Microbrews and Heavy Metal go together like peanut butter and pickles. You might not think you will like it, but once your mouth is puckering with a super hoppy American West Coast style IPA, and your head starts bobbing to some ‘80s Metallica, you’ll soon get it.
Koichi Katsuki opened Thrashzone 6 years ago in homage to his love of Microbrews and Heavy Metal, and he has developed a loyal following of locals and expats to his utilitarian brewpub. The décor consists of concrete, vintage Metal and Punk posters, and a huge façade of Marshall amps. At a nearby location, he has a one-barrel brewery where he crafts his own beers to serve in his shop.
Koichi-san has taken several extended trips to the US to research his favorite breweries, to decide which beers to import, to source hops, and to get brewing tips from his American counterparts. In addition to American microbrews, usually of the heavy-hopped varieties, he rotates fine crafted Japanese small batch brews, and one or two of his own creations as well.
On a recent visit, Koichi-san was pouring two intensely hopped imported IPAs from Green Flash and Ballast Point breweries in California, a Stout from Shinano brewery in Japan, his own Hopslave, and his own nice citrusy summer brew called Sad but True. Hopslave is an American West Coast style Double IPA with intense hoppiness in both the nose, and in the bitterness, while maintaining balance and drinkability.
In addition to the beer, he serves delicious Belgian style fries with a twist: You choose which type of four different heirloom potatoes and unique sauces to combine to wash down your beer. The prices are reasonable- ranging from 500 to 1000 yen for a pint, and 500 yen for the fries.
The only downside to Thrashzone–you’ll likely end up staying longer than you thought you would due to the fantastic beers, rockin’ tunes, and good vibes that Koichi-san brews up in this Yokohama beer lover’s destination.
Thrashzone is just a 5 minute walk from the Northwest exit of Yokohama station. Maybe I’ll see you head-banging there soon!
