WEEK214---TOKYO 2023---SANGENJAYA

 

Tokyo is a big big city, each area has it's own characteristics,  as the leading city in Asia for craft beer, there are many places in and around town that serves craft beer be it a craft focus taproom, bottle shop bar, restaurants or tiny pub with craft beer options available. Today we are travelling to Sangenjaya, a neighbourhood 1 train station away from busy Shibuya, mainly because 1 of my go to places in Tokyo is situated here and more....

東京是巨大的，不同城区间各有特色，做为走在亚洲最前端的craft beer城市，城里各区到周边能找到不同型态或专精或只是配售craft啤酒选择的酒吧/瓶子店/餐厅，距离涉谷一站之遥的三軒茶屋也不例外。

Pigalle Tokyo

First visited this place around 10 years ago (yeah, it's been that long already since the first time). Overseas beer geeks who been around the craft beer game for quite a while would know this place run by the ever-present team of Chie & Hide--this is a tiny place--bottle shop bar with 6 taps & bottles/cans selections mainly from Europe as well some Japanese breweries including up and coming ones. On a busy night this tiny place can be rather crampy, but the familiarity feelings is what makes it a place i would come back for a beer (or three) whenever im in Tokyo.

It's been qiute a while since i last visited Tokyo in 2019--everything still feels the same the moment i stepped into the bar and greeted by the smiling duo busy manning the bar.

有些年资啤迷会知道这家由夫妻档打造店内装饰走欧陆风的小小酒吧/瓶子店，吧台有6个啤酒泵加上冰柜瓶子/罐子选择，从大概十年前第一次去这家店开始，每次去東京就会去探望下已成惯性动作。

店家选酒以欧洲进口啤酒为主，加上选择性一些日本国内酿坊作品，狭小店内空间容纳不了多少人，但每次去東京还是会去跟店主夫妻俩打招呼喝点酒聊聊天，店面虽然很小但无阻这家成为不少国外酿酒师和啤迷会到访的東京酒吧/瓶子店。

四年没见，一去到店里一切还是像每次到访那样，虽然店面空间狭小人多会拥挤但每次到来就算客满还是感觉自在，熟悉感的确是会让人放松的。

Sanity

If Pigalle is the "senpai"botlle shop bar with an European tweak bar decor wise--then this place which is rather new to the scene is the more lean & chic type of bottle shop bar, There are 8 taps + few big fridges--selections are mix of US( some Europe too) & some currently in trend( some might want to say Hype) Japanese breweries from different areas of Japan--if these are you aim then this place will not dissapoint you.

This is basically a standing bar with hardly any seats available--so if you are used to sitting at a bar then this need a little bit adjusting to --but if the beer is good then standing and drinking won't be much of an issue i guess. 

如果说Pigalle是欧陆风的三軒茶屋前辈店，那这家距离不远近两年才开业的酒吧瓶子店走的是比较简约新颖路线，店面装置感觉之外更体现在选酒方面，无论啤酒泵还是冰柜选酒都能看到一些美国知名酿坊作品加上近年冒起的几家日本人气酿坊选择。

 店里除了冰柜里的瓶子罐子选择也有不定时更新酒单的8款啤酒泵版本可喝，对于不太熟悉站立式店家文化的外国啤迷来说，或许店内没有座位只能站着喝是唯一需要点脚力适应之处。对想找寻一些比较当红人气日本酿坊作品的啤迷来说，这里的选酒可以找到好几家，而且可以在店内直接开喝也是比较方便的一点。

Side Note 1

Besides the above mentioned 2 places--there's a restaurant bar plcae not too far away by the name of Apart--those who been visting Shibuya's famous American craft beer & bourbon focus "extreme bar" Craftheads would know that this is a sort of  "alter ego" shop after the owner decided to close down Craftheads Shibuya back in 2018 and moved to Sangenjaya with this "breakfast place + Izakaya+ craft beer & other alcoholic beverages" place.

Though concept wise Apart is quite different from Craftheads but still one can find some good old brews from US breweries such as Hair of the Dog, Three Floyds, Jester King and more...

Rather sadly--due to timing issue--though i did went to Sangenjaya more than once during the trip--did not make it to this place. And the miss will be forever since i have received news that Apart will close it's door on the 28th of this month.

To geeks who have enjoyed some good old whalez so to speaks during the heydays of Craftheads Shibuya--here's a toast to Micheal aka Koji San who has played( and still is) his part of what Tokyo ( as well Asia for some of us living in different parts of Asia who been part of Craftheads nights) craft beer journey was like.

