SAKE-YA

Mugi-chan, do you know Kitami? Under the Odakyu Line tracks, there’s this interesting place where a liquor shop, a restaurant, a brewery, and a coworking space are all connected. It’s called SAKE-YA Kitami.

Exactly. It’s run by a company called Beer Planning Co., Ltd., and its president, Norioka Nomura, opened the first "Beer Kobo" in Koenji in 2010. From there, they expanded their brewpubs along the Chuo Line to Asagaya, Ogikubo, Nakano, and Nishi-Ogikubo.

It opened in April 2021. The brick-style space under the tracks has a great atmosphere. There are always 10 taps: half are original beers brewed in-house, and the other half are guest beers from other breweries. Because they brew in small batches, the lineup changes every time you go, which makes it fun.

Among the ones I’ve had, "KITAMI #15 Belgian Pale Ale" was especially memorable. It’s fruity but also a little spicy, easy to drink, yet it leaves a strong malty sweetness behind. They also have the standard "Blonde" recipe that’s shared across all locations.

That’s another key point of this place. They call it a "fermentation bistro," and the dishes made with vegetables and fermented foods from Komae go really well with the beer. Plus, the attached liquor shop section carries 250 kinds of craft beer, so if you find one you like, you can buy it to take home.

I really like Nomura’s way of thinking. He wants to create a new beer culture as a "neighborhood beer shop" where you can drink freshly made beer, instead of mass production. Each location has its own brewer, and they make beer suited to that neighborhood. It’s interesting that even though it’s a chain, it doesn’t feel uniform.