Orion Zero Life

ZERO LIFE. Scary name for a beer, especially from the happy islands of Okinawa. Below the name the slogan goes like: "Orion 'Zero Life' will make your life more happy and active." And finally the banner tops it off with "Smart life, zero life." Wow, need I say more? Actually I need. How about renaming it from Zero Life to Zero Taste...because that's what it is.

Name: Orion Zero Life
Ingredients: Happōshu (malt, hops, sugars, caramel pigment, dietary fiber, yeast extract, soybean peptide, sweetener [acesulfame K]), spirits (barley)
Alcohol content: 3% or above but below 4%
Tax category: New Genre
Company: Orion Breweries

Otaru Bakusyu - Pilsner

Hard to come by some good pilsner in Japan. This one has a bit of watery aftertaste, but overall it is pretty one. Give it a try!

Name: Otaru Bakusyu - Pilsner
Ingredients: Malt, hops
 Alcohol content: 5%
Tax category: Beer
Company: Hokkaidō Brewing
Location: Otaru city, Hokkaidō

Echigo Beer - Summer White

Having a Summer White in the middle of winter. The best low-malt beer I have ever had.
 

Name: Echigo Beer - Summer White
Ingredients: Barley malt, wheat malt, hops, wheat, sugars, coriander, orange peel, ginger
Alcohol content: 5%
Tax category: Happōshu (malt content 25% or above but below 50%)
Company: Echigo Beer
Location: Niigata city, Niigata prefecture 

Grand Kirin Bittersweet

Compared to the other five Grand Kirin products, probably this one is the worst. It is called Bittersweet, but to me it just tastes Waytoosweet. Unlike many Southeast Asian beers that have a hint of sweetness, this one leaves a massive milky sweetish aftertaste. Brrr...

Besides, Bittersweet seems to destroy the original concept of selling the proto Grand Kirin product at all convenience stores and the four other ones at a specific convenience store. It is sold at 7-Eleven stores along with its older brother The Aroma.

Since only Bittersweet and The Aroma contain sugars among the Grand Kirin lineup, could it be the Bittersweet will replace The Aroma? Let's wait and see...

Name: Grand Kirin Bittersweet
Launch date: December 2, 2014

Ingredients: Malt, hops, sugars (lactose)

Alcohol content: 5.5%
Tax category: Beer
Company: Kirin Brewery
Note: Sold at 7-Eleven only.

Japanese brewers turning to craft beer

Major Japanese brewing companies are stepping up development of craft beer amid falling domestic demand. Domestic beer shipments declined for 9 consecutive years until 2013 when they hit a record low. One reason is that younger drinkers are choosing other beverages. In an effort to reach new markets, beer companies are developing craft beers with unique flavors and aromas. They're produced mainly in microbreweries. Kirin Brewery will set up small brewing facilities at its plants in Yokohama and Tokyo. The company will start selling 10 varieties of craft beer online later this year. A Kirin official says craft beer accounts for less than 1 percent of Japan's beer market, while it amounts to around 14 percent in the United States. He says there is potential for growth. Asahi Breweries plans to launch 4 varieties of craft beer beginning in February. Sapporo Brewery is also considering increasing production of craft beer this year.

 

NHK World (January 2, 2015)