Chuwy Reviews

Baird Beer Taproom, Nakameguro

2008-05-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

The grand opening day for this new beer pub in Tokyo was Saturday, May 10th .
Actually, the opening party was the day before, as is often the case but this little drinker wasn't there.
I more than made up for it the next evening.
Many people will know Baird Beer, if not for their ubiquitous presence on the Japanese craft beer scene, then for the wonderful, cosy, quiet, idyllic little brew pub at Numazu harbour - the original Taproom.
Baird beer has really gone from strength to strength in the last few years.
They've expanded operations, moved to a new brewing location (though not far away from HQ) and hired more staff. One of which, Molly, has made a positive difference (at least I think so, anyway).
The results of a lot of hard work by Brian Baird and co are the expansion of Baird beer to the US market and perhasp the world and also the opening of a second Taproom, in Tokyo.
This is welcome, welcome news to most craft beer drinkers (especially the ones in Tokyo!).

Although you can easily find a bar that serves a Baird beer or two, it is impossible to find one that serves sixteen. Yes, you read that correctly. 16.
Also, there's nothing like drinking from the source.
And what a pleasant source to drink from it is.
I think the people at Baird tried to keep the essence of the original taproom and expanded with that idea in mind.
The new Taproom feels like a very friendly, mini drinking hall/saloon (minus spitting cowboys and dancing girls)/local bar/ family theme pub all mixed into one.

The location is pretty easy to find.
Just exit the station and turn right without crossing the road. Walk just past Segafredo and you will come to a large, modern building with some weird glowing green cacoons suspended from it. Go through the opening under the building and you will see this view:Can you see the taproom, up to the right, above Caldi coffee?
It's on the 3rd floor.

When you exit from the stair well, you will find the entrance to the Taproom:
It looks inviting and warm and cozy inside. Wood dominates throughout the interior.
You just gotta love that driftwood door handle. It's awesome! Watch the little ones' heads on it, though, if you bring the family.From the inside, looking back towards the entrance. You can see the new designs of the Baird Beer logos (minus the artist's name this time) hanging on the walls. They help to liven up the decor and go well with all the 'natural wood' and 'fake brick'. Not sure if I really love those tables, though. Not quite drinking hall/Viking longhouse fare. Would've loved to see the huge, thick tree trunk tables like you get at the Numazu taproom. Still, at least it's a flat surface upon which to rest my beer. The place is still new and has a 'just been opened' look to it. With time, the tables will wear in (and aquire marks of useage) nicely.
The bar seems to be split into 2 sections. The taps and the 2 hand pumps. I would have thought they would have had more hand pumps (2 out of 16) but I think they plan to add more beers soon (including 5 or more guest beers, if my info is correct). 12 taps are located on the left side with the others (along with the 2 hand pumps) on the right.
Overall seating is for about 70, so you can fit the whole extended family in this place (or if you are a more adventurous foreigner, you could hire it out for your entire harem of Japanese girlfriends and watch them fight each other, as you sit back and enjoy a Nakameguro bitter - I am not such a foreigner and I do not have a harem - sob.).
Amogst the drinkers, you may encounter an occasional beer connoiseur, a nice lady, a 7 ft pink penguin or someone completely unexpected. Such is the nature of Nakameguro and the draw of the Taproom.
The order system seems to be something out of the starbucks playbook.
You order at the corner, under the red notice (the one that says 'please order here'). A member of staff takes your order, then proceeds to give it to another member of staff. That member of staff amy or may not give that order to another member of staff who may or may not remember who ordered the drink or food in the first place. It all seems very confusing and more than a little needless. Still, I got my drinks every time. Eventually. I even got the chance of a free drink, as the third person to recieve my order gave me my pint without realising that no one had asked me for any money. Being the honest Joe that I am, I insisted on paying for my drink. I could ahve very easily have gotten away with a free drink, such is the system they employ.
I'm not sure how well this system will serve, especially when things get busy. It was a frustrating way to get your beer, with lots of people getting in the way of each other in the small space.
I think it would be better for one staff member the order from one customer at a time and serve them first. But then that's just me.

I recently went back there on my way home from Shibuya. The serving situation seemd to have gotten worse! This is the queue I joined, to order my beer:And here is the end of the queue, past my friend and I:I really don't see the sense in it. A long line of people leading through the centre of the bar, blocking access to the tables on either side. Really, I don't want to be a whinger but this is ridiculous. Why was there such a big backlog of people wating to get a drink? Was it perhaps because you have to wait to order your drink, then sit down and wait for the staff to pour it and bring it out to you, with a smile?
I think in the quiter moments, this kind of service may be personal and well appreciated. However, when things get busy, I just want to get my beer and sit down and start drinking. I don't want to wait while I get to the register and order, then be told to sit down and wait again for as long as 10 minutes at one stage. Really, this can be something to be improved upon. 4 or 5 bar staff and still a long wait for my beer. There were a few occasions when the staff wasnt even sure who ordered the beer that they were trying to deliver. The party next to me recieved someone else's beer by mistake. They drank it. I recived a pint without paying for it. something I remedied by insisting on paying. All this is proof that this system is indeed flawed. Perhaps a small token to put on the table so that staff know where to deliver to would be better. If offered a choice, I would prefer to collect my beer at the bar, like a normal person. I don't require the staff to come all the way out with my slowly warming beer. I'd like it as fresh as possible.
Okay, moaning over. For now. Don't get me wrong. I like this place. I bought a 9,000yen drink card which entitles me to 12 pints of delicious Baird beer. It's just that I'm not really comfortable in waiting up to 10 minutes for my beers to arrive (the average time of course was a lot less but the 10 minutes was at a time when the bar was not even at full capacity). If patience is not your thing, then perhaps come here on a weekday, when it's not so busy.

Here's a short video I filmed of the inside:

The choice of Baird beer was extensive:

Wheat King Ale, Teikoku IPA, Rising Sun Pale Ale, Red Rose Amber Ale, Angry Boy Brown Ale, Kurofune Porter, Shimaguni Stout, Nide The Ale, Nide The Lager, Four Sisters Spring Bock, Imperial Belgian Red, Midnight Oil Foreign Export Stout, Nakameguro Taproom Celebration Ale, Dai-Dai Dark Wheat Ale, Nakameguro Taproom Bitter, English Brown ale.

Not bad. Not bad at all. Should be something for everyone. Apart from a traditional weiss beer, they got most areas covered.
I particularly recommend the Naka Meguro Bitter (900yen, hand pump for a UK pint) and the Celebration Ale (American pale ale, 900yen, US pint). The midnight oil is also lovely.

You have a choice of glass sizes:They also have a UK pint glass which they serve the handpumps in. I liked that idea. UK glasses for the UK style beers.

Right, all this talk about beer and no pics of pints?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, the Nakameguro Bitter:
Lovely, malty, bitter, smooth. Heavy drinkfeel that I loved. Huge head that setteld down after a few minutes. Nice temperature. Great body. Beautiful color. UK pint. Very nice. This was a wonderful way to start the evening and the perfect introduction to the Naka Meguro Taproom.

Nakameguro Taproom Bitter: 7/10

I just gotta say I love the stools!Wow! I don't want to get smashed across the back with one of these babies!

Next up was a Celebration Ale:Nice fruity follow up to the malty bitter. I think this is an american pale ale style. Hoppy fruits shine through but not overly strong. to quote the Baird philosophy of complexity, character and balance, the 2 beers so far were well balanced. Lovely brew.

Just what I needed.

Nakameguro Taproom Celebration Ale: 6.5-7/10

All this talk about beer. What about the food? Well, I didn't order any. I was too busy drinking.
However, my friend, Tim, did order some food, so I took a picture.
Either the food was small of Tim has the largest head in history:The pizza was that small. To be fair, I think it was called the nachos pizza (?).
I'm not sure if the food selection lived up to the beers. But saying that, this is a bar, and not a restaurant. But these days, bars are expected to have a reasonable menu available (especially in Tokyo). The menu seems to be similar to that at the Numazu taproom. However, while that works wonderfully in the smaller Taproom, perhaps a few additions would be nice here in the new place. However, once again, I didn't order food so I shouldn't really say too much. I did see someone have the chilli. I know I always order that in Numazu and I know that it is very good. I'm sure all the food that is served here is of the usual high standard in terms of taste. But perhaps don't expect to have a full meal.

However, the bar is newly opened and so maybe the menu will evolve. I'm not too worried, as I go to a bar to drink and not neccessarily to eat.

Drink!!!!

Here is a rising sun pale ale:

Very nice. 6/10.

Next, I had an English Brown Ale.
Lovely first impression. Great nose and nice frothy, thick head but it seemed to die and the taste was a little dissapointing. 5.5/10.

I was halfway through my English brown ale when my friend Dave turned up.
He looks happy, as always.

