Japanese Beers

In Japan, beer is readily enjoyed throughout the meal, from the first small dishes to grilled meat. The major Japanese brands generally favour clean, easy-drinking lagers, while craft breweries experiment more with hops, rice, yuzu, tea and even sweet potato. Each brand nevertheless has a clearly identifiable style.

When choosing a Japanese beer, the simplest guide is the style you are looking for: Asahi for a very dry finish, Kirin for greater roundness, Sapporo for balance, then Coedo, Iki or Hikari for more distinctive flavours.

Asahi, Kirin and Sapporo: the major Japanese beers

Asahi Super Dry lives up to its name: it is a dry, lively lager with very little sweetness, pronounced carbonation and a particularly clean finish. It pairs well with fried foods, salty flavours and Japanese savoury snacks, as it refreshes the palate without masking their seasonings.

Kirin Ichiban has a slightly rounder, maltier profile. It is brewed using Ichiban Shibori, a process that uses only the first wort to produce a balanced beer with a smooth mouthfeel and light hoppiness. It pairs particularly well with skewers and dishes seasoned with a yakitori or teriyaki sauce. Kirin is also available in an alcohol-free version.

Sapporo Premium sits between the dryness of Asahi and the maltier character of Kirin. Smooth, balanced and slightly bitter, it remains easy to drink throughout a meal. Its versatile profile works equally well with stir-fried noodles and dishes coated in tonkatsu, okonomiyaki or yakisoba sauce.

Coedo, Iki, Hikari and Japanese craft beers

Coedo offers an introduction to a much wider variety of styles:

Ruri: a delicate, light and refreshing pilsner with a clean finish.
Shiro: a mild, fruity wheat beer with a slightly creamy texture.
Marihana: an aromatic IPA with pronounced hoppiness and a distinct bitterness.
Kyara: an India Pale Lager combining the freshness of a lager with a maltier, hoppier profile.
Shikkoku: a smooth, balanced dark beer with roasted notes but no excessive heaviness.
Beniaka: a richer, rounder amber beer brewed with sweet potato.
Rice and yuzu Pale Ale: a fresh, citrusy beer with a clearly noticeable aromatic touch of yuzu.

Iki beers

Iki combines beer with sencha, creating two very different aromatic profiles:

Iki with yuzu and sencha: a fresh, light beer characterised by the citrus notes of yuzu.
Iki with ginger and sencha: a spicier beer with the distinctive liveliness of ginger.

Hikari beers

Hikari produces unfiltered beers, recognisable by their naturally cloudy appearance and more textured mouthfeel:

Hikari lager with sake: a round and original beer with cereal and fermented notes.
Hikari wheat beer with yuzu: a fresher, more fragrant beer led by the citrus notes of yuzu.

Premium beers

Beer brewed with Yamada Nishiki sake rice: the celebrated rice used to make sake gives this beer a delicate and distinctive profile.
Beer brewed with sake yeast: a beer with fermented notes that differ from those of a conventional lager.
Black soybean beer: an original recipe containing Japanese black soybeans, or kuromame (黒豆).
Yuzu beer: a fresh, aromatic beer dominated by the characteristic notes of this Japanese citrus fruit.
Kölsch: a light, smooth and easy-drinking pale beer.
IPA: a more expressive beer with greater hoppiness and more noticeable bitterness.