Craft Beer Japan [iPhone]

Craft Beer Japan is the most comprehensive beer application in Japan. It provides essential information on bars, restaurants and retailers that offer craft beer all across Japan. Find craft beer wherever you are! The app is produced and fully supported by Japan Beer Times, the craft beer magazine of Japan, and receives regular, timely updates to its content. Additionally, special offers packaged into the app make it pay for itself many times over. Want the best beer in Japan? You will likely not need any other app.

Features:

*Reviews
In addition to basic information (address, hours, etc), the app regularly posts photographs and new reviews of establishments. All reviews are from veteran staff writers that have actually visited the establishments; no information is recycled or rewritten from other sources, resulting in accurate, honest and informative reviews. Reviews are in English and Japanese.

Review pages include several convenient buttons. “Share” allows you to e-mail the review and essential store information to anyone. “Kanpai” (meaning “cheers” in Japanese) allows users to recommend the store via Twitter. On the review page, users can also see how many other users have recommended the place. “Call” dials the establishment for you immediately (some popular places do ask for reservations!). “Open in Maps” shows you the location of the store, allowing you to plot a course from your current location.

*Beer Map
Using your GPS location, we show you which bars, restaurants, brewpubs and retailers are closest to you. Expand or zoom in to figure out how to get from one place to the next (and the next…).

*Blackboard
Located at the bottom of select review pages, the “blackboard” features specials and coupons offered through the app by the establishments themselves. Your potential savings are enormous.

How it Works:
The app uses cellular or Wi-fi connections to regularly update its content, including its coupons. This also enables GPS for use in the Beer Map. However, if you are visiting from overseas and simply want a static version of the reviews that doesn’t require a connection, the app can download the most recent data available to your phone. Since many of the bars and restaurants (as well as other locations around Japan) offer free Wi-fi, you can simply update your data, if necessary, when you visit one of these spots.

Future versions of the app, already under construction, will build out in exciting ways from these current features. Be prepared to know everything about craft beer in Japan!

About Japan Beer Times:
Japan Beer Times is the craft beer magazine of Japan, published seasonally in bilingual (English and Japanese) format. It is distributed to hundreds of locations across Japan, with additional subscribers in countries around the world. It enjoys broad support from the craft beer community and has gained respect for its balanced, informative reporting. Its official slogan is, “Bad Beer is the Enemy: just ask your doctor, counselor, or best friend.” Seriously, go ask. If they agree, get this app!