Inside Craft Beer Moonlight

In fact the homebrew comparison isn’t that far off, because the beer I had tasted very much like kit-made homebrew, having a slightly sweet LME-like tinge to it. While that means it ain’t the best beer in the world to me, a lot of Japanese craft beers, particularly pilsners, have a sweetness to them and the locals seem to like the beers.

Pale Lager

Moonlight has 10 taps, featuring a selection of their regular beers and specials. Most of the time not all 10 taps will be used though – specials in particular can run out fairly quickly, and whether they are replaced depends on something else being ready and the staff having time to change over the keg. Last time I was there, the day started with five specials, three of which ran out and were replaced with two others.

Regulars are Porter, Stout, Strong Ale, Bitter, Pilsner, Lager, and Pale Lager and cost 300 yen each. Specials are more expensive, in the 500-800 range, but can also be more flavoursome – some specials I’ve seen are Cherry Beer, Ginger Beer (the alcoholic kind, not the soft drink), Christmas Ale, Old Ale, and Weizen. Moonlight serves beers direct from the kegs they are fermented in.

Porter

The bar also sells some homebrewing equipment, yeast, hops, grain, and malt at cheaper prices than Tokyu Hands – it’s not on display and range is limited (it’s a subset of what’s available online here) so contact the bar in advance first if you are making a trip for something special.

As well as beer, there’s food available – and it’s pretty good for the price. You don’t expect much for 100-300 yen, but these 300yen dim-sum and gyoza were lovely:

I'd go back for these alone!

Food really was a surprise – I wish other places would take note that bar food can be cheap and tasty. The only problem is that the menu currently is Japanese only, though I’m told an English menu is being prepared.

The Craft Beer Moonlight website is here - it’s updated daily with the current beers, and though it’s Japanese only and beers can change throughout the day, it’s good that they make that effort. Phone number is 044-930-1018. It’s open from 11:30am to 10pm every day except Tuesdays (or the next day if Tuesday is a national holiday). Craft Beer Moonlight is a non-smoking bar.

Only a few small signs reveal there's a bar inside

Google maps link for Moonlight is here. The closest station is Mukogaokayuen – 21 minutes from Shinjuku on the Odakyu line. Come out the north exit and walk up the street in front of you to the right (running along the left of the bus area). Keep walking until you get to a four way crossing with traffic lights and turn left there. Immediately you’ll pass a Kains supermarket. Keep walking a good few blocks and you’ll find Craft Beer Moonlight on your left.

My opinion? This is definitely an interesting little place – I enjoyed the food, and it was superb to see local Japanese choosing craft beer rather than generic Asahi/Kirin, both to drink in the bar, and take away in PET bottles. The bar is also sticking its neck out and selling homebrew supplies – the only other place selling homebrew supplies in Japan is the high street chain Tokyu Hands. For those reasons, I think the bar is worth supporting. Hopefully beer will improve over time – the place is so new that you can still see the “For Rent” signs on Google Maps! – but it’s a unique place, and what do you expect for 300yen, eh?

Sal’s owner Koji – or Michael as he sometimes calls himself – is famous in the Japanese Craft Beer community for two things: that he used to import craft beers unofficially before official imports came along, and that, despite speaking fluent English, he has a dislike of foreigners visiting Sal’s. So when news came that Koji was opening a second bar in Shibuya, it raised a few eyebrows – you might be able to keep yourself away from foreigners when your bar is out in Kawasaki, but right in the heart of Tokyo?

Outside Craftheads

Fast forward to January 2010 and Craftheads has been open for just over three months. I decided to make a visit with some friends to try some of the Three Floyds on tap, meet Koji, and see how welcome we’d be. As it turns out, I bumped into Koji on the street as I was looking for Craftheads. He saw me looking around and asked where I was looking for. “That’s my bar!” he exclaimed when I said Craftheads, and he continued to be talkative inside the bar. It was a surprisingly warm welcome.

Koji no longer imports his own beer, instead sourcing from Japanese craft beers and the various importers. When I visited there were 16 beers on tap – a mixture of Japanese breweries such as Minoh, North Island, and Shiga Kogen, with international offerings from the likes of Green Flash, Bear Republic, Coronado, and Fuller’s. (Is Fuller’s craft beer?)

There are no pints at Craftheads – most beers are sold in 200ml and 350ml sizes, with some in 300ml sizes.

200ml servings

At 200ml, that’s less than half a US pint. The beers were poured with no head, but they don’t fill the glass – I’m told that’s deliberate, Koji having precisely measured a 200ml line so that drinkers get exactly 200ml every time and are not short-changed with pours that have lots of head.

