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The Bliss Brewery : The Bottom Line
The Bliss Brewery has that exact some problem as other breweries that have sunk lots of money into the location and the building, but have forgotten about the actual thing they were built for – the beer. It’s a shame because the location and building are both really good, but the beers, well, weren’t worth the price of admission, though when you’re main business is weddings, then all you need to do is get people drunk. Hopefully on my next visit, and not for a wedding, I can reevaluate the beers, but for the time being, come for the food and the views – oh and the free WiFi.
The Bliss Brewery : Background
The Bliss Brewery is one of Yokohama’s more unusual recent additions to the craft-beer scene, having opened in August 2024 as part of The Bliss Brewery & Dining . What makes it particularly distinctive is its setting: rather than starting life as a conventional independent brewery, it was established within the grounds of Notre Dame Yokohama Minatomirai, a wedding venue operated by the Ai Group. The restaurant contains its own brewing equipment, with a dedicated brewer producing The Bliss Brewery’s original beers on site.
The brewery occupies a prime but slightly tucked-away position along the waterfront in Kitanakadori, between Bashamichi and Sakuragicho. It is only around a two- to three-minute walk from Bashamichi Station, while Sakuragicho is roughly seven to ten minutes away.
The Bliss Brewery : Atmosphere & Interior
Inside, the restaurant is bright and modern, with large windows looking towards the Minatomirai waterfront and a terrace overlooking the canal. The combination of waterfront views, food and house-brewed beer is central to the concept. The Bliss Brewery describes its beers as being designed around the idea of “three glasses”, encouraging people to settle in, talk and enjoy the moment rather than treating the beer as merely an accompaniment to dinner.
While the brewery is viewable to the public as you walk in, it’s not actually viewable inside which is a shame. It also seems to be rather secondary to the actual location as the kitchen is more open to public access than the brewery. There are 44 seats inside, divided between 32 table seats and 12 counter seats, with a further 24 seats on the outside terrace. The restaurant is open and relatively spacious rather than feeling like a cramped brewpub, with large windows giving the interior plenty of natural light. There is no table charge and the whole place is non-smoking as well. Dogs are allowed, but only on the outdoor terrace, not inside the restaurant.
The Bliss Brewery : Beer & Tap Information
At any one time, The Bliss Brewery has six taps of craft beer on, with all the taps being dedicated to their own offerings. The beers come in two sizes : half (240 ml) from ¥700 and pint (470 ml) from ¥1,300. There is also a three beer flight that gets you any three 150 ml beers for ¥1,800. If you go during lunch though, you can get three half pints for ¥2,000, or three pints for ¥3,000 – a much better deal if you ask me.
However, in spite of being open for two years at the time of writing, the beers weren’t very good. They were drinkable and kind of represented the styles they were supposed to match to, but all in all, I forgot about them that quickly that there is no brewery round up. A shame really as with this much money behind the place, you’d think you’d put at least some effort into making sure your beers are good.
The Bliss Brewery : Food & Menu Information
On the day I went to The Bliss Brewery, I wasn’t hungry, as per norm, so it was just a bowl of chips for me. I didn’t even bother looking at the food menu, as it didn’t really interest me, although I overheard someone saying I should order some chips. Or was that my internal voice? Either way, it seemed like the sensible option. The chips were good for what I paid, although in terms of salt, they needed considerably more. Still, they did the job nicely alongside a couple of beers and were exactly what I needed rather than a full meal I wasn’t going to finish.
The wider menu is more substantial, with oysters, seafood, grilled meats and various small plates designed to pair with the brewery’s beers. The menus were mostly in Japanese when I visited, so anyone who doesn’t read Japanese may need a little help navigating them. One useful point is that the prices listed did include tax, which is always appreciated when restaurants decide not to play the thrilling game of adding surprises to the bill at the end.
