A Bungalow of Sweet, Sweet Craft Beer Love

So having put up with Nama Biru for the last 6 weeks, save for two visits to Tagd's in Kyoto, we finally decided to venture out to a new craft beer bar in Kyoto called Bungalow. Located at the corner of Shijo and Horikawa, it is conveniently located close to downtown.

We rode over to this place after our dinner at Kerala Indian Restaurant (our favorite Indian food here). The decor of Bungalow is very industrial/hipster... similar to a lot of the beer bars and breweries we were so fond of in San Diego. Based on their Facebook page, it seemed that they had about 10 rotating drafts, none of which was the normal run-of-the-mill Kirin/Sapporo/Yebisu garbage rice beer. We're talking beer with body, hop aromas, fruity esters, etc. I'm sure my pallet was on sensory overload as I started on the beer journey that took me from the mountains of Tottori (Daisen G Weizen by Kumezakura Daisen Brewery) to the sea at Osaka (Minoh W-IPA(double IPA) by A.J.I. Beer Inc.). Neither of these were cheap by US standards (~$9 for a 15oz pour), but were totally worth it.Meg tried a few chisai (schooner size glass) beers- Belgian White and a Belgian Stout, both of which were also delicious. We ordered a fine piece of cheesecake and ice cream to finish our night and thought were good to go...

... Until an overly friendly Japanese gentleman came into Bungalow by himself and asked to sit down at our table. Not knowing too many people in Kyoto, we kindly welcomed him in. Having joined our table, he insisted on an order of pickles (his treat) for us to share. I'm not a huge fan of pickles in general, but pickles after Indian food and cheesecake really didn't hit the spot. And we couldn't refuse- this is Japan, you eat what you are given whether it's plant or animal, cooked or raw, alive or dead, etc. After talking with him for a bit, we were able to conclude that he was an ex-employee of Panasonic and is now working for the Kyoto Chamber of Commerce. Since my background and current employment is in the same field he was in for ~40 years, we found an instant connection. I don't think he was too thrilled about his new gig, (and who would?), having worked at Panasonic for 40 years and now at the Chamber of Commerce. I'm not sure what events led up to his departure, but he didn't seem too positive about it. We exchanged contact information, as is tradition in Japan, and then we went on our separate ways.

Overall, Bungalow is a must-visit for anyone deprived of good beer. It's got great atmosphere, an awesome, fairly priced beer selection, and delicious food. On the SE corner of Shijo and Horikawa- don't forget it.  See the pictures below to get a feel for the bar and beer list.