Four Sisters Mai bock:Not bad. Dry. Crisp. 5.5/10

Then it was time for a Midnight Oil Foreign Export Stout:Lovely. 6.5-7/10

Ooh, don't they make a lovely pair?

They have a large flat screen TV (just the one), so it may be possible to enjoy your favourite sporting event here.Here's a lonely set of three tasters. Tasters are availably for about 350yen. Not suhc great value.
A tasting set of, say, 4or5 glasses for 1,000 would be more interesting, perhaps.

I think this could be a Shimaguni Stout (?). It looks cool, anyway.

Stop! Otaku time!Dave and I were starting to show the signs of too much of a good thing (I definitely was).

Dave got so bad that the stafff had to freeze him in carbonite, just like Han Solo.

Bad Boys:

Bad Boys 2:

It was closing time nad the staff could finally slow down and enjoy the end of a busy evening.

They sold quite a few pints that night.
Meanwhile, our two idiot savants needed to be shown the door. Always the last to leave. The sad, sad truth.

Thank you, Naka Meguro Taproom. You were fun.

Naka Meguro Taproom: 6.5-7/10

Oh!La!Ho Kolsch taste test:

2008-04-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

Mmm.
The last time I had a kolsch, it shook me. I was stunned. It was crisp. clear, golden (can it be both golden and clear? - this time it was - or at least seemed to be...) and ever so refreshingly crisp and clear.
Just can't seem to escape the feelings of crispness (drank it by the side of a frozen lake, surrounded by freaky snowmen) and clear (pure white all around complimented the purity of taste). That time, it was a Tazawako Kolsch, on tap, by the shore of Lake Tazawa. Ice cold, crisp, clear, gorgeous. That was myfavourite beer of the Akita trip. Calling a kolsch my favourite beer is no mean feat, considering I don't especially care for the style.
Well, I'm a changed man.
So I was happy to try this Oh!La!Ho (yes, that is the name of the brewer) Kolsch. Kindly donated by Candian Dave after one of his jaunts up to the snowbound Nagano mountains.
VErdict: While no Tazawako experience, it was still not bad. Crisp tasting and got better as I drank it.
Fresh and sprightly dry mouthfeel.
Does any of that make sense?

Oh!La!Ho Kolsch 5.5/10

Dry Dock, Shinbashi

2008-01-22T02:54:00.000-08:00

Getting wet, down at the Dry Dock.

I heard that there was a bar in Shinbashi, Tokyo, where I could have three Asahi Super Dry beers and each one would taste different.
How?
Would each one be worse than the previous?
Not liking this beer very much, I could see how that would be possible, simply through enduring the bloody stuff and also with the knowledge that I am actually paying for each beer as it arrives.
Another friend has a theory that the barman goes out the back and spits in one beer, urinates in the other and serves the other beer normal.
I wouldn't be suprised, that if that was indeed the case, then in a blind test, the unaltered beer would come out bottom.
So, you see, I am prejudiced against Super Dry and other such skimpy beer wannabees. I don't really want corn or rice products in my beer. I am a snob. Of this class of beer wannabees, I regard Kirin Ichibanshibori as the most drinkable.
I have met many, many Japanese men (no, not in that sense) and sometimes women (why do you seem suprised?) who claim to be a 'super dry' or 'Kirin lager' person. I'm sure there are even one or two out there who are ardent 'Magnum Dry' officionados, but I have yet to find one. Until then, they shall secretly keep on getting the wife to buy the stuff by the case from the discount supermarkets and drink it at home, in their underwear, whilst watching the baseball and playing with their nuts.
It's not what I do myself, of course. I don't like Japanese baseball that much.

Anyhoo, I really wanted to give this claim a go, in the name of science, you understand. Testing out the theory, as it were.
However, it simple wasn't to be. Not this time, anyway. I had very little time before my last train home, so I could only have the one drink.

I will go into that soon.
Firstly. let me just throw it this out there:

Have you tried the three super dry challenge?
What did you think?

So, the Dry dock is a small bar set under the train tracks, near Shinbashi Station, in Tokyo.
It's not all that easy to find. The map is pretty good, but the bar itself is a little out of the way. It's in a part of the station that doesn't really see that many people.

Here's the map (I took this from their website and do not claim it as my own):You may want to check out their website.

Opening times
Weekdays: 5pm - 12:30am
Fridays and National Holidays: 5pm - 2am
Saturdays: 5pm - 10pm　

As you come to it, you will see a small, white 2 story building, seemingly standing alone, under the tracks. When you look again, you may notice that the first floor is 'half submerged', adding to the whole 'dry dock' image, perhaps. The solid looking main door is constructed out of wood and has a nautical circular hatch set into it. Very nautical. Although not as nautical as Nautical Nancy, renowned for her insatiable desire to consume seamen. Not to say that there's a ship in every port, but her port's seen more ships than Yokosuka Naval Base. Yes, I just went there - not to Nautical Nancy, but I shamedly just lowered the standards (another nautical pun). If there is a 'Nautical Nancy' out there, I apologise (and my home number is 01234567).

As I descend the steps into the main bar, I can see a small staircase leading up to the right. This leads to an even smaller second floor with seated tables for about half a dozen or so. The main bar area features a long standing bar with space also for around half a dozen. Resisiting the urge to hoist my jolly roger, I checked out the menu:

I noticed that they had a new beer, as yet unreleased by Asahi. The kind and very knowledgable Sato san informed me that this beer was due for release in March. I decided that if I didn't have time for the '3 super dry challenge', then I could at least try a new beer.Asahi Premium: 5.5/10.

It wasn't at all bad, though it didn't exactly rouse the seamen into action. Malty taste. not very bitter. Slightly, slightly sharp. Just a normal Japanese lager, I felt. The big 4 companies have been churning out a lot of 'premium' all malt beers the past year or two. Maybe in an effort to encourage the premium beer (and premium prices) market. The Japanese public don't seem to have swallowed that bait, as it were. It's a bit silly, really, by the beer companies, as it was they who got the public hooked on the cheap booze to begin with. Now they seem suprised that average Joe or Taro doesn't really want to pay all that extra for a beer that doesn't quite taste as astringent and acidic as the stuff that he's grown accustomed to and has begun to love. Not to mention he feels loyal to his brand and has begun to identify himsefl with it. I'm waffling on again, aren't I?

Anyway, this beer isn't bad, but it's nowhere near my favourite. I like a malty tasting beer or a good, heavy bodied porter. Not aversed to a fruity American style pale ale, either.

Right now, I'm relaxing with a nice, big, strong, full bodied black porter.
His name is Alan and he's a scorpio.
I also have a couple of bold and fruity Americans in my home, just waiting to be swallowed. I think we're gonna have a party tonight.

As for the Dry Dock, the atmosphere is very good. Very friendly and I have the feeling that the owner really knows his beer and for some reason, really likes Asahi Super Dry. I can accept that. I want to return to this nice haven for stray ships soon and take the time to truly dock here and take up the '3 super dry challenge'.

The Dry Dock - 6/10
(A friendly and interesting place. Don't forget to try 3 Super Drys
- and don't blame me if they all taste the same)
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The Aldgate, British pub, Shibuya

2008-01-20T01:18:00.000-08:00

The Aldgate, ShibuyaThis place has to be the British pub in Shibuya. In terms of selection of beer offered (various brews from various brewers), atmosphere (compared to the ever scarce old style traditional pubs back home) and the fact that it's on the third floor and has no windows.
Hang on, that last bit wasn't right.

I mean, it was right about the lack of windows. One strange thing about this place but not something you really care too much about, once you 'start your engines' and drink.

To get to the place, you have to walk about 5 minutes from Shibuya Station. Go across the Hachiko and take the pedestrianised side street that carries on up past the left side of Starbucks and the giant Tv screen. Walk about 250m and you'll see a Union Jack flying about 4m up, on your right. Go into that building and go to the 3rd floor.

If you have trouble, you may want to check out this guy's choppy video directions form Shibuya station:

First thing you'll notice is the interesting double door entrance that seems to invoke an alternative state of reality. Rather, it takes you into another dimension, transporting you through time and space to a dark but not smoky British pub:

There is standing room and seated/benched tables for around 50 or possible more.
On the left is the well equipped bar. The kitchen is just before that (Chuck Norris does a pretty good pasty). The bar is the high point for me, as I love good beer. They have 19 beers on draught. Quite impressive. The quality of their beers is also usually very good. I've had my best pint of Rogue Brewer and Echigo ESB in this bar. Prices are around the 1,000yen mark. They usualy have three or four guest beers every week. They range from Japanese craft brews to world beers that are hard to find elsewhere. Keep checking their website for details.

