Patrasche -Belgian bar in Kawasaki

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.

Spring Valley revisited

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.

The Grafton- Irish bar(?) in Gotanda

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:

The Thrash Zone - nice micro brewery beer bar in Yokohama

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:

• Nagahama ale
• Minoh stout
• Minoh pale ale
• Inowashiro weissen
• Beahern pale ale
• Shinano mountain ale

(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.

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Aka beko - Aizu beer

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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.