Most Popular New Genre Beers on the Market

OK, me and Miki got together for some serious drinking, but we had nothing to compare. So what do you do? We picked some beers we already had before. This time we picked the most popular new genre brands of the four major Japanese beer makers. Same old, same old... here comes the ranking. Oh, forgot to say, our ranking was identical.

1. Suntory Kinmugi
2. Clear Asahi
3. Sapporo Mugi to Hop / The Gold
4. Kirin Nodogoshi Nama

Yebisu Natsu no Koku

Just like the can says, it is best "on the rocks." Nice 7% punch. Actually it is/was only available as part of gift packs, but for some reason I came across two cans of this brew at a local Sugita store which is about to go out of business in a few days.

Name: Yebisu Natsu no Koku

Ingredients: Malt, hops

Alcohol content: 7%

Tax category: Beer

Company: Sapporo Breweries

Asahi Aqua Blue

For ranking, check out my Light Happōshu post.

Name: Asahi Aqua Blue

Launch:

Ingredients: Malt, hops, barley, barley extract, starch, sugars, yeast extract, seaweed extract

Alcohol content: 5%

Tax category: Happōshu

Company: Asahi Breweries 

Asahi Style Free

For ranking, check out my Light Happōshu post.

 

Name: Asahi Style Free

Launch:
Ingredients: Malt, hops, sugars, caramel pigment, yeast extract, soy protein
Alcohol content: 4%
Tax category: Happōshu
Company: Asahi Breweries

Light Happōshu

Another weekend, another beer battle. This time, we compared all six low cal/low carb happōshu (low malt beer) currently on the market. My partner in crime was my fellow beer lover Miki. We usually stay away from light beer, but we decided what the heck let's give'em a try. However, our prejudice against light beer proved us right. Light beer just doesn't cut it for us. But nevermind all that. Here comes our ranking. 

Miki's ranking
1. Asahi Aqua Blue
2. Kirin Zero
3. Asahi Style Free
4. Kirin Tanrei Green Label
5. Sapporo Koku Zero
6. Kirin Tanrei Double

My ranking
1. Sapporo Koku Zero
2. Asahi Aqua Blue
3. Kirin Tanrei Green Label
4. Kirin Zero
5. Asahi Style Free
6. Kirin Tanrei Double

See ranking of light new genre here.

Fall Lineup 2014

Well I'm only human. Just realized that Kirin has been putting out "real" beers in the fall. So I apologize for segregating Sapporo's winter edition last year for being real beer. (Actually I am writing this post in January 2015 and I left out Sapporo's winter beer in 2014 as well.)

Anyways, I was gonna have a little get together and compare these brews, but for whatever reason I ended up drinking them by myself. But just for the heck of it, let me post this group pic of these babies.

Suntory Aki no Zeitaku

Great taste, but it tastes kinda like Kirin's Koi Aji.

Name: Suntory Aki no Zeitaku

Launch date: 

Ingredients: Happōshu (malt, hops, sugars), spirits (wheat), carbon dioxide

Alcohol content: 6%

Tax category: Beer

Company: Suntory Holdings

Note: Limited quantity.