Here's the owner and one of the beautiful (and intelligent) ladies who work there and bring a little sunshine into the dark and gloomy world of men:

2 more shots of the taps:

They also have an impressive colection of music, playable upon request (as long as you request what they are going to play...or not. I tried to get the theme tune to Indiana Jones, but they didn't have it.)

The food is not bad. I think the pasty is best. Though I haven't tried the pork lever putty (?) or the Welsh rabbit yet (those rabbits are pretty fast, back home in Wales): If you do decide to order food, perhaps you should print out this coupon first:

ALDGATE COUPON

It'll save you 300yen.

As for the beer, the best beer on offer at present is, I feel, the Echigo ESB:

Echigo ESB - 7.5/10

Isn't she beautiful? A little dry, fruity taste reminiscent of american West coast brews but still has enough malts to be a smooth drink. Quite a well balanced pint, I think.

This is one of the guest beers, which means unfortunately that it will be gone in a week or two.
However, I'm confident one if it's replacements will more than suffice to satiate.

Of the house beers, I recommend the Harly Porter. Very nice. Malty, rasted malt flavors and not too dry or strong. A little smooth. Not as creamy as a Guinness. One can find Guinness anywhere, so this beer is the more interesting choice. They don't offer a tasting set (which I think would be a good idea) but if you're really lucky, you may be able to coax a tiny sample out of the manager - ooer.

Just be gentle with the fork.

I liked the Echigo ESB so much that I only drank that, the last two times I went there.
Here's a shot of a Kostrizer (the 'German Guinness'?), gently roasting it's nuts by the fire:

Of the British bars I've been to in Japan, only the Meguro Lion seems to be more authentic in apeearance and ambience to what I love about pubs back home. The nearby Hobgoblin and Dubliners pubs are also 'authentic'(ish) but in a more modern style. Sadly, this style seems to be taking over these days - loud, bright, lager swillers hangouts.
As for The Aldgate, I think myself lucky that the way of the ale can still survive in places like this.

Verdict: The Aldgate - 8/10
(recommended)

Why not pay it a visit? You never know what may happen there.

(she though I was a guitarist of a thrash band that she really fancied)
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p.s. just to prove it's not so easy to find this place, here's a clip of when I walked straight past it (I've done that sooooo many times) whilst drunk (done that many times, too). Caution - contains swearing and one drunken idiot:

The Great German Cook - Tsurumi Beer Bar

2008-01-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

The best jugs in town!Recently (about an hour ago) I was inside the Great German Cook. Perhaps a misleading sentence to start my entry with, I suppose. This Great German Cook is actually a German beer bar/restaurant, in Tsurumi.

The webiste for the GREAT GERMAN COOK.Once you find it, you will find it a very accommodating place.
A really nice, relaxed atmosphere, although slightly smoker friendly. Temperature-wise it's cool at the front but a lot warmer at the back, near the kitchen. Seated tabled benches for around 50 and bar stools for around a dozen at a squeeze. The beer is well popured by a very attractive and skillfull barmaid and served by an equally eyepleasing server (can I say that without sounding like putting the women down in any way? If not, then I apologise).

Here's the map from their website:Here's my Google Earth map:So, I take it you can find this place.

Once you're in, you'll see a few bench tables 'seating around 20 or so and then a semi-circle bar on the left hand side (past the Dutch heap), with stool specimens for around a dozen. (apologies for poor quality keitai shots)
Past that are two or three tables for around another 20 and the glass partitioned kitchen on the right, with toilets on the left.The place has been open for around 10years.
The menu, like the bar is quite impressive:An awesome beer menu featuring at least 11 quality draught beers. Of which I can recommend the Weihenstephaner, Jever and Lowenbrau (if you let it defrost) wholeheartedly. Their house beer, Erdinger, is somewhat unusual in taste. All the 'locals ' were ordering it, however. By far the best weissen on tap was the Weihenstephaner. I regard Erdinger as the 'bud' of weissbiers, seeing as you can find it anywhere and it's totally mass produced and overhyped. I think it doesn't compare to a Schneider or other comparable beers (bit of a strange sentence, there).
They also have a nice selection of bottled beer including a few Belgians.
One point to mention is the interesting offer they have as a beer set (bottom of the menu). The price depends on the particular beer and size you choose and you can have two side orders of food for a minimum charge. Seems like good value. Unfortunately, I rushed my order and missed out on this, as, by the time I noticed it, I'd already ordered the German Potatoes.
Scheisse!!

Still, the beer - how was it?

First up was a Weihenstephaner Weiss bier:Daayam!
Very well poured and tasted just as I'd remembered it. Fantastic.
1,050yen.
7.5/10.

Next up, I ordered another weisse bier, an Erdinger Weissbier:This was a slight dissapointment. Especially as I had been watching all the 'locals' ordering this beer. It seemed to be the house speciality. Pity. The Weihenstephaner was far better.
It was okay, but something was wrong. Tasted like a cross between a wheat beer and a lager. Not quite right. Not bad, though. I often think of this as the 'Bud' of weiss beers. Available almost anywhere and mass produced till the ass falls off.
1,050yen.
5.5/10

Next, I ordered German potatoes:Again, not what I expected. The German potatoes I have previoulsy ordered in Japan have always been some combination of fried mashed potatoes with ham and some other 'stuff'.
These were already fried potateos, refried with some other 'stuff'.
Still, they weren't bad. just the right thing with beer, as they were very oily and salty although the garlic wasn't that evident, despite labelling them as the 'garlic flavoured' version in the extensive menu.
6/10.
(p.s. the menu is good - around 6 pages of choice ranging from Eisbein to pizza ot Japanese curry to... ...stuff.)

Then I had a Jever pilsner:Jever is a dry German pilsner. Dry and hoppy.
This one was no dissapointment.
I had confidence in my order, due to the quality of the beer at this establishment. Other places, even Popeyes included, vary in quality from time to time. I can honestly say that this is the best Jever I have ever had. Full of aroma, flavor, hoppiness and drier than my Grandmothers' crack after a weekends unsheltered sun basking in the Mojabe desert. It was that dry - but in a good way.
But it better bloody well had be, for 980yen for a medium sized glass.
8/10.

After that, I needed some moisture. The ladies were unresponsive and now I'm a horrible sexist pig and oink oink I decided on giving the garlic toast a try.Not bad. but 'toast with just a tiny smidging of garlic' would have been a more accurate label.
It was mostly toast. there was some garlic flavor. Mostly toast, though.
480yen.
4.5/10.

Helping me to process this culinary orgasmic platelet of delights was a steiner of Lowenbrau:One word of advice here is to let it sit a while. Better still, ask for an unchilled steiner beforehand. Once again, Jaspanese style out trumps common sense. This lager needs to be cool but not frozen. To test my theory, order this frozen, take a few sips, then leave it to warm in your cupped hands for a few minutes, then sample it again. I guarantee the flavors and aromas will have matured and developed to a far more satisfactory degree. The beer's flavour will slowly blossom with the warmth, just as the frigid morning's etheral mist rises with the warmth of the life giving sun. Far be it from me to demand that a whole country change it's misgiven style of drinking a product that is as alien to it's ancient culture as the ABC.
Still, once defrosted the Lowenbrau was 5.5/10
Ooh! Who da beeyatch?!!!!

This place is lovely.
If it wasn't so smoker friendly, this place could be one of my favourite bars. Not far from me but also not so easy to get to, unless you have a bike or don't mind walking (although the journey, along the Tsurumi river, is quite nice).
Needless to say I do not recommend driving to this place but in a country where the trains run on time and there are stations everywhere, hopefully that shouldn't need to be an issue. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world and some idiots drink before driving.
Marks up for decor and beer quality and food prices. Marks down for being smoker friendly and location (however it's close to the station but the train lines aren't that convenient).
7/10

Address: 浜市鶴見区鶴見中央4-2-4
Google maps link: HERE中央4-2-
Phone:045-502-3458

(While you're there, why not try the Yokohama Kirin brewery Spring Valley brew pub restaurant? It's a little further down the line at Nama Mugi. They have some beers on tap you can't buy in the shops however, service is hit and miss.)

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Blendmeister Beer Pub

2008-01-05T05:26:00.000-08:00

There's a new bar in town. It's lean, mean and has Steve McQueen

(well, perhaps if he was in the area and he wanted a beer).
It's called Blend Meister.

Seems like a weird name for a beer bar that serves up to 30 world premium beers draught and plans on having around 200 beers in bottles. Perhaps the blend is in the styles of beer available?
Of course, as the name suggests, it's Japanese managed.
This is a country where there is no shame in drinking blended coffee (it's even a branded name). Everything is blend this, blend that. Never mind that a blend incorporates several different vaireties and therefore is not 100% pure. This, in a homogonous society is simply intruiging. "Go crazy, try something blended! This way, you can be different! Just like everybody else."
p.s. I'm not knocking the idea of a blend as being inferior, just that often blended coffee means mixing the good stuff up with some nasty crap to make more money.
The very idea of blending beers, well, not a nice thought.

