Golden Week at The Fishmarket Taproom in Numazu

It's no secret that we love Baird Beer and The Fishmarket Taproom in Numazu. If you are a fan of Japanese craft beer, put Numazu on your list of must visit places. Don't put it on your list of places to go if you have time, put it right up there with Kyoto, Hiroshima and any other place that has mass appeal. Numazu is a great town and The Fishmarket Taproom is the best bar serving the best beer in Japan.

I'll try and articulate the greatness of the bar and the beer-but for sure some of it will be lost along the way. The minute you climb the steps and walk into the second floor of a building that looks over the Numazu Fishmarket--you know you have found someplace special. The bar is inviting and full of life.

Over the Golden Week Holiday I arrived in Numazu with my friends around noon. We found ourselves blessed with some great weather, and immediately headed down to the market for some fresh sushi. The food was great. After lunch, we decided that it would be a good idea to stop into The Fishmarket Taproom for a quick pint (or two) before exploring some more and trying to enjoy the outdoors a bit.

We entered the Taproom to find Sayuri behind the bar working away as always, Bryan enjoying a pint near the window chatting with some customers, and a bluegrass/Irish folk band setting up shop in the corner. I mean where else can you go in Japan and just stumble onto that? We got a pint (I chose the Angry Boy of course) and listened to the boys pick and grin a bit. Bryan greeted us (friendly as always) and we chatted about our trip, and of course, Japanese craft beer. We finished our drinks, said we would be back later on, and headed outside to enjoy the weather.


We came back about four hours later to find Bryan, Chris Poel (Baird's new brewer) and Rob the Potter posted up near the window laughing and enjoying Bryan and Chris's creations. Bryan let out a yell and said he thought we had forgot about him, but he said he was glad to see we still had the sense enough to come back and drink beer. Of course.

I started off with a Bitter Cold Day Black IPA (I think that's the name?) and it was a hoppy, black kick to the teeth. And delicious. I won't review all of the beers we drank since I can't remember all of their names and even what we did and didn't drink. Everything that we had was good, and worth a try. I do remember the Bureiko Jikan, Morning Coffee Stout, Yuzu Ale, and Black IPA were stellar.

My friend Nick and I grabbed some pints and went to join Bryan, Chris, and Rob the Potter near the window. We talked like we were old friends, even though I was meeting Chris for the first time.

Bryan Baird, Chris Poel, Rob the Potter and DH chatting it up at The Fishmarket Taproom in Numazu.

For those of you who don't know him, Bryan Baird is one hell of a nice guy. He hails from Cincinnati, not too far from my hometown, so immediately we found some common ground. We talked of beers at home, and beers in Japan. I can say without a doubt that Bryan is the most approachable Master Brewer I have ever met. He is always willing to talk about his passion for brewing, and I am always willing to listen.

I found Chris Poel to be the same. A great guy with a love for making great beer. He said he has been working like a dog since his start at Baird Beer on April, 1st of this year. He even went as far as to say he has lost 15 pounds since that date. He looked and said he was tired, but most importantly--he said he was loving it. Chris mentioned that when he was talking to Bryan about the job, he made it clear that he wanted to work for Baird Beer the rest of his life. That was a trait that Bryan was looking for. Bryan made a great point when he said that there were many people that were willing to volunteer their time to learn, but none willing to stay and work. I'm looking forward to see what Chris and Bryan brew up in the future.

Of course, The Taproom was the site of the first ever meeting between DH and Chris Chuwy--and good times were had by all. Chuwy and crew were busy biking "The Fujinator" (a hellacious course bicycling all around Fuji while hitting the breweries along the way) and didn't have a lot of time to spend. We talked about Japanese craft beer, our blogs, and what we can do to make what we do better.
By this time the bar was packed, and I felt like I was at home in KY at one of my favorite watering holes. Bryan and Sayuri were playing the sweet sounds of Loretta Lynn (a favorite daughter of Kentucky) over the speakers at the Taproom. I don't know if they did it on purpose to celebrate two Kentuckians coming, but we'd like to think they did. The Taproom just makes you feel like you are at home with friends--and that I dig. We got to see Bryan and Sayuri's cute kids running around being the bar as Bryan and I continued to talk about the beer scene in Japan. I wish I could have recorded all of what we said, or more importantly--all of the good advice and gems that Bryan said.

If you plan on going to The Fishmarket Taproom, make sure you give yourself enough time. We posted up at the bar from about 6pm-10pm--and I could have stayed longer. This isn't the place where you go and grab a quick pint--this is the type of place where you saddle up the bar, hunker down and go to work.

Let it be known that Chris, Bryan and Sayuri are our friends--but we are in no way sponsored or compensated for what we are saying. The Good Beer Country Boys will tell it how it is when we drink some beer that stinks--and for sure we have drank quite a bit of it here in Japan. We will also tell you when we drink something special, and Baird Beer is special.
I put Baird Beer on the same level as Stone, Rogue, and Bell's (Nate would add Flying Dog)--some of the brewers that I think are making the best beer in the world right now. The day is coming when Baird Beer will be known all over Japan and the US. Make sure you are one of the few that can say they knew about Baird "way back when..."

Nate is already planning on hitting up The Fishmarket Taproom at the end of this month with some friends visiting from Kentucky. I wish I could be there!
Do yourself a favor--if you like craft beer, drink Baird Beer in Numazu. Make sure and tell them that we sent you--they won't hold it against you.

I promise to post some new pics as soon as I get them!!!!!