Makuhari Brewery The Bottom Line
If you live, or shopping, in the vicinity of Makuhari Brewery, then you’ve got somewhere to get beer from, but personally I wouldn’t travel this far to the middle of nowhere to come here. Makuhari Brewery does offer up a nice relaxing atmosphere for some family time with food and beers, and a cozy coffee shop next door. For those that do make it out, I would either suggest getting a taxi as it’s a long walk from the nearest station – around 1.5km – but a good chance to burn off the beers. The beers are ok – they’re not going to win any awards for the quality but at least they do make the style they are labelled to be. On the positive side, the whole place is non-smoking, has free Wifi, takeaway beers, and a nice outdoor seating area for those wanting some lovely views of high ride buildings. Makuhari Brewery is also family and dog friendly for those wanting to come with their little ones.
Makuhari Brewery The Full Review
I had been meaning to come to Makuhari Brewery for a long time, but the thought of travelling to the middle of nowhere, in Chiba, didn’t really appeal to me. The last time I had been to Makuhari was actually for a concert (Rage Against The Machine for those wondering) and back then thought the area was a pain to get to. However, I was determined to get somewhere different, and to finally tick off some places in Chiba for BeerTengoku.
Makuhari Brewery is located about a 20 minute walk from Kaihimmakuhari Station, on the Keiyo line; however, there is are public buses from the station that go towards Makuhari Brewery, though a taxi will cost you about 1,000. Makuhari Brewery is part of the Makuhari Neighbourhood POD complex – a small area with the brewpub, a coffee shop, and a soundstage used for smaller public concerts and shows. Makuhari Brewery opened in September 2017, with the brewery coming online later in 2018. The brewery and design was inspired directly by the craft beer scene in Portland, Oregon.
Makuhari Brewery Atmosphere and Interior
Inside Makuhari Brewery itself, there is plenty of seating around large communal tables, with space for about 35 people – 28 at tables and then another 7 people at the counter. If the brewpub is full up, beers and food can laso be bought to be consumed outside in the sound stage area, or even outside at some tables located on the front lawn. The whole building is non-smoking and there are also no table charges wherever you sit, and for those wanting to connect their devices, there are also charging stations and free WiFi.
Makuhari Brewery Approach to Covid-19
In spite of the large communal tables and vision towards sharing space, Makuhari Brewery only allows groups of people that know each other to sit at one table – so while you may go and see 2 people sitting at a table for 6, you will not be allowed to join them unless you have reserved the table together. All the staff have masks on and there is no counter seating at the time of writing. Moreover, you have to use alcohol spray before going in and taking you seats. If you leave, either to walk outside or go to the toilet, you must again use alcohol spray. All the tables are wiped down after use with alcohol spray too.
Makuhari Brewery Taps and Beer Information
Makuhari Brewery has 10 taps of craft beer on, with 6 of those dedicated to their in-house beers, and the rest being either domestic or imports. The beers come in two size: half pint (266ml) from ￥791, or pints (473ml) from ￥1,153, with the guest beers being slightly more expensive than the in-house beers. The prices include tax, though there aren’t isn’t a happy hour, nor are there any beer flights. However, you can buy beers to takeaway, and these are served at the same prices but in plastic cups.
The in-house beers that I had on the day do match up with the styles that are listed on the menu, but they are not going to win any awards for world’s best pale ale, nor will they blow you away. On the other hand, the beers were well-served and came in clean glassware.
Makuhari Brewery Food
During the lunch time hours, Makuhari Brewery has a limited range of food on, with its aim towards dishes that can be shared by people. I went for the two obvious choices – chips and pizza. Both were a little more expensive than I would have liked for the portion sizes to be honest, but were both cooked fresh to order. There’s a couple of choices for vegetarians though I suspect outside of lunch hours there are probably more. The menus didn’t have any English on them, besides the names of the beers and drinks.
Makuhari Brewery Details
- Open: Weekdays 11:30 – 14:00 (L.O. 13:30) 17:00 – 21:30 (L.O 21:00 / Weekends & Holidays 11:30 – 22:00 (L.O 21:00)
- Closed: See Social Media
- Happy Hour: None
- Phone: 043-307-1962
- Homepage (in Japanese): https://makuhari-neighborhood.jp/activity/makuhari-brewery/
- Social Media: Facebook / Instagram