^(you could type the word craftheads in the search column in this blog to see posting from those years)

侧记1

有一家叫Apart的餐酒吧，是多年前在涉谷赫赫有名的美国波本和啤酒专卖吧Craftheads 闭店後在三軒茶屋再开的店，虽然新店转了型更像餐酒吧而不再是之前涉谷店那样专注于美国波本和啤酒，但还是可以找到比如Hair of The Dog，Jester King，Three Floyds等美国老牌酿坊作品，无论是之前去过涉谷店还是新朋友，这家是值得一探的，在三軒茶屋其中一天有想去，可惜最後还是因为时间关系没能去成。

#专栏见报当天就看到台湾酒友安迪局长在脸书上发的“时代的眼泪”说APART营业到这个月28日就闭店不做了。对当年有去过涉谷Craftheads店的啤迷朋友来说，这是珍贵的啤酒记忆，在美国大酒还没有像近年那样可以自由出现在网络啤海等待被买断年代，涉谷Craftheads的出现某种程度上缓解了亚洲啤迷朋友想找到美国大酒的习题。

 

Side Note 2

Tokyo is full of all kinds of drinking places--big or small--focus on particular drinks or otherwise--there was 1 evening after the first bar me and a few old & new friends went to was closing after 10pm--decided to seek for another bar nearby to continue the camaraderie--so we stepped into a tiny standing bar with 1 row of standing space--meaning everyone basically stand in 1 line straight in front of the bar--and it hardly squeezed in around 10 people--There were 4 taps of craft beer to choose from since this is essential more of a wine bar--on tap selections was rather limited but this trip i was not in the chase ( especially in the first few years of visiting Tokyo) for specific beers from US or Europe--this time around it was more of a go easy attitude and just enjoy the company & conversations with friends.

侧记2

東京不少地方都有小酒馆，就是那种可能只有三五个座位或只能站着喝立式小店，和啤迷朋友去三軒茶屋泡吧其中一晚因为原本那家十点最後点单，于是去了另外一家，小小的立式店以卖葡萄酒为主但也有4个啤酒泵craft beer选择，当时主要是相聚聊天所以也不太在意啤酒选择有限，从门口进来小店只能一字排开站着，这是个人去过至今最小立式酒吧，是吧台上长长一排铁制槽，内里放满了核桃类坚果，提供手握开壳器让客人自由享用，啤迷朋友一开始好奇试着开了一粒，因为手握打开核桃时发出的声响结果一发不可收拾的一直玩下去。某种程度上，这次在立式店经历也侧面反映了个人之前到東京只想找高质欧美进口啤酒喝，到这次心态转变不刻意追寻欧美进口啤酒而是更自在享受当下喝到的以及和啤迷朋友相聚聊天时间，实际上，这些年来喝过好些啤迷们公认的高评分或大力追捧“大酒”後，有时候像这样跟朋友聊天喝点可能比较“平平无奇”的也不错。

WEEK 213--Tokyo 2023--Harajuku/Shibuya/Nihonbashi

 

This is the 1st (of a few more articles to come) piece for the newspaper column--mainly as a sort of personal notes about the trip rather than a Tokyo beer guide because there are too many craft beer places in and around Tokyo that even if i had stayed for a month it's still only scrathing the surface.

十月底去了趟久违的東京 ，这次逗留时间稍长，也因为好久没去，接近两周时间内去了十多家城里和周边地区或新或旧专卖吧/瓶子店，也和住東京的新旧啤迷朋友们有过几次瓶子分享会，接下来会分几篇聊聊去过哪里喝了些什么当做个人啤游小记。

Also--though i probably could have gathered more than just 3 beer spots mentioned here--due to newspaper column spaces for words + pics--decided to just go with the flow and post when it's published forthnightly.

This week it's about 3 beer places that i have not been to previously( pre-Covid)--while Harajuku & Shibuya are next to each other on the same side of the Yamanote Line--Nihonbashi obviously is on the other side and via underground Metro rather than JR--went to these places on different days anyway so not really matter distance or direction wise.

Harajuku--Dig The Line Doors

This is one of few places suggested by Neil who i will not miss having a beer (nope it's always more than a beer) with whenever I visit Tokyo since the first trip many years ago.

Went through the few places including browsing on the tap list and decided on this place partly due to it's location--of course the most important is still what's inside to pick and drink from. Location wise it's basically right in front of Harajuku JR station--inside a lifestyle shopping mall( which was quite not what i thought of--thinking it could be a small place hidden somewhere in the alley away from the bustling streets of Harajuku).

It's a small place--modern & neat--with low benches & bar stools to pick from--6 taps & interestingly placed fridges--mix of in-trend Japanese breweries + imports of Europe & US--would say the selection was quite good when visited--ended up spending the entire afternoon there sharing some Japanese & imported ones. It was a cosy afternoon & a happy one since it was the first session of the trip after 4 years of not visiting--and definitely nice to have met and shared some beers with Neil. 

#apparently they have another bottle shop/bar in Kyoto so if you are there it's one to look for.

