Editor’s note: This was written before the outbreak of Covid-19 and the changes in the bar industry. One of the most common questions asked by people is “Why can’t I get a beer to take away like in [insert country’s name here]?”. And we get it. You find a nice beer on tap and you want to share it with …
Drunken Ramblings #20: Don’t Sit So Close To Me
Space is at a premium in Japan – as we’re often told with Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka often ranked as some of the most expensive places to live. Not just in Japan, but also in Asia, and also perhaps around the world. We’re also often told that due to this premium price, that space is utilised to the maximum amount …
Drunken Ramblings #19: Chasing the Next Best Thing
We’ve all seen it – those limited edition beers that some people have to get. We’re guilty of it ourselves from time-to-time – especially when it comes to imperial stouts or double IPAs, but at least we’re creatures of habit. There’s beers that we look forward to that we know are going to come out – Baird Dark Sky Imperial …
Drunken Ramblings #18: Stouts in Summer
It’s coming up to the end of winter in Japan – did you know Japan has four seasons? That means breweries have begun their annual change of moving away from darker beers, to those lighter ones that seem to sell much better than the stouts, schwarzbier, and bocks. We all know that colder beers are preferred in the summer months, …
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Drunken Ramblings #17: Untappd and Affecting Beer
I have something to admit. I used to be addicted to Untappd. Logging those beers, getting those badges, trying to keep up with the Jonses with what I drunk. Then suddenly I stopped. I thought it was making my drinking more of a chore than of a pleasure. Take a picture. Upload to an app. Write a review. Give it …
Drunken Ramblings #16: Aging Beers
Beer should be drunk fresh – or should it? It’s not only whisky or wine that can be aged, but beers too. But like whisky and wine, not all beers are created equal. We’ve been guilty ourselves of aging the wrong kind of beer, and we’d hate for you to make that mistake. Beer does come with a best before …
Drunken Ramblings #15: Storing Beer
Here at BeerTengoku Towers, like many other craft beer drinkers, we like to store our beers in our fridges, if there is space, or under the house – a nice small cellar that most Japanese houses have. The former is probably the easiest though with the amount in our collection, there is more beer than food in the fridge at …
Drunken Ramblings #14: Tap Takeovers
If you live in a major city in Japan, then no doubt you’ve got a few craft beer bars nearby for choice. However, if you live somewhere off the beaten track, then maybe you’ve not got much choice, unless you’re Joe who lives in an area of Japan that seems to be bucking this trend. Whatever your choice of beer …
Drunken Ramblings #13: Craft Beer Sizes
Like most countries around the world, Japan is a bi-measurement country. Land is measured in metres squared, while room sizes are measured in tatami (85.5 cm wide and 179 cm long). Bottles of sake come in millilitres, yet are sold in choko or masu, with the latter having a volume of one gō (180ml). It can be rather confusing having …
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Drunken Ramblings #12: Women & Beer
Here at BeerTengoku, we believe in bringing people to drink together and talk over a few pints of craft beer. We may not agree with what makes craft beer, what constitutes a good beer, or even if a beer is any good or not. However, one thing that we can all agree on is that everyone should be treated equally …