Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2013
Yokohama’s “Beer-muda Triangle”—an area roughly encompassing Yokohama, Bashamichi and Kannai stations—is filled with craft brew pubs and bars such as Yokohama Brewing, Bashamichi Tap Room, Bay Brewing and the quintessential heavy metal craft beer bar, Thrash Zone (to name just a few). All have helped place the city at the nexus of Japan’s indie beer map.
Antenna America is no flashy brew pub, though, sitting on the fifth floor of a non-descript converted apartment building as it is. Owned by Nagano Trading Company—who have been bringing beer direct to Japan from American breweries since 2006—its decor is simple and sparse, with plain white walls and fluorescent lighting offsetting a gray-blue carpet. Various brewery posters cling to the walls or sit propped up on unused kegs and small tables to stand at are placed near the back. Turn to the left, though, and a small bar with keg taps and bottles reveals the depth of their niche. Glass refrigerators line the back wall stocked with 50-60 different types of beer from up to half a dozen of America’s best craft breweries such as Ballast Point, Stone, Speakeasy, Green Flash and Bear Republic.
Antenna features four rotating beers on tap, and we started with a Devil’s Canyon Full Boar Scotch (¥830) and a Green Flash Hop Odyssey Citra Session IPA (¥960). The Devil’s Canyon was dark and stout-ish, lightened by the slightly nutty and toasty malt taste—something whisky drinkers would enjoy. The IPA was crisp and hoppy, but not overly so, with the promised citrus easing the marijuana-like nose—definitely the better choice for the hot humid evening.
A simple food board breaks down the menu into three categories: chicken baskets, burgers and dogs, each with an amazing variety of sauces and mustards created by some of the breweries to mix and match. We opted for chicken drumsticks (¥600-¥1,200) with Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale chipotle sauce that turned out to be spicy and BBQ-y with plenty of meat on the bone—and included fresh celery sticks and a real blue cheese dressing for dipping.
The Cali-Belgique Dijon burger (¥650) was small, with a Japanese bakery-style bun, but a very American-style seasoned patty slathered with melted cheese and served with waffle-cut fries. A simple hot dog (¥450) served plain but with an invitation to avail yourself of all the craft brew condiments rounded out the meals.
The terrace on this converted apartment complex looks over a parking lot and the ass-end of Kannai and Noge, but there’s plenty of room to recommend it for a breezy summer night. We ended our foray into American craft beer territory here with a bottle of bitter, hopped up Speakeasy Big Daddy IPA and an Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale (both ¥650), which had a bourbon-like bite and pleasant, lingering finish—much like our latest venture into the “Beer-muda Triangle.”