"Unless it's in mah belleh!!!!"

Anyway, back to the BlendMeister.
I heard a rumour about this place and decided to check it out. I've been there twice. Once in December, 2007 and once more in Janurary, 2008.

It has connections with Yokohama Beer. Yokohama Beer beer restaurant, Sol Ponte, is very close by, just 3 or 4 blocks away. Yokohama beer has one of the best weissens in Japan and produces over 6 varieties of pretty good booze. They also have by far the best value all-you-can-drink that I know of. 1800yen for 90 minutes of over 6 craftbrewed quality beers. Awesome. (HERE is a link to one of my old adventures with an old friend in both senses of the word - I meant 'old', not 'friend', as perhaps implying a sexual connection - of which there is none that I am aware of.)

Once more, back to reality and the point of the blog entry.
Perhaps the bar is called 'BLENDMEISTER', as the owner has skillfully managed to blend together some of the best international beers you will find in this country and a few others perhaps you won't (he has connections with a certain importer).

For example, here's one of the beer menus:Not bad, eh?

I was told by the barman a few days ago that they had 30 beers on tap. Impressive.
I meant the selection of beers, not the barman.
They change some beers every now and then. They also change beers from slected brewers (e.g. changing the styles of Hobgoblin beer or perhaps introducing a new variety of British ale or bitter.)
The happy new suprise I recieved upon my second visit was this beauty:

Yesssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pilsner Urquell. The original pilsner and perhaps the best. I love this baby. so much so that I made an effort of visiting the brewery in Pilsn, Czech Republic, twice and taking the brewery tour and sampling the real thing, from a wooden barrel, un filtered, unpasturised, unchilled and unbloodybelievable!The bar itself is not too difficult to find, as it's in the ground floor of the Heiwa Plaza Hotel.
Here's a map I made using Google Earth:The closest station is Bashamichi, on the Minato Mirai Line. This is an expensive line and a cheaper option would be from Sakuragicho station. a little further but still an easy walk.

Once you get to the Heiwa Plaza Hotel, you will see the bar on the ground floor.
It's a bit of a let down to see the cars parked right outside the bar. You'd think they would have parked them elsewhere (can't do much for business), but then this is a functioning hotel.

Once you go in, you may find the place resembles an American style bar. A rectangular bar full of taps of various styles of beer greet you, along with the TGIF badge madness cladded barstaff (WTF?). The bar has high chair seating for around a dozen drunks.Before the bar, there is tabled seating for around 20. Overall, they did quite a nice job in the interior. The only thing I don't really care for is the overabundance of fake darts games. I hate those things. That's just not darts, in my humble opinionated opinion.
There is a small kitchen to the right, just before the toilets.
Check out the cool mirror in the gents (I didn't check the ladies - mainly because there weren't any)!There is a small back room at the far end of the bar, on the left side. I was so excited to find out what this would hold. A pool table? A VIP room?
No, fake darts. Three of the flippin machines. Why?
I hate those bloody things. What a shame. Just a perfect place for a pool table.
Back in the bar, near the door to the room of fake darts, you can see the coolers containing the bottled beers.
I read that they hope to stock a LOT more bottled beer soon. At the moment, their selection is still quite decent. Just watch out for the two headed woman. She'll get ya.The second time I was here, I met this guy:Great guy and the brewer of Yokohama beer! He knew a lot about beer and I wasn't suprised when he immediately ordered a pint of Urquell, as soon as he sat down. He agrees that it is a lovely pint. It was really great, chatting to this guy, using my broken Japanese and his knowledge of English and our shared passion for all things sudsy
(I can also say that Yokohama's upcoming new beers should be very, very interesting - keep an eye out for them!).

I had another urquell, then followed it up with a favourite of mine from back home, Marston's Pedigree. Cask aged ale. Just 4.5% alcohol but nice and malty, mellow tasting. Just give her 10 minutes to rise above the insanely freezing serving temperature first.
Mmm...

If, like me, you'd prefer your beer not chilled to the point of freezing in the frozen glass, then ask teh barstafff not to use a chilled glass or not to dip your urquell mug into iced water, to make the already overchilled beer even colder. I think this is perhaps Japanese style (the manager told me it was stiill Yokohama style to drink ice cold beer) and it does indeed suit the Japanese lagers, but not for British ales or fine lagers.
I really believe the beer not only smells but tastes different, as the temperature changes. Perhaps the Budweiser or Miller would be better iced (or preferably switched for a glass of urquell or pedigree).

Something else that confuses me is how everything is almost the same price. A pint of Pedigree is 1000yen, as is a Guinness, as is the Budweiser and Miller! I hope I don't come across as a snob ( as opposed to come across a snob - unless I simultaneously sneeze and orgasm at the same time) but they are a whole different class of booze and the Budweiser has got to be the least value pint.
I just can't justify 'wasting' 1000yen on Bud if I can have a comparably superior pint for the same price. Whatever the drink, 1,000yen isn't chicken feed, anyway.

The beers are good, but too cold. I had a few beers in the time I was there:(the entrance is behind me, on the left)

Pilsner Urquell: Lovely, dry and malty Bohemian pilsner. One of the beers. Served very dry tasting and a little undercarbonated, perhaps. Seemd to go flat fast. If you like your beer at a normal temperature, ask the barstaff not to dip your glass into the iced water. It's up to you.Tasted ok but not perfect. Still, very good. Good enough for a second. But not cheap. 1200yen a pint. However, I doubt if you will find this anywhere else in Japan right now. I only had it once at the Belgian bar in Shibuya and that was only from one barrel. If you like this beer, drinki it now, while it's stil there.
7.5/10.

Marston's Pedigree:Very nice. But again, too bloody cold! Gets better as it warms. Poured perfectly with a nice head. Not a perfect taste, but I've had this a 4 other places in Japan and all with the exception of Cheers (when they still had it on tap!) did a terrible job of serving it. This place is ok.
Nice, malty, smooth and so easy to drink. Brings back memories.
7/10.

Enough talk about world beers. How about local ones?
More to the point, Yokohama beers. Seeing as this is a yokohama beer venture, it would be good to try their nice brews.
Also, the Yokohama beer offers better value at 900yen for a pint.
I highly recommend their weissen and also this fruity little baby.

Tsunashima peach ale:Ooh! Lovely! Made with peaches from Tsunashima (the next station to mine).
You can really taste them, too. In a good way.
Very nice and fruity peach ale.
One for the ladies, and the fruity guys.
6.5/10
I had another peach ale in Popeye's bar a few days later and I was dissapointed, as it lacked oomph, compared to this wondrous cacophony of flavor.

Shonan beer Russian Imperial Stout:Another nice beer. Stronger and darker (duh!). In the 18th Century, the British brewed this style of beer, under request of the Russian Imperial court. Chocolate malts, hops, dark dark roasting and 7% alcohol give this baby something else. Not bad. another Russian Imperial Stout you may see in shops here is the Rasputin (you can find it at Sugaya beer shop, near-ish to Kajigaya Station), by the American NorthCoast Brewing company. This beer was nice but not so easy to drink.
6/10.

Yokohama beer's Toddy:I think this was an experimental beer, brewed by the Yokohama beer guys. All I can say is I feel it was a nice change. This is a spiced Christmas ale. And for me at least, it really did taste of Christmas! Very nice. The spices reminded me of the Christmas puddings we'd gorge ourselves on after Christmas dinner. The flavors, the spices, the nuts in my mouth...oh, so many repressed memories.
Very nice and brought on memory lane with every sip.
7/10

Franziskaner Hefeweissen:This is a very good weissbeer. From Munich, that nirvana of weissbiers. I love wheat beers and I kow this beer very well. However, something was off with this one. Maybe it was the first one (there are still not many customers in this place - it's still very new) from teh tap or the gas was wrong but it defintely tasted a little od. Not enough to warrant a complaint, but something wasn't right. Still, it was nice. Normally I would give a 7.5 for this beauty but this one merited a lower score, as it tasted off, for unkown reasons.
5.5/10

Bass Pale Ale:Just to complete the nostalgia, I decided to have a Bass, to compare with the Pedigree. No comparison. This Bass too, was a little off. Tasted strange. But not so bad.
6/10.
I have no idea why all the beers I treid that I knew from experience actually didn't quite taste how I imagined them to. The Urquell too. Still, only the Franziskaner and Bass were off by an easily perceptable margin. The other beers tasted ok. Also, they were poured very well and with the utmost care. Service is very important in this country and I usually have zero complaints, regards to quality in that regard.

When they get their al night liscence, this place should be an interesting place to while away the wee hours wiht a few freinds or jsut by your lonesome.
Although keep in mind the sneaky small print on the menu. There is a 500yen cover charge, per person, after midnight!Grrrr!!!!

