Popeye
The world’s best Japanese craft beer bar is in quiet Ryogoku

Photos by Kenichi Shimada

In 1995, when Japanese microbreweries sprung up
after the industry was deregulated, Tatsuo Aoki wasted no time in learning about craft beers, then offering pints of them to customers of Beer Club Popeye, his Western-style “snack pub” in Ryogoku. Once these new brews became popular, Aoki remodeled and increased the number of taps to keep pace with Japan’s growing industry. This head start, along with Aoki’s enthusiasm, has made Popeye simply the world’s best pub for Japanese craft beer.

Popeye is nearly always crowded, with a lively atmosphere that welcomes enthusiasts and curious beginners alike. Customers are of nearly any description, ranging in age from 20-somethings to gentlemen well into their 60s, but what they have in common is a love of good beer. Popeye is the de facto “clubhouse” for beer geeks in the greater Tokyo area.

The Good Beer Club, Japan’s answer to the UK’s Campaign for Real Ale, got its start here. The yearly Tokyo Real Ale festival and Nippon Craft Beer Festival also had their beginnings here, but both events have long since outgrown Popeye and are now held in cavernous halls. Members of the Beer Enjoyment, Education and Research Society (BEERS), an English-speaking beer club in Tokyo, are frequent visitors. Recently, articles about Popeye as the place for Japanese craft beer in the New York Times and other major publications have lured in even more foreign clientele.

Service is brisk and prompt, complete with uniformed waiters, while Aoki holds court at the bar, swapping the latest craft beer news with regulars. He and his bar crew man the operation, with 40 beers on tap, three more on hand pump, and two more on gravity-flow cask. There is also a large selection of bottled beers, though almost everyone drinks draft. Brews of nearly every description are served, from crisp pilsner to hoppy India pale ale, from amber ale to stout, in half-pints (¥525-¥980) or pints (¥935-¥1,200). In smaller servings (100-200ml; ¥399-¥840) are a number of strong ales and barley wines, ranging from 8-15 percent alcohol.

A handful of dark beers are served on nitrogen gas blend, which is what gives Guinness its creamy head. This famous Irish stout, however, is easily outdone by such regular offerings as Shimaguni Stout from Baird Brewing, Tokyo Black Porter from Yona Yona, and 90 Days Stout from Echigo, Japan’s first microbrewery.

The food menu is also impressive, bolstered by an average of five daily specials, a few of which feature organic vegetables. Regular items that should not be missed are the Snake Potatoes (¥450)—spiral-cut potato strings deep-fried into chips—the Beer Lover’s Pizza topped with hop sprouts (¥850), beer-simmered beef (¥930), avocado with blue cheese (¥620) and the Bitter Sausage (¥730), which contains minced hops and is specially made for Popeye by an Asakusa sausage maker.

If it’s a diverse array of beer and beer-complementing fare you’re after, in Tokyo you can’t do better than Beer Club Popeye.

2-18-7 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku. Tel: 03-3633-2120. Open Mon-Sat and hols 5-11:30pm, closed Sun. Nearest stn: Ryogoku, west exit. www.40beersontap.com

Got something to say about this article? Send a letter to the editor at letters@metropolis.co.jp.

Listen to the Metropolis Podcast, the coolest guide to what goes on this week in Tokyo.

Looking for international friends? Check Japan, Inc. Friends now - it's 100% free!