Beer is the most popular alcohol drink in Japan. pronounced
"bi-ru" it was only introduced into Japan in 1870 by an American
named William Copeland. who set up the Spring Valley Brewery,
The brewery later changed its name to Kirin after a mythological
half horse and half dragon that was depicted on their label for
luck.
It didn't take long for the Japanese to shun Sake in favor of beer,
today there are hundreds of micro breweries across Japan producing
thousands of boutique beers along side the major well know brands.
Beer around Japan can be reasonably priced if you go to the right
bars, it is also very cheap for supermarkets and the street side vending
machines that seam to be popular all across Japan. Draft beer is always
served with quite a large head, sometimes there beer poring technique
may seem a bit over the top for some tastes.
Asahi Super Dry
Asahi is Japan's most popular beer and is
also number 4 in world wide beer sales, Asahi claim that their
Asahi Super Dry was the worlds first dry beer, it has a light
yellow color with a good head and is very clean and crisp.
Kirin Ichiban
Kirin produce a variety of beer products with
the most popular export being the Kirin ichiban beer. Ichiban
means first pressing which is the method of producing the beer
with the very first wort. the result is a mild and pure tasting
5.0% beer
Orion Draft
Originally brewed and only sold in Okinawa by
the Orion Breweries, Orion Beer has recently been made and
marketed by Asahi Breweries under license to the rest of Japan
as Asahi Orion Draft Beer. This 5.0% beer has a crisp refreshing
feel and mild taste, Orion Pils and Orion Larger is also
available in Japan, Orion Draft has been exported to some parts
of the US in recent years.
Sapporo Premium
Sapporo beers date back to 1876, with the founding of the
Kaitakushi Brewery, the first Bavarian-style brewing company in
Japan, there are several Sapporo products with the most well
known being the Sapporo premium that is exported to many
countries and is well known for its distinctive steel can. This
5.0% larger has h a refreshing flavor and moderately light body.