Overall impression:
BLENDMEISTER 7.5/10
Amazing variety, so should have something for everyone. Hopefully it will get a bit busier as more people become aware of it and hope-upon-hopefully they will decide to have a happy hour(s)!!!

Delirium Cafe

2007-12-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

This is a great place to discover full bodied, strong, fruity Belgians, if, like me, you are a nervous virgin.
I've never understood why everyone is so enraptured by fruity beer (a common lager and ale swiller's way of summing up Belgian beer).
After almost killing myself at the Sugaya belgian beer tasting party, I decided to give this place a go.

It's situated at Kasumigaseki (on the Hibiya line).
Actually, a closer station is Toranomon (Ginza line, 160yen and 11 mins from Shibuya).
Here's a map:
It wasn't that easy to find (at least it wasn't for me).
I went to the towering high rise building complex and everything seemed to be closed or undergoing construction.
I found some signs for Delirium Cafe and I followed them, only to find a closed building with the lights off. I didn't give up and 20 minutes of exploring finally found me on the other side of the complex and a collection of restaurants and stores that were indeed very open.

This is an estimate of my route that evening (it was in the dark):

Here's a photo of the entrance to the Delirium Cafe:
Going in, the staff were very friendly and very proffesional.
The interior is laid out very well.
First thing you see is the main bar. It forms about a 90 degree arc of a circle with high stools around it, seating around 10. The stools have convenient baskets built into the bottom, where you can store your briefcase (Kasumigaseki being a salaryman stronghold) and the stool being tall enough to hang your Jacket on. The barstaff are very well informed about Belgian beer - as they love the stuff themselves. What better person could you want as a bar steward?
I used to be a bar steward in several places (or at least that's what I thought people were calling me).

My beer tutor for this evening was Arisa. I'd met her before at the Sugaya beer tasting party (this was when I was still conscious and had some functioning brain power to give me memories).
She impressed me with her knowledge of Belgian beer and he ability to hold a conversation with me (not many people can - I tend to, what can you say, oh, it's like that time I decided to suddenly dive into the tiny river outside the place where I used to live when I was younger. Instead of just floating and having fun wading in the waist deep water like everyone else, I decided to dive straight in. I had my arms stretched out either side of my head and when I dived in, body straight, I hit a jagged rock with the point sticking out. I struck that rock and hit it with my whole bodyweight behind me. I struck it straight on my forehead and was floating around in the water unconcious for a while when something told me it wasnt right and I stood up to see the astonished looks on my friends' faces. I had this enormous bulge swelling out of my forehead on the right side and still have the bump today and now I'm reminded of the time when my little brother was about 8years old and he was for some reason, rubbing his bottom up and down the newly laid wooden bed of my father's truck. I had no idea why someone would do such a strange thing but then it was my brother and he is over 96% chimpanzee (whereas I am clearly more bonobo - far higher intelligence). He was just laughing and rubbing his arse up and down the fresh, unsmoothed wood and then suddenly he stopped and his eyes were staring straight out and his mouth was open in a silent scream. Later, my mother removed a 4 inch splinter from his ass cheek. Idiot. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes - tangents.).
I sometimes go off on tangents. That reminds me of 2 days ago, as I tried to help a student with his mathematics. I's forgotten that a straight line leaving the centre of a circle, intersects the circumference of the circle at a tangent. I felt like such an idiot. Again.

Well, Arisa told me of this new bar and I decided to check it out.
After studying the draught beer menu:
I decided (on advise) to try the Guldenberg beer, by De rank. Normall, 'rank' is not a very good name for a beer brewer or any product that is meant to be consumed. Still, this was Belgium and we all know Europeans and their smelly cheeses. I gave it a shot:
It wasn't bad. It certainly wasn't rank.
Although it was a little sour. It quite dry and hoppy. I think a friend of mine would apppreciate this beer more than I.
Still, I give it a 5.5 to6/10.
Not bad, seeing as I don't especially like Belgian beers.

The beer here was expertly poured by Arisa. There was no fake 'back push' of the tap producing artificial head, to go with the image of draught beer for the Japanese customer.
No, this process involved normally poured beer then the skimming off of the top of the foam (apparently, it improves the quality of the rest) with a silver...'skimmer'(?) and the careful dipping into fresh water of the glass, to remove the overflowing suds (a certain amount of beer goes down the drain every time - wince!) then a gentle wipe around the outside of the glass, but not and I repeat NOT with a dirty slimy coth and not around the top of the glass, where one's mouth was soon to venture.
I hate it when some bars use a cloth to wipe the top of the glass.
It's disgusting. This time, it was nice just to watch the whole process (for which I was undoubtedly paying for).
The beer was very good and served in the correct glass, too.
They have a great variety of glasses, to match their variety of 10 draught and many more bottled Belgian beers.

I decided to try the menu and also to have another beer.
I went with the Belgian fritters with the original Delirium cafe mayonnnaise.

Chips, basically.

They were among the cheapest option there (yes, I am a cheap b*st*rd) and also were warm and I figured I would use the fried potato as a taste test standard for the rest of the menu.
My logic being, if the fries were crap, the chances were the rest of the food wasn't that amazing.
The fries were good.
Strange presentation but they stayed warm for a reasonable length of time.
They went well with my beer.
The mayonnaise was not bad. I'm no fan of mayonnaise but this stuff wasn't so nasty. It seemed to suit the fries.
Belgain fritters: 6/10. Not as good as Kua'aina fries. Those are (excuse me for this ridiculous and now very unPC phrase) the bomb!

My second beer was the recommended one and the one for which the cafe is famous. The pink elephant beer!
Quite a nice brew. 8.5% alcohol so take care with this particular pink elephant.
You can pet her, stroke her, but once she sits in your lap, you're screwed (she only wants you for your nuts).

Fresh from a new keg. The picture kind of suggsts that the pink elephant discretely added a special extra ingredient.
Even so, this was very nice.
I reccomend trying this,, if you visit the bar. After all, it's their trademark beer.
After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do (ride around on scooters all day, shouting obcenities and gesticulating widly with your arms, then drinking your sorrows away with some buono vino rosso - still on the scooter).
When in Sparta, walk around naked and have sex with little boys. Woof!

(click on pic to open the gif in another window)

Where was I?

Oh, yes, I was in Sparta.
No I wasn't.
I was talking about trying the bar's reccomended beer.
These guys import their beer direct from the brewers. No middlemen.

The whole bar can probably accomodate around 50 or so customers or perhaps a whole tribe of over 200 pygmies (but they'll have to check their blowdarts at the entrance).
There is some nice tabled seating further in from the main bar. Nice and dark so a great place to take a special someone or just one of your sad male friends who also have no one of the opposite sex to drink with.
They also have outdoor seating. Great for the summer months or perhaps for any Eskimos who happen to pass thru (sorry, it's Inuit {innit?}).

If you do visit this place and you don't feel like going to the toilet, make an excuse and just go.
It's quite an experience in itself.
The whole place is lined with mirrors, so be careful where you 'let go of the day's tensions'. double check your target area, just in case.
Another warning is that I believe the toilets may be haunted.
Every time I use them and open the door, I believe a ghost has just been interrupted from 'spookus relievus', as the toilet seat magically seems to move, as if a certain 'casper' is just about to be at peace. After suppressing a girlish scream, I entered and, after I finally found which reflection was the actual toilet (not through a system of trail and error, I may add), I tried my best to perform the intended function.
It wasn't easy.
I had a little bronze boy trying to piss all over me (I bet that's not the first time you've heard that).
It's not so easy when there is a tiny little boy who is peeing without stopping, right next to you.
It's very intimidating. It's also tempting to take up his challenge and pee right back in his face. In which case you better bring along a big box of towelletes and a nice excuse for the management (I recommend blaming the mirrors).

Overcoming the mirrors and the unrelenting pissing boy, you then have to contend with the spaceship controls.
There seems to be a button for everything.
Awesome! Also, scary.
I may go back and try out all the buttons, just to see.

(Boys and their toys.)

Overall this is an impresssive, classy addition to the numerous Belgian bars around Tokyo (Frigo, Belgo, etc).

A nice addition. Classy. Not cheap but also not overly expensive and an impressive selection of 10 beers on tap. Nicely poured beers, I might add. A place to attend to remind yourself that yes, you are indeed in Tokyo. Posh with a rich Japanese clientelle.
This evening, I was drinking next to the new chef. Nice guy. I reckon the food looks very good indeed. It should be changing soon. Interesting.

Sadly, a combination of bank balance, time and the fact that I had work in the morning necessitated my departure.

I'll be back.

To get back to Toranonomon station or the further Kasumigaseki station, walk in the opposite dorection to the Micheal Jackson glowing steps:
Or, if you are really extravegant, perhaps you could take a helicopter home.
___________________________

"'cor blimey, guvnor!!!" - a smashing night of booze!!

