Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2010

Photo by James Hadfield

Roppongi is good for a lot of things, but craft beer hasn’t traditionally been one of them. That might change with the opening of Malt Magic (B1 Minoya Bldg, 5-5-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku; http://beer.co.jp), an evening-only beer joint that shares the premises of one of those basement R&B clubs for which the neighborhood is better known. The brainchild of qualified brewmeister Tim Schlaghecke, it promises a rotating lineup of bottled and draft Japanese ji-biiru, complemented by an iPad menu and a bountiful stock of sausages, cheese and pretzels. Oh, and it’s the only bar in Japan that serves beer from a wooden barrel—imported from Germany, no less. The amber nectar will be flowing Monday-Saturday, 6pm-midnight.