Takao Beer Taproom : The Bottom Line
Maybe I got to Takao Beer Taproom at the wrong time of day – there was barely any space to sit, and barely anything to drink on tap. But that’s surely a good sign, isn’t it? The shared space was full up drinkers having some lively conversation so I think I’ll have to come back another time to really give this a fair write-up. In spite of that, it’s good to have some communal places like Takao Beer Taproom that help build the community. The whole place is non-smoking, has no table charge, and offers up some free Wi-Fi too.
Takao Beer Taproom : Background
Takao Beer Taproom has been open since December 2019, and was the first brewery / brewpub in the Takao area. Situated less than two minutes from Takao station, located on the Keio and Chuo lines, Takao Beer also try to operate with minimal waste during the brewing process. This extends to the following:
- The beer lees produced during the brewing process are reused as compost or animal feed, aiming for a waste-free, recycling-oriented beer production system;
- They use many ingredients from the surrounding area, including barley, hops, fruit, spices, and yeast; and
- They always choose methods that have a minimal impact on the environment, such as using their our own vehicles, on foot, or by bicycle for deliveries to nearby areas.
Takao Beer Taproom : Atmosphere & Interior
As you enter the Ko52 building, there are two suprising things : the taproom is right in front of the brewery, and secondly the space is shared with other shops in the building. This includes a local coffee shop on the second floor, while the first floor has a fast food shop, and the third floor has a variety of clothing shops. It’s an intereting concept in bringing local businesses together and sharing the space.
The communual space has seating for around 40 people and seeing as this is a shared space, there is no table charge. The whole space is non-smoking and has free Wi-Fi. And for those like myself that forget to charge their phones, there are also some charging spots for phones.
Takao Beer Taproom : Beer & Tap Information
On the day I went, in spite of Takao Beer Taproom having nine taps of beer; only three were on. I guess that’s a good thing for them if they have sold out of their beers over the weekend, but bad for people like me who wanted to try a variety of their beers. The beers come in two sizes : small (240 ml) from ¥600 and regular (480 ml) from ¥900. There is also a three beer tasting flight that gets you any three small house beers for ¥1,800 – not a bad deal if you pick the right ones.
Moreover, there is a beer fridge where you can get bottles and cans to takeaway, but like the taps, it seems there had been a run on the day on the fridge and it was empty. The beers can only be bought to takeaway, so I was left empty handed for the train journey home. I guess they’re really wanting me to come back again in the future.
Takao Beer Taproom : Food & Menu Information
I wasn’t hungry when I went to Takao Beer Taproom but the menu seemed to have a variety of foods on the menu with bread being the base. That makes sense as Takao Beer try to upcycle as much of the by-products of beer as they can. There are a lot of local products, such as vegetables and meat, on the menus, but the menus were mostly in Japanese, so you may need to whip out the phone to translate the details if you can’t read Japanese. The prices all include tax so there’s no surprises when drinking.
Takao Beer Taproom : Bar Details
- Open : Thursday to Monday 12:00 – 19:00 (L.O Food 18:00 Drink 18:30)
- Closed : Tuesdays / Wednesdays
- Happy Hour : –
- Phone : –
- Homepage (in Japanese) : https://www.takaobeer.com/
- Social Media : Instagram
