Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama : The Bottom Line
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama is a tough one – in some ways, it should be on your list of places to go when you’re in the area, but the place really does need some consistency in their taplists. With their USP being 47 taps of craft beer, when there are only 20 or so, and there is a heavy leaning towards IPAs, then it’s not really going to be a fun time. It’s a minor quibble really as the prices are reasonable, the food is good, and the atmosphere is generally chilled out. The staff has seen a heavy rotation since the bar opened, and as such, it’s been hard to build a rapport with them as the faces that were there when it first opened have either moved onto other Craft Beer iBrews or left.
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama : Background
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama is the sixth in the chain of Craft Beer iBrews that stretch across Tokyo, and is also their first foray of the chain moving out into other areas. It’s been a long time coming for BeerTengoku as their bars have tended to be pretty good places to try out lots of different beers for some of the cheapest prices in Japan, let alone in Kanto.
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama opened on May 15th, 2023 so why the long wait for a write up? Well there was a point where it was on the verge of closing if rumours were to be believed. When it first opened, Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama was a fun, livley place to pick up some beers, but there was disgruntled managers behind the scenes who did not like how the Yokohama branch was being run. Thankfully, after a “reopening” towards the end of the 2023, there has been some settlement in the bar and it seems that it will continue to go on.
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama : Atmosphere & Interior
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama, like the other branches, has a very industrial appearance inside, with lots of black steel, wooden stools, and open ceilings with air con ducts and various pipings. It’s a little bit cold at times at other branches, but Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama seems to pull it off due to the massive windows that allow lots of light in.
Inside, there is space for around 80 people, with all being seated at the time of writing. When Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama first opened, there was a small standing area, but on our last visit, that had changed to high stools, with some low backs – not very comfortable to be honest. When Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama holds events, like tap takeovers, they do remove the high stools to change it into a standing area. There is a small standing area outside when the weather is nice, though there isn’t much space there.
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama is completely non-smoking, has no table charge, and like other branches, also has some free wifi, though you will need to use a phone with a QR code reader. More about that later as it has proven to be Marmite item for manner customers.
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama : Beer & Tap List
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama supposed has 47 taps of craft beer on, and the beers tend to come in two sizes: half pint (270ml) and US pint (470ml) with the pours being bang on up to the edge of the glass. If you want bubbles on your beer, you better ask for it as you won’t get any. As for prices, it’s easier to break it down into a list:
- Basic Select Beer Half Pint ¥429 / Pint ¥759
- Limited Select Beer Half Pint ¥759 / Pint ¥1089
- Extreme Select Beer Half Pint ¥1089 / Pint ¥1419
- Special Select Beer Half Pint ¥1719 Pint ¥2049
There is also a beer flight on offer, with 3 beers from ¥759 and then 5 beers from ¥1199 but then there is a catch. That’s for the basic select beers only. If you want beers from the higher priced menus, then you have to pay extra per beer. So beers from Limited Select cost ¥110 per beer while beers from Extreme Select are ¥220 extra per beer. Confused? So was I when I first went there.
The main issue surrounding Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama is the usage of QR codes for taplists and not having them printed off. Personally, it doesn’t bother me and is not an issue but some people have complained about it not working on their phones or being a pain to use. If that bothers you, then you probably will get annoyed when you go here but don’t worry, have a beer, relax and just enjoy it all.
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama : Food & Menu Information
The food at Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama is the same as at Craft Beer Bar iBrew Ebisu so have a look there. The menus do have some English on them so if you aren’t too sure from looking at the pictures, then you can check out some of the English descriptions that have not been spell checked nor have they been grammar checked – for example “harf size” portions. There really is no excuse for that in this day and age, but don’t worry, have a beer.
Craft Beer iBrew Yokohama : Bar Information
- Open: Weekdays 13:00〜23:00 (L.O.Food 22:00 / Drink 22:30) / Weekends + National holidays 11:00〜23:00 (L.O.Food 22:00 / Drink 22:30)
- Closed: –
- Happy Hour: –
- Phone: 050-5600-4931
- Homepage: https://lit.link/en/ibrewyokohama
- Social Media: Facebook / Instagram
