Monday, March 18, 2024
Home Bar Review Inkhorn Brewing in Mejiro, Tokyo

Inkhorn Brewing in Mejiro, Tokyo

by Rob
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Inkhorn Brewing The Bottom Line

Inkhorn Brewing is a decent little brewpub that should be on your radar of places to go when you’re in Tokyo. At the time of writing, Inkhorn Brewing had not started brewing on the premises, but having had a fair amount of their beers, it shouldn’t be much of a change. Moreover, the calm and relaxed atmosphere inside, combined with the bay doors that open up into the street, make Inkhorn Brewing a great choice for a couple, or many if you feel so inclined, beers. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and also has all the menus in English as well as an English speaking owner. Just make sure you get something to eat beforehand though as there didn’t appear to be much in terms of food, or snacks, on the day we went.

Inkhorn Brewing Inside

Inkhorn Brewing The Full Review

I just happened to be in the Mejiro area one day and was walking along the street when my brewery radar went into full ping mode. It’s been said by some friends that I have some kind of second sense with being able to find out bars and brewpubs, in spite of having the craft beer map on the site. However, it was a bit early in the day to get into Inkhorn Brewing as it didn’t open until midday, so trying to kill some time was on the cards.

Inkhorn Brewing opened in January 2021, though they didn’t get their brewing license until April 2021. Since then, Inkhorn Brewing have been doing contract brewing at various breweries and brewpubs across Kanto, with Tsukuba Brewery, Snark Liquidworks, and also Tokyo Aleworks. The brewpub is in between Mejiro, on the JR Yamanote Line,  and Zoshigaya station, on the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line (the station is adjacent to Kishibojimmae Station on the Toden Arakawa Line.), with the latter being the closer of the two.

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Inkhorn Brewing Atmosphere & Interior

The first thing you notice about Inkhorn Brewing, especially when it is a nice day outside, is that the place is very airy due to the bay doors being opened. We like this very much as it makes you feel like you are drinking outside, but if the weather suddenly changes, boom, you’re already inside and protected from the elements. Then you notice the big spacious brewery behind the window – with its shimmering shiny silver appearance and bright pink walls.

Inkhorn Brewing is a purely standing bar – if there were seats then I must have missed them, and could have done with one at the end of the evening. There is space all around the bar to rest your pint though so don’t think you have to stand there with your pint in hand. As there are no tables then there is no table charge! The whole place is non-smoking and there is also some free WiFi.

Inkhorn Brewing Approach to Covid 19

Like most bars in Tokyo, Inkhorn Brewing takes a strong approach to drinking and Covid-19. At the time of writing, Inkhorn Brewing is running on restricted hours, with all the staff wearing masks. Moreover, there is plenty of alcohol spray around the bar, and social distancing is encouraged.

Inkhorn Brewing Beer 1Inkhorn Brewing Beer 2Inkhorn Brewing Beer 3Inkhorn Brewing Beer 4

Inkhorn Brewing Tap & Beer Information

As mentioned earlier, Inkhorn Brewing didn’t get their brewing license until April 2021, so the beers that we tried on the day were all ones that they had brewed at other breweries in Kanto. However, this did not stop us from trying some of the beers on tap. Inkhorn Brewing has nine taps of craft beer, with a strong leaning towards their own beers, though there were some guest domestic and import beers on tap. The beers come in two sizes: half US pint (240ml) from ¥700 and US pint (480ml) from ¥1,000, with guest beers being slightly more expensive. There aren’t any beer flights nor any happy hour at Inkhorn Brewing, and beers can not be bought to takeaway. The last point is a bit of a downer as it would be nice to have the chance to do that. The beers that we had on the day – the White INK IPA and Cross Hatch DIPA were two solid representations of the style and would happily drink them again.

Inkhorn Brewing Food Information

If there was any food at Inkhorn Brewing, then we missed it, but there didn’t appear to be anything, either in terms of larger meals, or snacks so make sure you eat before you come.

Inkhorn Brewing Details

How to Get to Inkhorn Brewing

Inkhorn Brewing is in between Mejiro and Zoshigaya stations, with the latter being the closer of the two.

Directions from JR Mejiro Station
Directions from Zoshigaya Station

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