Behold! 

Back in October 2024, my partner and I had the pleasure of staying at The Villa & Barrel Lounge by West Coast Brewing. Friends who know us would know that this was all we talked about before and after the trip, and so I am very inspired to write this all down so that it too, will be rent-free in your head when you plan your next visit to Japan.

West Coast Brewing was introduced to us by our Japanese friend during a fun evening of drinking in a bottle shop in Tokyo. While having a few drinks together amidst the introductions and beer talk, we asked him, “What is your top craft beer brewery from Japan?” Without pause, he told us it was West Coast Brewing and proudly showed us his phone wallpaper which had the brewery logo. Hallmark of a true fan indeed. 

We then took the opportunity to try whatever beers we saw from West Coast Brewing during the trip. What charmed us the most is their ability and commitment to crafting new beers each week, as shown in their Instagram’s exciting “NEW RELEASE THURSDAY” posts. While they have traditional house names such as Starwatcher and Full Hop Alchemist, they challenge themselves to do something a little special for each batch, which is exciting for craft beer enjoyers looking to try new things or even revisit old flavours. They also have really cool labels for the label enthusiast which feature hop characters such as The Alchemist and The Nemesis. After excessive sleuthing of their Instagram accounts, we found out that they operate a taproom + guest house combination named, The Villa & Barrel Lounge, which is next to their taproom in Mochimune, Shizuoka.

The Villa & Barrel Lounge by West Coast Brewing

The Villa & Barrel Lounge has 5 rooms in the property, each being named after a hop accompanied with its own unique art mural. The highlight? Your very own kegerator (tap and keg) in the room, which features 10 liters of a villa-exclusive brew. Within the taproom, they have 16 taps featuring some of their newer brews and taster flights, along with differing menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Eat, drink, sleep, and repeat!

Upon arrival, we had a little bit of time before the check-in, so we took the time to indulge in the taproom. In summary, we enjoyed everything that we ate. We first ordered some fries, which were made with sliced baby potatoes and lightly sprinkled with salt. Definitely one of the most amazing bar bites to pair with our welcome beer. We then shared a plate of Mutton Curry Rice, which featured turmeric rice topped with gherkins, potatoes, and a quail egg, which was surrounded by a glorious concoction of curry. Even if you aren’t a morning person or enjoyed too much beer the previous evening, I would highly recommend getting up for breakfast as the Chicken & Waffles are one-of-a-kind. They make amazing cuppa coffee.

Even hop dudes have tipsy days.

For the check-in, we had a short, mini tour of The Villa, starting with the common spaces. Turns out, this building was originally a French restaurant, which retained some of the wooden furnishings and aesthetics after being converted. You could even see some of the old photos of the building in the staircase leading up to the rooms! Outside the rooms, there is a small guest pantry with disposable toiletries and bathrobes (Yup they sell them too). The water that they provide at the pantry is the very same Mochimune groundwater from 60m under which is used to brew their beers. It has a really heavy feeling to it but refreshing nonetheless.

Of course we took the Citra room!

We also got an in-room tour explaining the facilities and all. It was super exciting to see the highlight of the room, which was the kegerator and fridge loot. Having booked the early bird special, we received 4 complimentary cans of beer to bring home. Yay! For the in-room keg, we got to try their in-room exclusive brew, aptly named Villa_Original_21. It's a very crushable Italian Pilsner with Rosemary. As much as we aspired to consume all 10 litres during the stay, it was a challenge to do so amidst all the drinking at the taproom itself.

The room also comes with two servings of coffee beans, which are SUPER aromatic and overall awesome. The kind folks at the taproom may prepare a fresh cup for you, or if you are filling up to it, you may do the coffee grinding and filtering from the comfort of your room.

Some places to note which are nearby are the brewery itself along with the Mochimune Port Spa. You will need to make a reservation in advance to book a tour to the brewery, and it's only available on the weekends. So do plan in advance. As a guest at The Villa, you would get an entry pass into the Port Spa’s facilities, which features both an indoor and outdoor onsen for you to relax in after a long day of drinking.

GMT+9 

Like the word “barrel-aged" on your beers? You might like West Coast Brewing’s pilot project, GMT+9, which looks to create unique and innovative beers which represent the best of Shizuoka’s ingredients. With distribution for GMT+9 bottles being varied by batches, I find the Villa to be the best place to sample the brews. During our visit, they had 4 of the GMT+9’s on tap, which we managed to try in one go with the tasting set. One of the notable ones we tried was GMT+9 / The Dark Delight, a jubilant coffee chocolatey stout aged for about 3 years in whisky barrels from Gaiaflow Shizuoka Distillery. Amazing stuff. We also looted a GMT+9 / Passion Project -2023- back home as a souvenir. This is a sour that was made with locally-sourced honey and strawberries and aged for 24 months in red and white wine barrels.

It's a pretty nice box!

Looking back, I am glad we made the decision to stay at The Villa & Barrel Lounge instead of “saving it” for another time. With their constant efforts in crafting new beers, food and merch, the experience would be unique for each trip. So yes! If you are ever planning a trip around Shizuoka, I would highly recommend it as the Hop Dude will have something for everyone.

Contributed by Edward.

PS. If you've had a great experience at a bar, a brewery, a distillery - really anywhere you had a solid time and an equally solid drink - step forward and share your experience! Sharing is where it's at! Drop us your story at hi88bamboo@gmail.com!