YYG Factory The Bottom Line
Out of the two locations that YYG have, I preferred this branch over the Yoyogi one. The atmosphere was nice and chilled, there was a decent selection of beers on tap with enough variety to keep everyone happy, even though the glasses were on the small size, and the servings were. However, the food is much better here and I would happily pop into YYG Factory if I were in the area again. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, with prices inclusive of tax. There is also free WiFi and the option for takeaway beers too.
YYG Factory The Full Review
What do you do when you’ve outgrown your bar in the midst of the city? Well you build a new one – right out in the middle of Chiba? Eh? Something doesn’t seem right with that one, but with YYG Factory, that’s what YYG Brewery did, also including the space for a brewery to help grow the brand and amount of beers on tap.
YYG Factory opened in May 2019, near Hon-Chiba station. A most peculiar place to open up a bar considering you have Chiba just one stop along. Even more so when the bar staff working the day lamented the decision due to a lack of customers. All the better for us as it meant more space in the bar and quicker serving time.
YYG Factory Interior and Atmosphere
The first thing you notice as you go into YYG Factory is the huge conveyor belt that is resting about your head. Yes, those are real cans above your head, but no, they aren’t for purchasing. And neither are they lamps. They are just cans above your head. The amount of steel pipes and wood is also a tad OTT but then you look through the back window and, boom, there is the brewery.
There is plenty of space inside YYG Factory, with about 30 seats dotted around various high tables around the bar, and also 4 seats at the counter window to allow you to do some people watching. The whole bar is non-smoking, has no table charge, and also has some free WiFi.
YYG Factory Approach to Covid-19
Like other bars in Chiba, YYG Factory isn’t facing the same measures and seriousness as in Tokyo; however, the staff do wear masks and only groups of people can sit at the same table. I would have preferred for the tables and seating to be farther apart; on the other hand, we were the only people there for about 2 hours, besides one person by the front window counter.
YYG Factory Taps & Beer Information
YYG Factory has 15 taps of craft beer on, with a heavy leaning towards their own beers, with some guest beers; both from Japan and overseas. The beers come in two sizes: small (250ml) from ¥600 and regular (360ml) from ¥800. There is also a beer flight option that gets you any three 100ml beers from the menu for ¥1,000. There is also the option for takeaway beers; either in a plastic cup, or in bottles.
The beers were well served, despite them being smaller than usual for a craft beer bar, with very little head on them and in very clean glassware on top. Of the YYG Factory beers that I had, the Blackberry Milk Stout was full on berries and roasted malt. but the Ohana Milk Shake was surprisingly good, with hints of cherry blossom and creaminess to it.
YYG Factory Food
The food at YYG Factory was an interesting mix of Japanese with some Western influence too. In spite of there being chips on the menu, the avocado frits were amazing. Little balls of avocado that had been covered in corn dog batter and then fried. Then the jalapeno popper tasted great, though I should have, in hindsight, given it some time to cool down. The menus had a basic amount of English on them, though there were plenty of vegetarian options on the menu.
YYG Factory Details
- Open: Tuesday to Friday 11:30 – 14:30 (L.O 14:00) 17:00 – 23:00 (L.O 22:30) / Saturday 11:30 – 23:00 (L.O 22:30)
- Closed: Sundays & Mondays
- Happy Hour: None
- Phone: 043-306-2556
- Homepage (in Japanese): http://www.yygbrewery.com/factory.html
- Social Media: Facebook / Instagram
