Well, for starters, I like it. And since the days of Christian Von der Ahe opening a beer garden in play in right field at Sportsman's Park in St Louis, beer and baseball have been bosom buddies.
Although I missed having suds at Meiji Jingu, thus going 11 for 12 on Untapped and eternally regretting the miss, I still kept an eye on things at each stop (Hiroshima’s picture was crap, so I cut it). Here's what I saw.
First, the common point across all 12 ballparks was that the beer vendors in the stands were almost entirely women with draft kegs on their backs. This is a far cry better than the American system of lugging around an assortment of cans in a cooler.
Second, the usual price was ¥700 a pour, around $6.50 US or $8.50 Canadian. The Giants were the most expensive at ¥800 each serving, and the Fighters the cheapest at ¥650 each. Bonus points to the Hawks and Marines for having "happy hour" discounts of ¥200 off in the hour before first pitch.
Third, and most surprising to me, there were craft options. Four years ago, my last visit, you had to go actively looking for craft beer in Japan; clearly its time has come. The ballpark has long been the domain of the macros in Japan, so I can't understate how big of a deal this is.
The BayStars have their own craft beers, including a rotating seasonal offering, and they're sold in the stands by keg girls just like the macros and at the same price
The Eagles have a wider selection of their own craft options (six!), but they're only sold in kiosks around the park. Our spot in the left field bleachers was near one, luckily, and it was also the same price as the macros
The Giants have a few craft options at storefronts, but they don't serve a full pint for your ¥800
The Lions had an international beer storefront, including Guinness and Chimay (?!), understandably at a higher price point than the local macros
Not sure if I want this to be the last post on the travel-blog, so I might do a ballpark review next over the weekend.