Buso Brewery : The Bottom Line
With Machida having very few, if any, breweries in the area, Buso Brewery has found itself in a niche market – and one that it will no doubt focus on. While the bar itself is a cosy little place – both inside and out – the beers are just ok. They need some decent quality control to improve them; however, if you find yourself in the area, you could do a lot worse. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and dogs are also welcome, as long as you sit outside. A word of warning though – no cash is accepted here – so bring your credit card or some form of electronic payment.
Buso Brewery : Background
Buso Brewery by Kawasemi Brew, or to give the place its full name of Buso Brewery Machida Ekimae, opened in December 2024, and is located less than two minutes walk from the Odakyu Machida station exit. The idea behind the brewery is the utilisation of local products – such as barley grown in the local area, and they also have an aim to start growing hops too. How that last one will succeed will be an interesting one to watch.
Kawasemi Brew used the “local 10,000 project” to help fund the opening of the brewery and bar. This project was designed to encourage people to help grow local communities, with local projects, with subsidies of up to ¥50,000,000 available for people to use.
Buso Brewery : Atmosphere & Interior
As you approach Buso Brewery, you’re greeted by a large open square area – not all of this is part of the bar. It’s quite an open plaza, though with little to no cover, I wouldn’t recommend sitting outside for long, as you’ll get burnt to a crisp. As I almost did when I went.
There is space for you to sit either inside or out, with Buso Brewery having a table charge only if you sit at a table – confusing system there. Inside, there is space for around 30 people, with various tables and counter settings available for people. Outside, there is space for around 16 people at tables, though not all of the area is covered, so if you go in warmer weather, try to sit as close as you can to the windows.
Buso Brewery : Beer & Tap Information
Buso Brewery has five taps of craft beer on, with all of the beers being their in-house efforts. There was a number of different styles on too, with the obligatory hazy IPA that everyone must have now. The beers come in two sizes : regular (296 ml) from ¥880 and then large (473 ml) from ¥1,375 – not the cheapest really for in-house brews it seems.
There is also an option for a three beer flight of any of the beers on the menu for ¥1,375. However, there’s no option for a all-you-can-drink nor any happy hour offerings either. Finally, you can also get some cans or bottles from other breweries in the local area from ¥1,000.
The beers themselves are ok – they are not going to win any major awards, and nor are they going to blow you away either. They are going to need some quality control to improve the flavours more than anything else as they just seemed muted and lacking in depth.
Buso Brewery : Food & Menu Information
I went during lunch time, so the menu was slightly more restricted than at other times. The main item seemed to be hot dogs, though as I was absolutely famished after a long run in the morning, so I knew chips weren’t going to cut it with me. The fish and chips was ordered and while the chips were French fries, the cod was fantastic and definitely rivals Country Pub Desture for it’s deliciousness. The menus are in Japanese and in English, with the prices including tax, though there isn’t really much for vegetarians here I’m afraid.
Buso Brewery : Bar Details
- Open : Daily 11:00 – 23:00 (L.O Food 22:00 Drink 22:30)
- Closed : –
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone :
- Homepage (in Japanese) : https://www.buso-brewery.com/
- Social Media : Instagram
