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....
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.
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.
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。
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。
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