2007-10-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

First up was a nice little Oktoberfest in my kitchen. Spaaten Oktoberfest.
Approx 6% alcohol.
This baby is not quite as smooth as my favourite Spaaten, the Helles, but also not quite the punch of the premium bock.
Somwhere in between and so I give it a 6.5/10.
Nice beer.

Next was a Hitachino Nest Classic Ale &*!!*#$% beer. (I couldn't quite read the Japanese).
Seemed to be some sort of English ale, with Kent golding and Challenger hops.
Cask conditioned, I think this is one of a selection of premium beers brought out by Hitachino Nest, in Japan.
Nice!
forgot about it in my freezer but as it warmed, it got better.
I give it a 7/10.
not bad for Hitachino, whom I don't really rate that much.

Next is a British beer..Samuel Smith's Organic Ale.
Although not exactly orgasmic, it certainly is organic (says so, on the bottle).
Not bad, but tastes bland and nothing special. Almost Eastern European lager/ale taste. Weird.
Low carbonation. 6/10

And then I fell asleep.

MbarK, Motosumiyoshi (Ozzie bar)

2007-10-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

I ventured to a new(ish) bar, M　bar　K, in Motosumiyoshi, in the Yokohama/Kawasaki area.
A guy I knew before, Australian Mike runs the place with a nice Japanese lady.
I popped by to see the Wales rugby game.

This place is down a small street, a few 100m from the station. Not so easy to find.
Here's a map [Shibuya direction (top) to Yokohama direction (down)]:
The place itself is quite nice.
Here's another pic of the front. This is what you'll see from the street. It has a nice seating area outside. This should be good in the sunnier weather.
An L shaped bar has seating for around 20 or so. Here's a pic of the front, just inside the entrance:
And here's one of the other half:
Thsi is taken from the same position as I took the previous photo. Unfortunately, I didn't take one of the bar.

At least 3 Tvs (normal size, wall mounted - no big screen) shows most of the matches/games/sports events. If you ask and if they have it, I'm sure Mike will put on whichever game you want to watch.

Beer is good. They pour a nice guiness. I recommend trying the Coopers Australian beer. It's not a bad drink. Most people prefer Cooper's Sparkling Ale. I tried it and it was pretty good.
They also serve a few other Australian beers (Fosters, Tooeys, etc) and have a nice selection of Australian wine.
Food - well, I didn't order any so can't talk about that really.
Nice enough selection in the menu.

MbarK 5.5/10

Not a bad little place. Atmospherewise not party central but they do have live music playing and I haven't been to experience that. Points for the Ozzie theme and coopers beers. Nice enough little local.

Overall a nice enough little pub.
I think they play live music in there, too.
Not sure of the schedules.
You can check their website for info, but it's not developed very well yet. Hope they fix that soon.

Aka beko - Aizu beer

2007-08-03T01:52:00.000-07:00

During one of my previous jaunts up into the wilds of Fukushima, I managed to get to Aizu beer brewpub in Aizu Wakamatsu... ...in Wakamatsu... ...in Aizu.

I was up there visiting some newish friends I made. They were all ALTs in Fukushima and one of them (Padraic) was having a bit of a birthday bash.
After a nice gentle night of 10 or so beers and terrible karaoke, we were to head to Aizu beer for about 3 hours of all you can drink. Not bad. Before that, we had a nice barbecue near a river somehwere in the middle of nowhere and no, I really don't think anyone heard me scream. Keeping one eye open for my beer and one eye for any amouruos bears and one eye on the hurly wurly thing that was flying around (Irish game - very dangerous hence very popular), I managed to survive and eventually found my way at Aizu beer restaurant (the more perceptive of you may have realised that I mentioned three eyes. The still more perceptive would know not to enquire further and could easily guess which 'eye' was watching out for the bears - if the 'twitchometer' was pointing due North, then I would know temptation was close at hand - grr).

So, despite being slightly plastered from the BBQ, I managed to follow everyone and found myself here:
This is the Aizu Beer place. It's in Wakamatsu.
For the map, click here (in Japanese).

The inside of this place is quite nice. The actual bar/restaurant area is on the 2nd floor.

However, I don't understand the need for the huge central stairway. Seems to take up half the area of the whole 2nd floor.
But there is still plenty of space of 40 or so revellers (including a piano onstage).

Right.
Frist up, I decided to try the amber ale. This was poured for me by the owner, Mr.Johnny Lager.
You can see Mr.Lager in this shot.

He just poured an AkaBeko amber ale and a stout. Nice guy. Happy to talk to you and also sat down and drank with us (didn't buy us a drink though).

The amber ale was not an amber ale for me. But I was 79%paraletic by that time, so I could've been wrong.
Tasted like a normal-ish lager. All their beers had the similar (weird water/distinct strange hopping) flavor to them. Hard to describe.
Almost like with eyes closed you can taste a Baird beer or a Tama no Megumi.
These are like that. Also, like those beers, only a few are best suited to that particular 'taste'. These are similar in background taste to Tama no Megumi in that a pe ale or stout best fits the style.
The amber ale was ok but I wouldn't order another, unless there was nothing else to drink.

Aka Beko Amber Ale: 5/10
__________________

Next up was the stout.
Mmm... very nice.
Suits the background taste and consistency just right.
Not a bad pint at all.
I could drink more of this and indeed I did.
Slight creaminess both in taste and body texture. A reasonable pint.

Stout: 6.5/10

_______________

After that I decided to chance their experimental beer which was the kurogome, brewed using rice.
Im not a fan of rice in beer, but I decided to give it a shot:

Creamy head. Looked very smooth. The smell was a little strange.

Taste - semolina? Weird.

Very, very weird.
Wouldn't describe it as beer, as we know it, Jim. I tried but I just couldn't get used to it.
Think only certain peple will take to this. As for me, I had trouble finishing it.

As for me, nasty stuff. Sorry, Mr.Lager.
Your stout was much better.

Not for me, sorry.

KuroGome: 1.5/10

______________________

Next I decided that I would try the other beers using smaller glassses, just in case I had a repeat of the kurogome to contend with.
The guys at the bar were very kind and allowed me to try a taste selection:

Here's a shot of the bar and some of the taps.
They had two hand pumps for the amber ale and the stout at the end, just past the register and to the left.

I had the amber ale, the beethoven, the kurogome(whoops) and the stout.

The amber ale was drinkable.
The beethoven was suprisingly drinkable (especially when compared to the other lagers - almost like the ugliest man or woman in the room actually seems quite attractive when on a trekking holiday with them in the mountains of Thailand, with only a bunch of retarded mongoloid (but still very nice in their own way) kids or some really 'big smack in the face with the whole ugly tree, not just the stick' ugly people - but when you come back to normality, you wonder what the f**k you were thinking at the time) . When surrounded by morons, even the village idiot would win the nobel prize (it's all relative).
Well, this beer, whilst not being a vilage idiot by any case, was still more or less surrounded by members of a disfunctional family.
There was younger brother kurogome, who after incessant bouts of self masturbation has gone half blind, lost functioning of his genitalia and can't be quite sure of who or what he is, only to semi resemble a member of his own species.
Then there is the older brother akabeko amber ale, who, because he's been to the big city, thinks he can imitate some viennese sophistication, but doesn't quite pull it off. Still, no one else back home knows that and he gains confidence from it, whilst a tthe same time knowing he can never leave home again.
Beethoven is the sister who has suprised everyone by blossoming suddenly into quite the 'members' of the family. Both of them. Looking quite plain and unassuming on first glance, once you get under the surface, you discover there are quite a few suprises. Tastes promising and soon you reliase there is more to this lady than you bargained for. Too late, the powerful inner strength of the 5.5% kicks you, right between the testicles of taste. There's no escape. you become the next in a long line of victims.

Then, there is the stout. The intelligent, smooth, charasmatic, well travelled uncle who can calm any situation. Can communicate in any language and any culture. The answer to all the families problems, he can stroll in and save the day, leaving nothing but comfortable satisfaction in his wake.

I'm sidetracking again, aren't I?
Sorry.

Here's a quick video of some drunken monkey, trying to sound sober and talk about beer. Not making much sense.

After talking to Mr.Lager, I realised there was yet another beer available for tasting!!!
He mentioned the doppelbock and warned me that it was deceptive in that the alcohol was quite high (about 8%).

I decided to give it a whirl and she was a beauty!!!

Yes, indeed she was a deceptive lady in a glass.
She's the kind of lady you would rush to hold the door open for, as she approched in her evening gown, only to then realise that she was on her way to her advanced kickboxing class, 15 flights of stairs further up.
She packs a punch, but you are so distracted by the taste, that you don't quite realise it until it's too late and you have lost control of your vital organs and are laying tits up in a ditch somewhere in Aizu Wakamatsu.
p.s. that didn't happen to me. I manged to get myself wedged, in a presumably tits up position, on my friends minature sofa. What little sleep I had was interrupted by 'hmm hmmm!' - other things.

