While people comment on the increasing number of small-scale breweries and craft-beer bars in Japan, I can't help but notice that Belgian beer is also gaining a lot of attention — albeit on a lesser scale.
Among the many Belgian-style pubs in the city, Beer Cafe Brugse Zot in Nihonbashi's Coredo Muromachi 2 building, which opened in March, stands out. Even on a recent weekday daytime visit, the bar was already bustling, with staff rushing to deliver orders to middle-aged ladies who had likely been shopping at one of the many department stores in the area.
The pub is also the official restaurant for De Halve Maan, a Belgian brewery with more than 450 years of history. The signature beer is Brugse Zot (¥900), a fruity pale-blond ale that comes with a light citrus aroma, but the menu features such a wide range of beers of different flavors that even beer haters will find at least one brew to enjoy. Yes, that's right, beer haters — according to Satoko Miyamoto, PR spokeswoman at World Liquor Importers, which imports De Halve Maan beers into Japan, young people these days are drinking less alcohol, and they increasingly tend to dislike the bitter taste of beer.
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