosaten[/ezcol_1half_end]
