Mugizakkoku Kobo's 'Ogawa Porter' and UTSUROI are tapped at Sakura Taps
On April 15, Sakura Taps in Yokohama's Yoshida-cho added two new beers to the lineup. Mugizakkoku Kobo's standard dark beer 'Ogawa Porter' and Yellow Monkey Brewing's sake-yeast beer 'UTSUROI' appeared, adding depth to the bar's eight taps.
Hop BroYou know, at Sakura Taps in Yokohama's Yoshida-cho, two beers were newly tapped on April 15. Mugizakkoku Kobo's 'Ogawa Porter' and Yellow Monkey Brewing's 'UTSUROI' were on the board the same day. That's pretty exciting, right?
MugiWhat! Dark beer and sake yeast at the same time? They're so far apart in direction that my brain can't quite catch up!
Hop Bro'Ogawa Porter' is Mugizakkoku Kobo's classic porter, with roasted aroma and bitterness as its signature. Sakura Taps describes it as having a clean finish, so even though it's a dark beer, it doesn't feel too heavy.
MugiA porter sounds heavy from the name alone, but what do you mean by clean finish? A dark beer that feels light... is that like black skinny jeans in clothing terms?
Hop BroPretty close. Porter brings out the toasty character of roasted malt, but the impression changes a lot depending on the way the drink is built. This one keeps the bitterness in check and lets you enjoy the roasted aroma.
MugiThen what exactly is 'UTSUROI'!? A beer that gives off ginjo aroma is making me want the sake and beer camps to hold a meeting!
Hop BroThat's what makes it interesting. Yellow Monkey Brewing's 'UTSUROI' is designed like a sake-yeast beer, with ginjo aromatics plus notes like ripe melon and pear, and even umami reminiscent of rice koji and wasanbon sugar.
MugiWow, that's a lot of aroma information! Getting melon and pear and then wasanbon too makes it elegant but also kind of festival-like.
Hop BroAnd on top of that, Sakura Taps had an eight-tap lineup that made tasting side by side fun. It spans everything from IPA to smoky styles, like 'Door to Summer / Mugizakkoku Kobo' and 'Yoshidacho Helles 2026 / Sakura Taps × Numazu Craft'.
MugiWhoa, so the depth of eight taps is what that means! A dark beer to settle into, then a fruity IPA to bounce off of, and then you can get delightfully lost in another aroma!
Hop BroExactly. It's the kind of place on the second floor along Noraneko Street in Yoshida-cho where you can enjoy coffee too and slowly tip back your glass.
MugiJust hearing about it makes me want a drink! Tonight I really want to decide whether to start with Ogawa Porter at Sakura Taps or dive straight into the aroma with UTSUROI!
At the beer pub Sakura Taps in Yokohama's Yoshida-cho, two beers were newly tapped on April 15. The additions are Mugizakkoku Kobo's Ogawa Porter and Yellow Monkey Brewing's UTSUROI. The lineup lets guests enjoy the calm drinkability of a dark beer and the bright character derived from sake yeast on the same day.
Ogawa Porter is a classic porter whose hallmarks are the roasted aroma of malt and the bitterness of hops. Sakura Taps describes it as having a "clean finish," making it an easy-to-drink dark beer that doesn't lean too heavily into richness. By contrast, UTSUROI is built around a ginjo-like aroma reminiscent of sake, layered with notes like ripe melon and pear, plus umami from rice koji and wasanbon sugar. It stands on the tap list as a sake-yeast beer with a distinct personality.
That day's draft lineup consisted of eight taps, including Door to Summer / Mugizakkoku Kobo, Yoshidacho Helles 2026 / Sakura Taps × Numazu Craft, Triple Cone / West Coast Brewing, No.03 Yayoi IPA #2 / FARMENTRY, ONMEN BRÄU / Baeren × Highbury, and Unexpected / Sakura Smoke Workshop × 254 Beer. From fruity IPAs to smoky collaborations to dark beer, the range is broad and makes tasting side by side fun.
Sakura Taps is a relaxed shop that lines up eight rotating craft beers every day and also offers hand-drip coffee. Located on the second floor in Yoshida-cho's Noraneko Street, it's a place where you can slowly tip your glass alongside a meal.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the venue’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroYou know, at Sakura Taps in Yokohama's Yoshida-cho, two beers were newly tapped on April 15. Mugizakkoku Kobo's 'Ogawa Porter' and Yellow Monkey Brewing's 'UTSUROI' were on the board the same day. That's pretty exciting, right?
MugiWhat! Dark beer and sake yeast at the same time? They're so far apart in direction that my brain can't quite catch up!
Hop Bro'Ogawa Porter' is Mugizakkoku Kobo's classic porter, with roasted aroma and bitterness as its signature. Sakura Taps describes it as having a clean finish, so even though it's a dark beer, it doesn't feel too heavy.
MugiA porter sounds heavy from the name alone, but what do you mean by clean finish? A dark beer that feels light... is that like black skinny jeans in clothing terms?
Hop BroPretty close. Porter brings out the toasty character of roasted malt, but the impression changes a lot depending on the way the drink is built. This one keeps the bitterness in check and lets you enjoy the roasted aroma.
MugiThen what exactly is 'UTSUROI'!? A beer that gives off ginjo aroma is making me want the sake and beer camps to hold a meeting!
Hop BroThat's what makes it interesting. Yellow Monkey Brewing's 'UTSUROI' is designed like a sake-yeast beer, with ginjo aromatics plus notes like ripe melon and pear, and even umami reminiscent of rice koji and wasanbon sugar.
MugiWow, that's a lot of aroma information! Getting melon and pear and then wasanbon too makes it elegant but also kind of festival-like.
Hop BroAnd on top of that, Sakura Taps had an eight-tap lineup that made tasting side by side fun. It spans everything from IPA to smoky styles, like 'Door to Summer / Mugizakkoku Kobo' and 'Yoshidacho Helles 2026 / Sakura Taps × Numazu Craft'.
MugiWhoa, so the depth of eight taps is what that means! A dark beer to settle into, then a fruity IPA to bounce off of, and then you can get delightfully lost in another aroma!
Hop BroExactly. It's the kind of place on the second floor along Noraneko Street in Yoshida-cho where you can enjoy coffee too and slowly tip back your glass.
MugiJust hearing about it makes me want a drink! Tonight I really want to decide whether to start with Ogawa Porter at Sakura Taps or dive straight into the aroma with UTSUROI!