The cheapest draught beer on the menu was Miyama Blonde at 500yen for 200ml, 900yen for 350ml. At those prices, a US pint of 470ml is around 1175yen. Three Floyds Alpha King IPA was one of the more expensive at 800yen for 200ml, 1300yen for 350ml, giving a price of around 1750yen for a US pint, or 1880yen based on the 200ml price – quite possibly grabbing the award for the most expensive pint in Tokyo.

Craftheads definitely ain’t cheap when you compare pint prices. On the other hand, the small sizes do allow you to taste a range of beers. Bottles are also available – they can be pretty expensive.

The Craftheads website, blog, and twitter are mostly Japanese only – especially event details. That’s not uncommon in Japan, but when I asked Koji for an email address so that I could get event information and clarify details when writing Beer in Japan listings, he flatly refused. Given the warm welcome we received when we came to the bar, it was surprising. Koji’s explanation is that he wants to communicate with people one way via his twitter, website, and blog – which means reading Japanese for events. I got the definite impression that foreigners are welcome there, but that they have to “prove themselves worthy” by ploughing through the 日本語. Very Arrogant Bastard, right?

Inside Craftheads

Craftheads is located on a back street just up from the Apple store in Shibuya. The website is here, blog here. Google maps link here. The bar is closed Mondays and closes early on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. It’s non-smoking and there’s free WIFI  (it’s hidden but the network name is “craftheads”). There is food but I didn’t try it.

My opinion? Inside Craftheads is a very nice bar – I like the decor a lot. If there were pints available at a reasonable price then I might go there more often, but given the expense of drinking there in quantity, it’s a place to “dip into” to try a hard-to-find beer rather than a place to spend all evening. The question is: Are you worthy?

Are you going to spill my pint?

When I first heard about Beer Saurus, I was very excited. Craft beer and dinosaurs. Together. In one place. It’s like being back in childhood, but with craft beer instead of Kia-Ora.

Sadly, I think there’s been a opportunity missed here, because while the outside of the building is dinosaurily welcoming…

Outside Beer Saurus

…inside the dinosaur theme is carried on only by a mural at the back…

A lone dinosaur at the back

…and a few dinosaur things dotted around. It’s not enough, dammit. The bar is called Beer Saurus – it should roar dinosaurs!

Disappointment with the lack of dinosaurs aside, I turned my eyes to the beers.

Craft beer is a relatively new addition to Beer Saurus, and in addition to Heartland, Hoegaarden White, and Belle-Vue Kriek, there is only one craft beer tap. On the night I was there it was Bear Republic XP Pale Ale, priced at 1300 yen a pint. Condition and taste were good, though I’d have preferred a little less head. The current guest beer is listed on this page.

While the taps may be lacking, bottle selection is certainly not. Two fridges packed with beers such as Coronado Islander, Racer 5, Green Flash West Coast IPA, Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Pilsner Urquell, Fuller’s Golden Pride, Brooklyn Lager, Delirium Tremens, Samichlaus Classic – the list goes on. It’s a pretty decent range with something for everyone. Anchor Liberty was 950 yen a bottle which is reasonable, the Southern Tier IPA a tad expensive at 1300 yen.

At the time of writing there’s a discount coupon here which gives 10% off when you spend more than 3000 yen per person, which would bring that Souther Tier IPA to a more reasonable 1170 yen. There’s also a happy hour from 6-7pm where all draught beer is half price – that would have made the XP Pale Ale less than 600 yen a pint when combined with the 10% coupon. That must be the cheapest pint of craft beer in Tokyo!

Restroom "tap" - now that's class!

Beer Saurus is open seven days from 6pm until 4am. As well as beer, there’s an extensive food menu – pages and pages in fact. Although it was all in Japanese and a bit of a struggle, the food I ordered was pretty good – one of the better bars I’ve been to for food.

There’s a map on the Beer Saurus website but it’s very vague. Follow the Google Maps link here instead. From Ikebukuro station, come out C6 on the west side and walk straight down the main road to the crossing shown in the first photo. Phone number is 03-5992-8217. The bar is not non-smoking, unfortunately, and there’s a charge of 300 yen per person.

My opinion? This bar needs more dinosaurs. But if you can get past that, you’ve got a bar making the effort to try craft beer. Yeah, there’s only one craft beer on tap at the moment – but there’s a superb happy hour price and it’s backed up by a varied range of bottles, and good food. It’s surprisingly hard to find good beer and decent pub food together, and for that reason alone, Beer Saurus is somewhere I like. Even if there are not enough dinosaurs.

