Friday, March 29, 2024
Home Bar Review Riot Beer Brewery & Taproom in Setagaya, Tokyo

Riot Beer Brewery & Taproom in Setagaya, Tokyo

by Rob
0 comment

Riot Beer : The Bottom Line

I really enjoyed my time at Riot Beer – the beers were cheap, the beers were many, and the most important part was that the beers were good. Riot Beer really did tick all of the boxes I want in a bar with the only downside being there a lack of food, but the local station had a Burger King, so I wasn’t that disappointed. The whole place is non-smoking and had no table charge, and there was also a nice little outside drinking area if you want to stand outside with a beer while watching the world go by. Moreover, there were also some takeaway beers in bottles, or you can use a growler if you have one.

Riot Beer : The Full Write Up

One stop on our Odakyu crawl actually involved going away from Komae and into Setagaya for a couple of beers at Riot Beer. I had heard good things about this place before going, and have increasingly seen their beers become more widely available at bars and also on some online sites.

Riot Beer opened in May 2017, first as a bar with them brewing at other locations, before the brewery itself opened up in April 2018. It is located in a residential area 6-7 minutes walk from Soshigaya-Okura Station on the Odakyu Line, which gives you plenty of chance to do some people watching while drinking.

Riot Beer : Atmosphere & Interior

Riot Beer is quite small inside, with space for no more than 10 people inside, with everyone seated either by the window or by the small fridge used for takeaways. The inside is warm and cosy, not a surprise really if the bar doesn’t fit that many people, but there are a couple of tables outside that can be used to stand and drink at. The whole place is non-smoking and has no table charge either, though there is some free Wifi in the area.

banner

With the inside being rather cramped, it can be a bit tight at times, and on the day we went, there was a little bit of frustration with some people walking in and not being able to get a space. However, everyone was in good spirits about it and happy to see a place being successful. The brewery is located behind the wall with the beer taps on, and we managed to get a look briefly at all the shiny stainless steel behind it. Definitely would like to be able to see more one day. There was some music in the background, with a heavy leaning towards British 80s and 90s music, but that’s not a surprise seeing as the owner is a fan of Liverpool FC and the seminal British band “Madness”.

Riot Beer : Approach to Covid-19

There wasn’t much besides the standard bottle of alcohol spray and staff wearing masks. No real effort for social distancing nor temperature checks.

Riot Beer : Beer & Tap Information

Riot Beer has 10 taps of craft beer on, with all of the taps being dedicated to the in-house brewery out back. The beers come in one size which is a 350ml glass at 800 yen for all the beers on the menu – easy enough to remember it seems. There are also bottles to takeaway at 650 yen for a 330ml bottle, and you can also get growlers to takeaway or have your own filled up. There are no beer flights, but the staff will let you have a sample of a beer before buying if you’re not sure. There wasn’t any happy hour on offer either. The prices included tax though the menus had enough English to be able to know the name of the beer and its style.

On the day, we ended up having a few of their beers and they were surprisingly well made and brewed to style. I liked the Moped Lads – a Belgian Strong Ale – the most and was convinced enough to pick up some of their beers to takeaway to drink at a later date. I was also impressed with the variety of beers on tap too, with no heavy leaning towards IPA being present, and there was even a Scotch Ale on tap, a rarity in Japan it seems.

Riot Beer : Food Information

Besides being offered a random brownie – well it was halloween on the day we went – and some nuts, there was nothing else on offer in terms of food.

Riot Beer : Details

Riot Beer : Getting There

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.