Craft Beer Bar & Pub Tatemachi Che The Bottom Line Craft Beer Bar & Pub Tatemachi Che may not have an expansive lineup of beers compared to other places in Kanazawa, but its chilled, welcoming atmosphere makes up for that and the slightly higher than average prices in the area. The owner of the bar is chatty – not in …
101 Tokyo in Ebisu, Tokyo
101 Tokyo The Bottom Line I really wanted to be able to recommend 101 Tokyo, but the prices for beers and the food push it into the realm of needing a second mortgage to be able to have more than four or five beers with some food. Moreover, the peculiar table charge system ticked me off as well – sit at a …
Matsumoto Brewery Taproom in Matsumoto, Nagano
Matsumoto Brewery Taproom The Bottom Line Matsumoto Brewery Taproom is a great little place in an area of Nagano that is deadly in need of some decent craft beer bars. The main downside to Matsumoto Brewery Taproom, at the time of writing, is the hours that the bar is open; however, if you take a walk around Matsumoto then it’s …
The Life by Marche Baton in Kashiwa, Chiba
The Life by Marche Baton The Bottom Line Kashiwa doesn’t offer up much in terms of craft beer, considering the population in the area, but The Life by Marche Baton brings something much needed to the area. While it is not the cheapest bar we’ve come across, the fact of the matter is that there is very little competition in the …
Tap & Growler in Shimo-Kitazawa, Tokyo
Tap & Growler The Bottom Line If you want a place that has lots of beers on tap for you to tick off in your Untappd and don’t mind the price, then Tap & Growler is highly recommended. It’s important to remember that Tap & Growler is primarily a place for you to pick up some beer to takeaway in a growler, …
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Goto Jozo in Kyodo, Tokyo
Goto Jozo The Bottom Line If you’re in the area, then it’s worth popping into Goto Jozo for a couple of standing beers. But there in lies the problems with Goto Jozo – it’s a nice little place but the atmosphere is more conducive for a quick beer or two then leave. If there was seating then I would recommend Goto …
Gora Brewery & Grill in Hakone, Kanagawa
Gora Brewery & Grill The Bottom Line Perhaps Gora Brewery & Grill should be renamed Gora Grill & Brewery because I’m sure the grilled food is miles better than the beer produced. The setting for Gora Brewery & Grill is second to none – beautiful views over the valley, Japanese zen garden, a foot bath for you to rest your weary feet. But …
Bayern Meister Beer in Fujinomiya, Yamanashi
Bayern Meister Beer The Bottom Line Bayern Meister Beer suffers from the same fate as Sylvans Restaurant – they have some cracking beers on tap but you have to be willing to drive to get there or be with someone that doesn’t mind driving. The beers are really good representations of the styles they are supposed to be and are …
Fujiyama Beer in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi
Fujiyama Beer The Bottom Line I had been warned beforehand about this place, but I’m not surprised that Fujiyama Beer’s aren’t more readily available as the quality of the ones I had were sub-standard, considering the amount of time the brewery has been around for. While the bar / restaurant itself is a nice little place in the countryside, that is …
Hansharo Beer Homura in Izunokuni, Shizuoka
Hansharo Beer Homura The Bottom Line If you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and you see Hansharo Beer Homura and are hungry, then you’re in for a decent amount of food at reasonable prices. If you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and you want beer, keep on going to the FamilyMart down the road instead and then come back for …