Outside Bulldog, Ginza

Update Summer 2010 – recently Bulldog has been rather inconsistent when it comes to stock. There are times when half the taps are off and the bottle list has black X’s all over it due to beers being sold out. I hope this is temporary and stock levels improve.

Located on the second floor of the Ginza NZ 1 shopping arcade is Bulldog – a “World Beer” pub specialising in Japanese and imported craft beers.

Inside Bulldog

There are 5 craft beers on tap at any one time, a mix of Japanese and imported. When I was there they had Baeren Alt, Southern Tier Mokah, and a couple from Shiga Kogen. Supplementing the taps was a range of around 20+ bottles imported by Nagano Trading – Southern Tier, Ballast Point, Stone, etc - and a few select Japanese beers in bottles. A pretty good range between the draught beers and bottles.

Guest draught beer - Baeren Alt

Bulldog is not without its quirks though. On the Sunday I went there, I was shocked to be given last orders at 3pm. Unbelievably, they throw people out at 3:30pm on a Sunday only to reopen again at 5pm. What sense does it make to throw out punters only to reopen an empty pub 90 minutes later?

The lunch menu also left a lot to be desired. While the pub may look like a replica British pub, the menu was a very limited range of hamburger plates, steak plates, and a few odds and ends like salad and chicken pieces – more like a Pepper Lunch than a pub. With the weird choices and the menu written only in Japanese, it’s not ideal for foreigners. What I did have – caesar salad and beef in demi-glace sauce with rice – was OK, but I think next time I’ll make sure I eat before I go.

Update: I’ve since been back in the evening an the menu was more extensive and in English. The food was pretty good. I’ve yet to go back at lunchtime and check whether the lunch menu is in English now also.

Bottled beer - Speakeasy Double Daddy

The beer, though, is worth going for. All draught beers are available in half pint, glass, US pint, and UK pint sizes, with US pints ranging from under 1000 yen to 1400 yen. I liked the availability of different sizes and the clear pricing for each size.

Bottles start at around 1000 yen and there’s a bottle stamp card – collect enough stamps and you can get a discount and free glasses. The bar also has its own members card – collect points for discounts. While I’m on the subject of discounts, there’s a coupon available here but you have to know Japanese and jump through hoops to get it – search the page for “特別クーポン”  and click the link to fill in the questionnaire. Even without the stamp card and discounts, compared to some other bars, the bottle prices at Bulldog are pretty reasonable.

Bulldog’s website is here and the Ginza Bulldog’s details are here (with coupon). The phone number is 03-3564-0996. Google maps link is here. From the Ginza metro line, Ginza NZ 1 is near exit C9 (for reference, HMV is in Ginza INZ 2).  Bulldog is on the second floor. There is a non-smoking area in Bulldog though the bar is not non-smoking overall and sometimes the staff wont seat you in the non-smoking area if the table is too big for your group (they can be picky about seating overall, actually.)

My opinion? Quirky hours and menu but a good range of beers, especially imported bottles. I wish some of the generic British bars like Hobgoblin and Hub would take a leaf out of Bulldog’s book and start stocking craft beers.

Outside Towers

With room for less than 10 standing, it’s amazing that Towers manages to have around 8 beers on tap at any one time – and all at some of the best prices in Tokyo. Regulars include Boddingtons, Hoegaarden and Yona Yona Real Ale with other beers coming from Japanese and international craft breweries.

Inside space is tight

Towers is also well known for its events, hosting one every couple of months. For example, in August 2009 the bar hosted an IBU event, selling a pint each of Green Flash West Coast IPA, Hop Rod Rye, and Ruination for just 3000 yen – a bargain considering that just Ruination alone can fetch 1500 yen in some places. On such event days the beer drinking often spills out onto the street – when that happens, Towers has just the thing:

An impromptu table made from a parking meter!

A wooden table top to fit snugly on top of a parking meeting – perfect for street drinking!

The only problem with the events is that they’re usually only listed in detail on Towers’ Mixi Page – their website usually only lists the date of the event, which isn’t ideal for foreigners. Beer menus in the bar are also in Japanese only, though if you can read katakana you should be OK – and the owner is a friendly guy.

The easiest way to get to Towers is from Kyobashi Station on the Ginza line – come out of exit three and walk straight, turning left just before Kinko. Towers is on the right. You can also get there from Tokyo station – the Towers website has a map.

Towers phone number is 03-3272-8488, though you would need to be able to speak Japanese to call. The bar is open Monday to Friday, 5:30p to 11pm. In the summer and for events it’s sometimes open Saturdays 2pm to 8pm – check the website for details.

My opinion? An good little place if you’re in the area – though since it’s a standing bar you probably wont want to spend all evening there. Worth watching the website or boozelist for event details.