BrewDog Roppongi Opens In Tokyo

Tokyo is the Mothership for Japan’s craft beer revolution. Word is spreading fast around the country, but Tokyo is where it all began, and where the scene is really booming! BrewDog Roppongi (named after the district in Tokyo in which it is located) is championing this crusade for great craft beer, and after launching in December 2013, we caught up with the team to see what pearls of wisdom from Japan.

"Roppongi wasn’t one of the more established craft beer bar areas in Tokyo, but we felt it had that edgy, ‘bad boy’ image that would work really well with BrewDog. It’s a playground for Japanese and foreigners alike. We try to promote hard-to-find beers, both from Japan of and around the brewing universe. We also try to source beers from less ventured categories, which attracts a super diverse audience! There is a core, steadily-growing band of regulars, the beer geek crowd who we can rely on seeing for any new releases, sumo wrestlers, and a decent proportion of gaijin (non-Japanese). So it’s petty damn diverse!"

The weird and wonderful world of BrewDog bars attracts some of the strangest events and occurrences, so what can Roppongi bring to the table?

"Our ‘Punk Pig’ was the star of the menu last month. Fed on a diet of Punk IPA, our pig was the largest, happiest, healthiest and most stress-free pig in his litter! He served us well, and our Chef Edward and his team created some fantastic dishes with him, which customers lapped up. Look out for Punk Pig II appearing on the menu in the run-up to Christmas!"

What else is weird about BrewDog Roppongi?
"The ‘bar’ next door to us is called "Ten Sluts"…!"
…Righty ho then!!!

So let’s turn our attention to the team at BrewDog Roppongi, what do they dig?
Favourite BrewDog beer:
Akira: San Diego Scotch Ale
Yuji: DogWired
Chiemi: Shipwrecker Circus
Masashi: Nanny State
Shin: Jackhammer
Favourite guest brewery:
Akira: Thrashzone Yokohama
Yuji: Thrashzone Yokohama
Chiemi: Avery
Masashi: North Island Brewery
Shin: I really like both Stone Brewing Co and Magic Rock
Favourite beer style (of the moment!)
Akira: I love IPAs and Barley Wines right now
Yuji: Red ales and brown ales!
Chiemi: I’m digging fruit beers and strong ales lately
Masashi: IPAs and Imperial Stouts for me!
Shin: IPA IPA IPA!
Why does Tokyo rock for craft beer?
Akira: Because we’ve only just begun…!
Yuji: It’s still foreign brewers and beer fans who are leading the craft scene in Japan; things are just starting to get moving domestically, so we’ve got a lot to look forward to!
Chiemi: We’re seeing more and more events taking place around Tokyo and craft beer bars opening; I really hope the word about craft beer continues to spread!
Shin: We have so much choice for craft beer here in Tokyo, so many people have the opportunity to taste various craft beer from all over the world. Now is a very important time for us as we can really ensure craft beer is not just a trend!

Are you Japanese (or fluent in Japanese, both spoken and reading & writing) with substantial experience of managing bars and/or restaurants overseas?

We’re always searching for talented , experienced people to join our BrewDog Japan team as we look to advance the craft beer revolution on these shores.

If you fancy a new challenge, why not drop us a line at: [email protected]