Dopple bock : 6/10

_______________________

Overall verdict for Aizu beer: 6/10.

I liked the place.

Don't mean to be overly critical of the beers.

I really appreciate the stout and the doppelbock. Lovely.
Also the beethoven wasnt bad. But therer's still that similar aftertaste that really nags at me.
Baird has it but that's kinda due to the hopping (some people either like it or hate it). Tama no megumi has it and I think it ruins some of thier beers (but a the smae time compliments their ale and stout). Aizu kinda has it too.
Brought a couple of beethovens and stouts back and my friends said the same thing. Weird taste to the beethoven, like something was amiss. Stout was liked by all.
Nice atmosphere (partly supplied by the great Fukushima ALTs - thanks, guys!).
Nice food and reasonably priced.
Nice location.
Good interior (but why that huge staircase?).
Nice owner who is happy to sit down and talk with you over a pint. Good selection. Even though I don't like some of the beers, I still appreciate a selection of more than just an ale, stout and weissen.
Not worth a special trip out there from say, Tokyo, but if your in the area, why not pop by?

Im glad I did.

_________________________

Note: Unfortunately, Aizu Beer is no more and Jonny Lager has finally quit the business. I think it's a pity. I liked what he was doing and liked some of his beers and respected the ones that I didn't as a brave attempt at making original and interesting booze. His location in the mountains of Fukusnima's Super Dry country wasn't the best place for a thriving business but I think he did a good job with his pub. It will be missed.
Aizu Beer is dead. Long live Aizu beer.
you can still drink some of that is left at the Aldgate, in Shibuya. Just ask if they still have it (renamed) on tap. Could be the last to have a little bit of beer history.

The Thrash Zone - nice micro brewery beer bar in Yokohama

2007-07-13T01:45:00.000-07:00

The other week, I happened across a new bar called The Thrash Zone.
Idf you check out their WEBSITE, you will see they have a propensity for slayer and other heavy metal.
They also serve some quality Japanese craft beer.
Both of these points were good reasons for me to make my way out there!
It wasn't so easy to find, but once you located the yakiniku restaurant, it was easy.
In case you can't find it on the website, you can open the map in a new window by clicking HERE.

Also, on the webiste, it shows a big, bright, airy room. The first thing I noticed upon entering was that the picture in the website wasn't of The Thrash Zone. Weird.

Here is a photo from inside, on the side opposite the entrance way (seen at the end of the room):

You can see the barman/owner and a few of the regular customers, who come from as far away as Ryogoku! Some of you who know about beer may realise that Ryogoku is actually the station where you can find Popeyes (perhaps the biggest range of craft beer in Japan and of Japanese craft beer in the world). So it says something for this bar that this gentleman journeys all the way down to have a drink or five at this place.
These guys were great and welcomed me into their fold, instantly. Everyone was so friendly.

I happened to venture in on Van Halen night. The manager was showing his DVD of Van Halen's greatest hits.

When I saw this, I jumped for joy. I told the barman "Right now, I feel unchained! You really got me with this great music. This is what dreams are made of! I mean being here, just us humans being together, drinking, relaxing... ...why can't this be love? Now, I have to go to the toilet, because I've got a fire in the hole and I need to go before there's an eruption. There's a poundcake or two, breaking through the seventh seal. No sir, I won't get fooled again. I can dance the night away with beautiful girls later. Dancing in the street. I'll be like a man on a mission and when the dream is over and Jamie's cryin, I'll be up for breakfast. Don't tell me I can't drink more. I say to this beer 'you're the one I want, because without you, I'm black and blue. So, is this love? I know I can't stop loving you. Once is not enough.
You're the one I want. Why don't you finish what you started and make me totally cabo wabo! Wow, this place is better than smoking in Panama... ...or Amsterdam!' Oh, this beer is gooooood! You can't get this stuff no more. I feel on top of the world!"

Well, I didn't actually say this to the barman, but if I did, it would have been really cool.
Another example of how my reality doesn't quite match up to the fantasy. Such is my life.

Okay, so they had loads of heavy metal records on display, high up on the wall and they had about 6 or so craft beers, including one real ale on pump (Minoh Stout), plus a few bottled beers.

Here's the beer list:

Here's another photo of the bar:

It really is a nice, cosy, freindly place.
I can see why most of the people I met that night were regular customers.
A good, knowledgable barman and a nice, smokefree atmosphere makes a recommended place to stop by, if you're ever in the Yokohama area.

In the above photo, you can see a 'gaijin' - a foreigner.
It's my friend, David. He also popped by to check out the bar.

Okay, time to talk about the beers.
I think they change them every month or so, but they have one or two constants, such as the Minoh Stout (not bad) and the Nagahama ale (very, very bitter and yeasty - and popular with the locals, suprisingly).

This time, the beers on tap were:

(click on the beer name to go to their website)

First up for me was the weissen:

I didn't want to mix this flavor up with the ales and the stout, so I ordered it first.

It was not quite what I hoped for.

Taste had a hint of grapefruit (but not as strong as the Hidatakayama weissen, which I do not really care for).
Tasted a little off and not so flavorsome.

Aroma was not bad. Tasted a little watery. But had a reasonable creamy head. Retained the head for a while.

Carbonation was okay.

In the 2nd photo you can see the yeast at the bottom of the glass.

Verdict: 5/10.

Next up was the regular beer, the Nagahama ale:

Boy, did this baby taste bitter!!! Also very yeasty.
If I had poured it from a bottle at home, I would have thought it had gone bad and thrown it away, such was the 'distinctive' taste.
However, I stuck with it and about 3/4 of the way through it, it began to be drinkable.

Still, I can't say I like it that much.

Definite like it or hate it beer.

For me, I'd have to pass on this one.

Verdict: 4/10.
(Note: I've since had a few more Nagahama ales and I'm getting ot like it/appreciate it, so the new score is 5.5-6/10)

My next and final beer was the Minoh Stout:

This baby was hand pumped by the barman.

This guy can pour a good pint (as could the guy who used to pour at Cheers - but sadly, I haven't seen him aorund for a while and I must say, the standard has fallen there because of that. Note: since writing this, there are new barstaff at Cheers and the standard of the pint has gone back up again. Cheers!).

Still, I was happy to wait for what I hoped would be a nice, creamy stout.

I wasn't dissappopinted.

A nice pint.
The best of the night, for me.
Creamy and smooth and nicely rich so it needed slow drinking. Just the thing to end the evenig with.

Verdict: 7/10.

All in all, a nice evening.

Here are a few more pics of the evening and some drunken rantings from yours truly (what, more?):

The Thrash Zone.
Verdict: 7.5/10.

________________________________

The Grafton- Irish bar in Gotanda

2007-07-13T01:41:00.000-07:00

After getting lost many times in Kawasaki, I came home at about 11pm. Had a shower and got changed and I headed back out to check out an Irish bar called The Grafton, in Gotanda.

I got to the bar at about 11:40pm.
I went to the basement bar and discovered it to be completely full. No problem, as I don't have any friends.
I found a small area standing around an upturned barrel near the centre of the bar and joined three Sony engineers for a drink.
They were nice guys and didn't mind me taking a shot of my pint:

They even took one themselves (but the guy is using a Canon camera! - I used my Sony!).
The beer selection here is not bad.
I had a Swan Lake porter. It was nicely poured, but, as with most bars in Japan, it was just too damn cold. I had to drink slowly and try to warm the beer with my hands.
It got better eventually.
They had the standard Guinness and Kilkenny plus Tokoy black and the other Yonayona pale ale, lowenbrau and leffe on tap. They also had a nice selection of bottles. Not a bad place. Cosy.
Here's another shot of the inside:

Spring Valley revisited

2007-07-13T01:40:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I was in the area, I thought I would revisit the Kirin Beer Villlage at Nama Mugi. Here's a shot of the seasonal beer at the Beer Villlage at Kirin's Nama mugi beer plant:

Looks good. Great head. Nice smell, but metallic taste.
The service was terrible.
They had at least 4 people working there.
I ordered my beer within 2 seconds of seeing the choice and waited more than 5 minutes for the waiter to bring me my beer.The barman was not busy. Ridiculous. Plus, I'm pretty sure he started pouring my drink then stopped and maybe changed a barrel then a long time later just topped the glass up. That's not the way to pour a beer. I had to order a second beer to take away the nasty tinny taste from the first one.
I watched the barman. He did the same again! WTF?
I tried to tell the waiter but he had no idea what I was on about.
I thought I used Japanese and English simple enough for a 2 year old but I forget that 2 year olds have open minds whereas adults do not. I gave up and sent him back to the smiling barman and manager. Idiots. I couldn't finish my weissen, because it was so metallic. They are lucky my Japanese is atrocious, o rI would have given them a piece of my mind and explained to them how to pour a beer. Idiots. Plus its always too damn cold. Rant,rant, rant.
It took me an hour to eventually find the place so I expected nice beer. Phooey! So there.

