Japanese Beer

Japanese law defines beer by its ingredients: since a 2018 revision, malt must make up at least 50 per cent of fermentable ingredients (previously two-thirds), and a wider range of additions such as fruit, herbs and spices is allowed. Because beer was taxed much more heavily than other drinks, brewers developed cheaper alternatives. Happōshu, with less malt, appeared in 1994; 'new genre' or 'third beer', made without malt or with added spirit, followed in the mid-2000s.

A staged tax reform from 2020 onward was designed to bring the three categories to a single rate in October 2026, which reduces the price advantage of beer-like drinks. Non-alcoholic beers and low-sugar or purine-free beers also form large categories.

The mainstream Japanese beer is a crisp, pale lager, often brewed with rice or other adjuncts, served very cold. The launch of a 'dry' lager in 1987 set off a 'dry war' among the big brewers and defined the clean, crisp taste many people associate with Japanese beer. All-malt lagers, dark lagers and seasonal releases are also common. Regional beers include those from Okinawa, brewed on the island since the 1950s, and Hokkaido-only brands.

Until 1994, a brewing licence required a minimum annual production of 2,000 kilolitres, which only large companies could reach. That year the minimum was lowered to 60 kilolitres, and hundreds of small breweries opened across the country, often as local tourism projects. After this first 'ji-bīru' (local beer) boom faded, a new generation of brewers turned to quality and to styles such as IPA, saison and stouts, now marketed as craft beer.

Craft brewers often use local ingredients such as yuzu, sanshō pepper, green tea or sake yeast, and many sake breweries also brew beer. Craft beer bars and brewpubs are common in larger cities.

At izakaya and parties, the first order is often simply toriaezu bīru, 'beer for now', so that the group can toast together with 'kanpai' before moving on to other drinks. People pour for each other rather than for themselves, and a junior person watches the glasses of seniors. Beer is typically served in draft mugs (jokki) or in large bottles shared among small glasses.

In summer, beer gardens open on rooftops of department stores and hotels and in parks. Beer is widely sold in convenience stores and supermarkets; the legal drinking age in Japan is 20.