原宿---Dig The Line Doors

每次去東京都会约上常住当地的英国啤迷朋友Neil见面聊聊喝喝，这次也不例外，去的这家是小型酒吧瓶子店，位置很方便，就在原宿站正对面一家餐饮购物中心底层，走出车站过对面路就能找到。

店家不大，正中斜位摆置的冰柜除了一些进口欧美酿坊作品也满满的放着来自日本国内不同地区酿坊作品，其中不乏好几家高人气酿坊作品，瓶子和罐子选择之外，店里也有6个啤酒泵提供更多不同选择。

店面虽然不大，去了两次看到选酒和氛围来说感觉不错，特别是如果想找近期比较高人气日本不同地区在地酿坊作品的话，这家的瓶子或罐子选择不会让人失望。

Shibuya--Mikkeller Kiosk Bar

This is the 3rd bar by Mikkeller Tokyo( after Kanda bar)--heard of this prior to the trip and obviously included in list of places to visit though no definite date as to when--came here on the later stage of the trip--and just so happened it was an evening with some nice ones on tap--a mini "post MBCT 2023" tap takeover event with a few participating breweries such as Lua, Bottle Logic on tap. 

An event such as this in Tokyo would mean 2 things--1 is the tap list would be better/more interesting than a normal day list, 2 is the chances of bumping into some familiar faces is rather high--true enough--enjoyed the tap list and bumped into a few friends including Hamilton the man behind( or more like in front) Mikkeller Tokyo--as well the  team of Hide & Che from Pigalle Tokyo.

As for the place--have to say it was bigger/cosier than i thought it would be since the word Kiosk might suggest it's a tiny place(the fact that it's housed under a hotel lobby area and look quite small from social media posting)--but it's not--there are sitting area inside the bar as well as outside--and you can sit on the concrete "roadside bench" too if you so desire. 

Location wise it's not far from Shibuya JR station either though on the other side of the First Bar--much like how you could walk to the First Bar located at Dogenzaka--if from Hachiko statue it was always go left via 109 to First Bar--for Kiosk Bar it's go right side---it's not that far to walk--in fact from the "roadside bench" one can see that the hot new place Yamashita Park(where Shibuya Yokocho located) is very nearby. With 20 taps  there were some good choices to pick from(not sure if there's bottle list available as i did not asked)--ended up spending time here and did not make it to the First Bar( which i normally would everytime in Tokyo).

涉谷--Mikkeller Kiosk Bar

一直以来，开在道玄坂一家神社对面的米吧本店是每次去東京都会一探的点，这次因为还没来过开在涉谷一丁目一家酒店楼下的三号店所以选择了这里。（二号店在神田）

到访当天适逢酒吧有十月中举行的東京啤酒庆典(MBCT23)关联几家美国酿坊的小型占领啤酒泵(tap takeover)活动，当中包括新晋酿坊Lua，加州黑啤高手酿坊Bottle Logic等等，换句话说，当天酒单要比平常日子精彩许多。

从字面意义来看，Kiosk可以是比较小型类似便利店那样的，之前从网上图片看到觉得可能会是小小的一间，毕竟米吧本店就在涉谷不远走路可到的另一边，不过实际来到後比想象中宽敞，啤酒泵选择也有20款，店内座位之外也有户外选择，而且酒吧是开放式所以整体感觉还蛮舒适惬意的。

Nihonbashi--Omnipollo Tokyo

This is the only Omnipollo bar in Asia( as far as i know)--so it's quite obvious this place is on the list of beer places to see in Tokyo during my trip--even though personally i would prefer a place with many different breweries choices to pick from but this place is still worth a visit for sure.

It's located at Nihonbashi--or rather more accurately it's closer to Kayabacho' subway Station(茅场町駅） if you are taking train and do bit of walking. Interestingly the place look very much like someone's wooden house right next to modern tall buildings--from the outside if not for the eye catching neon signage one might just miss it--but once inside the bar--it's very much omnipollo feels with 9 taps & 2 slushie machines which in a way has somewhat become a signature part of Omnipollo be it during a beer festival or bar assocaited with Omnipollo( Titans bar at Otsuka also has got slushie machine).

It's expected that all 9 on taps are all beers from Omnipollo since this is their Asia "avatar" bar--the place is small but not crampy--there are comfortable sitting area to rest your legs and enjoy some beers after walking--personally--this is a bar that if you are a fan of Omnipollo then it goes without saying that it's certainly worth your time--but even if you are not--it's still a nice little place worth a visit.

日本橋--Omnipollo Tokyo

瑞典名牌酿坊在亚洲唯一“分店”，开在日本橋商区一间旧式看起来比较像民居房的木屋内，小小一间夹在周围高高冒起大厦中，除了显眼的招牌外观平平无奇，不过踏入酒吧看到内部装置就能感受到酒标设计感强烈北欧酿坊的构思延伸.

酒吧有9个啤酒泵，当然也少不了两架他们拿手的冰沙搅拌机，有趣的是虽然这是家不折不扣的啤酒专卖吧，但看到那两架摆在吧台的沙冰机会很自然的觉得这就是Omnipollo专属酒吧会有的设备，他们在啤酒庆典活动中就是这样把啤酒当沙冰或类似奶昔那样来玩的。

当天酒单上的9款啤酒全都是自家作品，并不像一些有自家作品酿坊酒吧那样也会出现一些其他酿坊作品，毕竟是酿坊品牌的亚洲唯一”直属分店”，数量不算多啤酒泵上的全是自家啤酒自然可以理解。