Lambic

Atsugi Beer Brewery has been producing top quality Belgian-style beer since 1997, so they’ve had plenty of time to perfect their craft. Next door is brewpub Lambic, where you can sample all varieties of Atsugi Beer at the amazingly reasonable price of around ¥600 for a pint – which makes up for the fact that the venue is a little out of the way; about 50 minutes from Shinjuku. The selection includes both light and rich ales, with one of our favourites being Framboise Lambic, a beer originally from Belgium that balances sweet and sour flavours and has a hint of raspberry aroma. The Lambic is unusual for Japan as microbreweries here tend to steer away from sour beers since it can be tricky to handle wild yeast and lactic acid bacteria. But the Atsugi Beer brewers have trained in wineries across Yamanashi, picking up the skills needed to produce this sort of beer. If you’re hungry, choose from dishes such as pork ribs in ponzu sauce and stone-baked Korean bibimbap.