Tokyo Sips – Where We Drank

One thing that Beau and I try to do when we travel is try the local beers. We love to see what the local breweries are doing, especially the microbreweries, and sample all the different varieties a place has to offer! Thankfully, Tokyo didn’t skimp on the beer selection, and we had an option of a good craft brewery, or at least a place that sold craft beer, most nights when we were there. So if you’re on the hunt for local craft beer while you’re in Tokyo, read on! And if you’re needing some food to absorb all of that beer so you’re ready for all the walking the next day, check out where we ate in Tokyo!

Also, apologies for the lack of pictures in this. We were so parched after days of exploring, we drank our beers before we could take pictures! I’ll do better next time – I promise!

Hitachino Brewing Lab

Japan, 〒101-0022 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Kanda Neribeicho, 13-1 SEEKBASE 0 1区画

Hitachino beers can be found abroad, and we’ve had a couple here in Kansas City over the years. But they had a solid beer list at their location near Akihabara and were easy to get to on our way back up to Ueno, so we ended up going there twice! We enjoyed the Dai Dai IPA and Niponia 25 ale on our first night, and a Fresh Pale Ale the second night. They also had a solid selection of whiskeys. All tucked into a cool little space where you can see their stills and shop a little store to take some Hitachino products home with you!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: Any place with solid beer with a cool vibe is going to rate highly for me! I think if their beers were maybe just a little more inventive or original, I’d give it the full five stars. That being said, we went back a second time, so they obviously had good beer!

Nakano Beer Kobo

5 Chome-53-4 Nakano, Nakano City, Tokyo 164-0001, Japan

Okay, I talked about Beer Kobo in my Where We Ate blog post, and I’m going to try to not let one of the best things I’ve ever eaten (a smoked potato salad) color my review of the beer there.

*Here’s a picture of the half eaten potato salad, when I said “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I should take a picture!”*

That being said, while the main thing I remember is that perfectly smokey, creamy, delectable potato salad, I do remember being very impressed with Beer Kobo’s beers as well! We had their Decadence Dance West Coast IPA, Moody Blues Amber Hazy IPA, and their Grasshopper Hazy IPA (can you tell we like IPAs?). They definitely were leaning heavy on the IPAs, at least when we were there, but they also had a saison, a sour, a stout, and a pilsner.

While Beer Kobo seems to be going for an “under construction” vibe with plywood walsl and DIY looking lofts, it actually kind of works? It gives a “we don’t need to do anything fancy – our beer and food speak for themselves!” And I would agree with that!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: I said I wouldn’t let the smoked potato salad color my review, but I lied. If I could give this place 15/5, I would! The food, the beer, the laid back vibe – all of it was fantastic! I also liked that this was off the beaten path, so it definitely felt like the kind of place that locals would go to rather than tourists. If you’re in the Nakano area, definitely stop by!

Ø by Oslo Brewing Co

Japan, 〒150-0042 Tokyo, Shibuya, Udagawacho, 37−10 麻仁ビル

This definitely feels like a brewery you might come across in Brooklyn, NY or any trendy neighborhood. It’s tucked off a little by itself in Shibuya, but still only about a 10 minute walk from the main Shibuya Scramble.

It had a great, robust beer menu with something for everyone. It was absolutely packed when we were there, which made it hard to find a spot for four of us, but we made it work!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: The only reason I’m taking off a star is because I felt like I didn’t have anything that really stood out there. The beer was great and the vibe was cool, and you should definitely go if you’re in Shibuya needing a beer! And with the huge beer menu, maybe you’ll find something that realy stands out to you!

WCB The Room

Japan, 〒105-0001 Tokyo, Minato City, Toranomon, 2 Chome−2−3 アルセアタワー1F

I think by now you’ve gathered that we’re fans of IPAs, might I say a connoisseur, and boy, WCB does them right! We got a couple of half pours to try a little bit of everything, and not a single one was just a “meh” from me! They all stood out! I will say, the one that stood out the most, though it may be because of the name, was Full Hop Alchemist, their Hazy Double IPA. So if you’re a fan of IPAs AND Full Metal Alchemist, get on over to WCB on your next visit to Tokyo!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: There are few places that I add to my “go back every time I’m in this city” list, but WCB is going to be one of those! I think we’ll make a plan to grab a drink there every time we’re in Tokyo from now on!

Noodle House Laundry

Japan, 〒100-0005 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Marunouchi, 1 Chome−9−1 グランスタ八重北B1

We stopped here for a quick beer while we waited for a train to go check out the Ghibli clock. And while they had an okay beer menu, I wouldn’t say it was anything spectacular. If you’re in the station, maybe it’s your best option, but Craft Beer Market Tokyo Torch and Ise Kadoya Craft Beer Yaesu are just outside of the station and seem to have better options!

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: Look, maybe it’s because it was a slightly rushed beer because we had to catch our train and so I’m letting that affect my review, but I just felt like there weren’t any beers that I was immediately like, “Oh yeah, I have to try that!” And that’s kind of my gauge. Did the beer excite me? No. But was it still a good beer? Sure. So that’s a three star rating for me.

Asahi Brewery

Japan, 〒130-0001 Tokyo, Sumida City, Azumabashi, 1 Chome−23−36 アネックスビル 1F

*While I didn’t love the brewery, I do appreciate the beer building and the golden poop.*

This is definitely my least favorite place we went in Tokyo, not just for the beer, but for the food. First, I didn’t like that they made us order food just to have a drink. Why call it a brewery if you can’t just go in and have a beer?! Second, the beer was just so-so. It definitely wasn’t worth spending the money on food to drink. And third, the place had no atmosphere. It felt like a mid-level chain restaurant. All in all, a pretty disappointing experience.

My Rating: ⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Verdict: I think the above explains it all. The beer was just okay, the food was okay, and it was all overpriced. And you can’t just grab a beer without food, which just doesn’t sit well with me, an avid brewery fan who wants to visit as many breweries as possible, but can only eat so much food!

Other Options for Local Beer

Tokyo doesn’t seem to have a shortage of places to grab a local beer, thankfully! The last time we were there 10 years ago, we struggled to find any, so either we’ve gotten better at tracking down craft beers or the scene has grown in Japan! There are so many places in Tokyo that we didn’t get a chance to check out all the places we wanted to go (unless we wanted to spend every day hungover). So here are a few places that we didn’t get to go, but would like to next time!

Craft Beer Market Tokyo Torch
Tokiwabashi Tower, 1F, 2 Chome-6-4 Ōtemachi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan

Ise Kadoya Craft Beer Yaesu
Japan, 〒103-0028 Tokyo, Chuo City, Yaesu, 1 Chome−4−16 洋伸興産八重洲ビル B1F 東京建物

Vector Brewing
4 Chome-7-3 Asakusabashi, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0053, Japan

Craft Beer Scissors
Japan, 〒110-0016 Tokyo, Taito City, Taito, 1 Chome−27−6 Grand Asset Akihabara, 101号室

This Brewing
1 Chome-3-7 Ueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0005, Japan

Conclusion

While we of course had some sakes, wines, and other beers at the restaurants we ate, these were the places where we went specifically to try the local beer! I feel like in most restaurants we went, we found the standard Asahi, Sapporo, or Kirin beers. So if you really want to get the local flavor, check out one of these places or any of the other breweries around Tokyo!