Great German Cook - German bar, Tsurumi

2007-07-13T01:39:00.000-07:00

Another place I found by accident was the GGC in Tsurumi. The Great German Cook was the Tsurumi German Beer bar. Great!
A good selection of beer and at least one weissen on tap (Erdinger - standard). Also a nice selection of bottled beer at normal high prices. I would like to go there. The menu is quite extensive. They had a nice crowd in there when I was there. Didn't drink, just stopped to check it out. Apprently they've been there 20years. News to me.

p.s. for my up to date review, click HERE.

Patrasche -Belgian bar in Kawasaki

2007-07-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

I found this Belgian bar which was relatively new, in the centre of Kawasaki, near the station.
It's called Patrasche.

It's on the 4th floor (see it?).
It's not cheap (hey, it's a Belgian bar, in Japan).
Here's the entrance, a little closer:
And inside:
Example of beer prices: Leffe, Orval 1,100yen. Duvel 1,300yen. Stella 900yen. Ouch.

Just been inside a cute ittle Indian, near my home.

2006-11-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

It was an interesting experience. Not as creamy as I would have expected. My image of Indians, being expensive and extravagant in Japan has now been changed.
This Indian I have never seen before opened up, near my home. This little Indian seemed cute, colorful and rather inviting, so I went inside this Indian and tried the Indian out.
This Indian I was just inside was not at all large but rather cosy and nice and warm inside. I was half expecting my eyes to water or the intense flavors to go to my head. I had to blow my nose, near the end.
I was left feeling satisfied after about 30minutes.
I was told to 'come again', and indeed I may. But not tonight.

The Indian I'm talking about is a new restaurant, opened up near my home.
It's name is the Raj Laxmi.

It's a tiny place, with seating for about 14 (at a squeeze). 3 people seem to work there. An Indian cook, waiter and a Japanese looking lady with a nice Sari.

Nice staff. Friendly and polite. Service is prompt, friendly and not too pushy.

The second thing you notice (after the size of the place) are the prices.
Not expensive. Very reasonable, especially for Japan.
A dinner set of a curry with rice or naan , with a salad and drink (oolong tea) for 1000yen. Not bad. Draft beer is 300yen a glass or 500yen for a big glass. They have Maharaja and Kingfisher (both very good Indian pilsners) for 500yen. Not bad at all.

Here is a photo of the menu. It's in Japanese and English. There are, of crouse, the obligatory mistakes. You can see the famiLLy set choice.
You can choose two curry (curries) from bellow (does the chef scream out the choices?).
What I liked the best is that with this meal, you get a glass of bear! I've never had a bear in a glass before. Come to think of it, I've never had a bear. Great stuff.
This was the most expensive thing on the menu. a family set, 2500yen, for at least 2 people.

The meal I choose was the 2nd most expensive thing, set B.

For 1500yen, I got:

A drink of oolong tea and a salad. The salad was very basic. Just cabbage, a slice of cucumber and some corn and dressing. Not even a tomato. But it tasted okay.

Next came the chicken tandoori. Very nice it was. too. Plenty of meat on it. Very good. Not too spicy but still it had plenty of flavor.

Then it was... something else. I can't remember what this was called. I was too scared to ask, in case it was a bear's appendage or something. But it tasted good. It came with a little of the strange salad, too (I got another slice of cucumber).

Then the main course arrived. But what?
Where's my curry?
Have the naan and rice been served, without the curry?
What's going on?

A quick inspection under the naan revealed my curries! Hello, boys!!!
The green one was the special curry. It was a saag chicken curry (with spinach). A little different to most saags I've had before. Not very think and creamy. Slightly 'soup'ish. But it grew on me. No pun intended. Not very spicy. A hint of garlic, perhaps? The chicken was good and soft.

The curry to the left was the mutton curry. This was my favourite of the two. Slighlty more flavor and spicier. Went well with the naan. The naan was an ample size (as they always are) but a little plain tasting. Not the most flavoursome naan I've ever had.

Flavour was a little lacking.
Not as thick or creamy as I would have liked.
Simple salad but it tasted fine.
Plain naan was just that.
Service was good and friendly.
Price is very reasonable.
Nice selections. Maybe next time I will try their mango lassie for 450yen or perhaps a few beers.

All in all a nice meal for only 1500yen.
Not bad for Japan.
I will come again, but not tonight. I need to recover.

Verdict: 7/10.

Can't argue with value for money: 8/10
Food: Not great, not bad. 6/10

Overall: 7/10

HuaHua - Vietnamese restaurant, Hiyoshi

2006-09-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

I went to this new restaurant this evening, to check it out.
It's on Mail road, about 200m from Hiyoshi station , Toyoko line.
It's on the 2nd floor, where the reasonably sized portions and priced Capricciosa used to be (alas).

First impression - nice.
They seemed to do a nice job with the interior.
Had a defenite 'ethnic' feel to it.
The main window was nicely designed with plants outside and soft lighting lending it that jungle feel.
Excuse me if my typing is wierd, the old guy next door is snoring. Hate snoring.

Well, here are some pics of the place. My battery was low (didn't use my LCD screen to check on picture quality) on my camera and I didn't want to be too rude to the other customers, so the pics may not be so great.

Okay, ready to order.

I ordered gou cuon (raw spring rolls), ran muog zao toi (vegetables cooked with garlic and perhaps oyster sauce), ga luang na chauh (chicken something - damn, I was doing fine until then), canh ga chien muoe man (fried chicken, more or less) and of course, a beer. The beer on tap is Carslberg.

First to arrive were the spring rolls. They were very quick to arrive, which leads me to wonder if they were in fact freshly made or made that morning and just pulled out of the fridge.

They looked nice.
Not very big. They came with 2 sauces. one sweet and one peanut sauce. Neither at all spicy. Quite bland, actually. Not much flavor.
I was worried that they were doing the 'Japanese version' on us. Quite a few places over here adjust the food so it is more suitable for 'Japanese tastes'. Indian food is less spicy, McDonalds hamburgers are different. Even CocaCola has a slightly different drink for this country!
The price was 600yen for 2. Not cheap. 3 mouthfuls and they were gone.
2.5-3/5
The beer tasted a little strange at first but got better on the second taste.

Next to arrive were the vegetables.

These were nice at first, with the garlic flavor enigorating to the senses. But then the saltiness prevailed. Too salty. Think maybe too much oyster sauce or soemthing. They were still ok to eat. Not bad, but just a little too salty. Pity. At 800yen, a lot to pay but the portion was not too bad. Enough for 2.

2.5-3/5

Next were the fried chicken wings.

I'm not a fan of these. Tricky to eat and not much meat. But they tasted okay, after letting them cool down (they were so hot!). Lemon taste. Nicely lightly fried. Not bad.
Little oily.

2.5/5

Then we got the rice dish thingy...well, just look at the picture.

This was not as big as I'd hoped, but it was quite good. THe pot is still hot, so the rice is burning slightly at the bottom (adds to the flavor). Mixed in with some mushrooms and perhaps some nuts or something. It was tasty. At 900yen, it should be! Would have expected more.

3/5.

Then we had the chicken breast.

This was perhaps the best course. Nice sized breast, cut into strips. Served on a bed of lettuce. Gentle taste to it. soft texture. Lemony taste to it. Not at all spicy. 800yen.

3/5.

By now my hands were very greasy. I couldn't help noticing my wet towel was gone. I thought perhaps the waitress took it with one of the plates. It was then that I noticed I'd stuffed the towel between my legs, whilst I was taking pictures.
Damn.

Now I looked like I just pissed myself.
And this was exactly whenI wanted to get up and pay the bill.
5 minutes later, I got up and paid the bill.

Overall, nice enough interior (though a little tacky in places).
Bad choice of music (they had some whacky jazz playing. something softer would have suited the place better).
Bland food - more spicy, please!
Not so reasonable prices, but then this is Japan.
Convenient location.
Reasonable beer (no place can beat the 500yen, 500ml Lowenbrau steiners I can get at the pizzeria place close by). At 400yen for a 300ml or so glass. Not too bad. And I like Carlsberg. Better than Asahi super shite or Kirin ichiban happoushu, in my book.

Overall: Almost 3/5.

Reviews coming soon!

2006-08-23T01:04:00.000-07:00

Gonna put reviews here of bars, restaurants, cafes, etc in Japan. mostly in the Tokyo/Yokohama area. Check it out.