Shinjuku's local beer bar Marumugi serves five craft beers on March 23
Marumugi, a local beer bar in Arakicho, Tokyo, published its tap list for March 23, 2026. A total of five beers from Ushitora Brewery, Minoh Beer, Repubrew, and Minamishinshu Beer are featured. From porter to IPA to apple ale, the lineup lets you choose across roasted notes, hop character, and fruitiness.
Hop BroToday's Marumugi tap list in Shinjuku's Arakicho is interesting. On March 23, 2026, five beers from Ushitora Brewery, Minoh Beer, Repubrew, and Minamishinshu Beer are lined up, so you can chase roastiness, hop character, and fruitiness all in one place.
MugiWait, you mean all five are on tap!? And they’re all so different that I’m happy as a beginner, but if I pick the wrong order my mouth might turn into total gridlock!
Hop BroFirst up as the dark-beer gateway is Ushitora Brewery's Popopopo~ta~. Since it's a porter, the key is the roasted malt aroma, and the point is that it stays easygoing rather than too heavy.
MugiA porter, what is that, like a relative of black beer!? But if it’s 'easygoing,' maybe I won’t have to be scared of an evening pint.
Hop BroExactly. Roughly speaking, it’s the type that lets you enjoy the aroma of roasted malt. And Minoh Beer’s MUGICHA BITTER is, as the name suggests, leaning bitter, with a barley-tea-like roastiness and a calm bitterness that should slowly come through.
MugiBarley-tea-like beer!? MUGICHA BITTER sounds like barley tea drank all summer and then evolved into this!? It’s making me curious, and the more you explain it, the more I want to drink it!
Hop BroThat’s where Repubrew’s FONIO BEER comes in, and that’s a nice touch. Fonio has a character that comes from ancient grain, so it’s fun to look for grain notes that differ from the usual malt profile.
MugiAncient grain means it’s basically a scent that crosses time and space! But if it has character, does that mean it’s a little funky and more for advanced drinkers?
Hop BroIt’s less about being extremely funky and more about having a clear outline in a tasting lineup. And Minoh Beer’s Osaru IPA shifts the focus to hops. The aroma and bitterness are both distinct, and among Marumugi’s lineup it’s the one that most clearly brings out the beer character.
MugiWhoa, so that’s the one with hop character dead center! IPAs have this kind of scary image, but with a lineup like this, comparing the flavors sounds way more fun!
Hop BroFor the fruitiness at the end, Minamishinshu Beer’s Apple Hop Orin Ver. is the one to go for. It has a crisp freshness that calls to mind Orin green apples, and after the roastiness and bitterness it resets your palate cleanly.
MugiNice, ending on green-apple freshness is the best! If you can drink a five-tap lineup with this much range in Shinjuku, I’d want to stop by after work or on the weekend. I’m basically not going home today.
Hop BroAnd it’s in a small beer bar on the 2nd floor of Ichibankan Building in Arakicho, Shinjuku, which opened in 2011, so the atmosphere is good too. It’s within walking distance of Yotsuya-Sanchome, and it feels like a place where you can choose based on the weather or how you’re feeling, so it’s easy to walk in casually and start with one drink or compare several.
MugiThen today we toast with both gentleness and drinkability on the table! From porter to IPA, and finishing with Orin, Hop bro and I are probably not making it home!
March 23 lineup balances gentleness and drinkability
The beer menu at Marumugi on this day is large size JPY 1,200+ / small size JPY 900+. The five taps announced span different directions, from soft dark beers to a hop-forward pour and even an ale that highlights apple-derived aroma.
- Popopopo~ta~ (Ushitora Brewery)
- MUGICHA BITTER (Minoh Beer)
- FONIO BEER (Repubrew)
- Osaru IPA (Minoh Beer)
- Apple Hop Orin Ver. (Minamishinshu Beer)
In the comments, the porter and bitter beers are given a gentle tone, FONIO BEER is presented as having the character of an ancient grain, and Apple Hop Orin Ver. is positioned as a crisp beer that evokes green apple. As a result, the lineup makes it easy to choose whether you want something easygoing or something that delivers aroma and bitterness.
The atmosphere of the bar
Marumugi is a small beer bar on the 2nd floor of Ichibankan Building in Arakicho, Shinjuku Ward, and it opened in 2011. It is within walking distance of Yotsuya-Sanchome Station, making it a natural stop for a drink on the way home from work. The way the bar announces its offerings while referencing the day’s weather and the staff’s condition also gives off the friendly, neighborhood-beer-pub feel that makes it easy for first-time visitors to walk in.
For anyone who wants to compare roastiness, hops, and fruitiness all in one place, this is an easy tap list to choose from.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the venue’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroToday's Marumugi tap list in Shinjuku's Arakicho is interesting. On March 23, 2026, five beers from Ushitora Brewery, Minoh Beer, Repubrew, and Minamishinshu Beer are lined up, so you can chase roastiness, hop character, and fruitiness all in one place.
MugiWait, you mean all five are on tap!? And they’re all so different that I’m happy as a beginner, but if I pick the wrong order my mouth might turn into total gridlock!
Hop BroFirst up as the dark-beer gateway is Ushitora Brewery's Popopopo~ta~. Since it's a porter, the key is the roasted malt aroma, and the point is that it stays easygoing rather than too heavy.
MugiA porter, what is that, like a relative of black beer!? But if it’s 'easygoing,' maybe I won’t have to be scared of an evening pint.
Hop BroExactly. Roughly speaking, it’s the type that lets you enjoy the aroma of roasted malt. And Minoh Beer’s MUGICHA BITTER is, as the name suggests, leaning bitter, with a barley-tea-like roastiness and a calm bitterness that should slowly come through.
MugiBarley-tea-like beer!? MUGICHA BITTER sounds like barley tea drank all summer and then evolved into this!? It’s making me curious, and the more you explain it, the more I want to drink it!
Hop BroThat’s where Repubrew’s FONIO BEER comes in, and that’s a nice touch. Fonio has a character that comes from ancient grain, so it’s fun to look for grain notes that differ from the usual malt profile.
MugiAncient grain means it’s basically a scent that crosses time and space! But if it has character, does that mean it’s a little funky and more for advanced drinkers?
Hop BroIt’s less about being extremely funky and more about having a clear outline in a tasting lineup. And Minoh Beer’s Osaru IPA shifts the focus to hops. The aroma and bitterness are both distinct, and among Marumugi’s lineup it’s the one that most clearly brings out the beer character.
MugiWhoa, so that’s the one with hop character dead center! IPAs have this kind of scary image, but with a lineup like this, comparing the flavors sounds way more fun!
Hop BroFor the fruitiness at the end, Minamishinshu Beer’s Apple Hop Orin Ver. is the one to go for. It has a crisp freshness that calls to mind Orin green apples, and after the roastiness and bitterness it resets your palate cleanly.
MugiNice, ending on green-apple freshness is the best! If you can drink a five-tap lineup with this much range in Shinjuku, I’d want to stop by after work or on the weekend. I’m basically not going home today.
Hop BroAnd it’s in a small beer bar on the 2nd floor of Ichibankan Building in Arakicho, Shinjuku, which opened in 2011, so the atmosphere is good too. It’s within walking distance of Yotsuya-Sanchome, and it feels like a place where you can choose based on the weather or how you’re feeling, so it’s easy to walk in casually and start with one drink or compare several.
MugiThen today we toast with both gentleness and drinkability on the table! From porter to IPA, and finishing with Orin, Hop bro and I are probably not making it home!