(photo: Brooklyn Brewery’s New York taproom)

Earlier this month news broke that a taproom for New York-based Brooklyn Brewery would open in Tokyo’s busy Nihonbashi-Kabutocho neighborhood. In some ways this isn’t a total surprise. Kirin manages and distributes the Brooklyn Brewery brand in Japan via its subsidiary, Brooklyn Brewery Japan, and also owns a minority share in the U.S. business (the share is less than 25%, thus meeting the Brewers Association’s definition of craft brewery in America). What’s surprising is that this marks Brooklyn Brewery’s first taproom in world outside its home in New York.

According to Kirin’s official press release, the flagship store will simply be called “B”, a nod to its iconic brand logo which features the letter prominently. It will be located in a historic, 1923 building in the district called K5. The building, which is undergoing a complete overhaul, will house a hotel, other retail businesses, and spaces with flora and other architectural design attractions. While the business will officially open on February 1st, 2020, we will get a sneak peek of the space in late December.

The timing is good for Brooklyn Brewery. In the bigger picture, other craft breweries have found success with satellite taprooms in Tokyo, what with its dense, massive population. Brooklyn Brewery’s brand awareness has also been steadily growing in Japan thanks to widespread distribution via Kirin’s tap marché system, which is a small-scale server that Japan’s typically space-confined restaurants and bars can more easily accommodate. Brooklyn Brewery, however, has long had a presence in Japan. It was the brewery’s first export market, shortly after it was founded in the late 1980s. When asked for details of their first export endeavors, co-founder Steve Hindy responded, “It was 1989! We shipped by sea and some by air. I think I have a bottle with one of the ‘BY AIR FROM BROOKLYN’ stickers.”

Thankfully, soon veteran fans and newcomers alike will be able to enjoy the brewery’s world-class beverages in a dedicated taproom in the heart of Tokyo. We look forward to the opening, and will report again after the preview event in December.