Yebisu in Ebisu

A Draught of Beer with the God of Luck: the Yebisu Beer Museum, Tokyo

In 1890, the Japan Brewing Company, the oldest brewery in Japan, was established in Tokyo. The company hired a German brew master, and began began the country's now iconic Beer industry. They named their first beer "Yebisu", after the Japanese god of fortune.

On the evening of my last full day in Japan, I headed to Ebisu neighborhood to take a tour of the Yebisu Beer Museum, the headquarters and home of Japan's first beer.

Ebisu, the God of Luck

The Ebisu neighborhood is actually named for the brewery. Yebisu is the name of the beer and the archaic spelling of the god of fortune, who is nowadays called Ebisu. It's confusing, but both words are actually just pronounced "Ebisu". Either spelling is alright!

the Yebisu Museum in Tokyo 

At first, it took a while for beer to take off in Japan. In the late 19th century, one bottle of Yebisu cost as much as ten bowls of noodles, and was therefore really only enjoyed by the elite. Another hurdle that the company had to pass was the hesitance of the Japanese people to adopt a malt drink in lieu of their traditional rice-based beverages.

Today, Japan has dozens of different types of beers. The drink has become super popular, and there are even beer vending machines! Japan has more types and flavors of beer than Thailand does, with interesting flavors, seasonal varieties, and even an interesting craft beer industry.

display of old bottles in the beer museum

The museum is located inside of an old brick building surrounded by the trendy shops, bars, parks, and cafes of what is now the Ebisu neighborhood.

the grand entrance to the Yebisu Museum

I wanted to take a tour of the museum and brewery, but unfortunately tours were only offered in Japanese. Instead, I walked through the museum myself. The exhibits were in English and Japanese, and I got to see old bottles, vintage advertisements, and all sorts of Yebisu brand promotional goods. After that, I paid a visit to the tasting room.

at the museum's tasting room 

To visit the tasting room, first you have to exchange some yen for a Yebisu Coin, a golden coin about the size of a half dollar minted with the beer's logo, a depiction of the god of fortune holding a large fish.

coaster and Yebisu coin 

Yebisu is supposed to be one of Japan's more premium beers, but there are small-batch brews and flavors that you can only get at the tasting room. I ordered the tasting set, a flight of three small glasses, each one shaped to fit the character of the beer that it held.

the tasting set 

From left to right: Yebisu Kohaku (red beer), Yebisu Premium (their standard beer), and Yebisu Black (a dark beer). The set also came with a small tray of pickles.

The museum had a great gift shop, but I didn't end up getting anything. I had an extra Yebisu Coin left over, so I kept that as the souvenir of my visit instead!

the tasting room at the Yebisu Beer Museum

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like reading about the Beer Lao Factory in Vientiane, Laos! 

>> https://michaeldesrosiers.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-weekend-in-vientiane-300th-post.html