Style Free Beer From Japan
Recently I bought 2 newly released beers from Asahi and Kirin. Well, the Asahi is actually a few months old I think, but the Kirin is very new.
Asahi Style Free and Kirin Free
(Click the images or links above for reviews)
The Free in the Kirin Lager actually refers to the lager being 0.00% Alcohol free, and suprisingly for a No-Alcohol lager it actually tasted like lager, and wasn’t all that bad.
The Free in the Asahi Style Free is a little bit more confusing. Whereas Style Free in English (as opposed to FreeStyle) is probably not the kind of thing you’d want on your product, certainly not as it’s name…
but here in Japan, a country famous for taking English words and basically doing whatever they like with them regardless of the original meaning, the Style Free means it has no particular style of it’s own, you project your own style on to it.
So it can be whatever you want. (At least that seems to be what the Japanese on the side of the can implies).
Regardless of the name, it’s not actually very nice.
It’s a Happoshu which is a Japanese fake beer (so not made of malt, or very low malt, made from corn, peas and other things), and is supposedly healthier (less calories) than real beer and certainly a lot cheaper.
(Updated:21/05/09 I have been corrected by DH, thanks for that! – see comment – this is actually a “Third Kind” – Happousei – beer, not a happoshu, my mistake)
In Japan there is also another kind of beer “Third kind” beer, which I’ve no idea what that’s made from! But it’s even cheaper than the happoshu.
These fake beers are increasingly popular here in Japan, especially with the global financial problems cutting everyone’s budgets.
PDF Related posts on MoIppai :
Beer, Happoshu, Japan | by MoIppai
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asahi never fails to disappoint, or at the very least leave you with a nasty headache! i hope you spared yourself from their ‘belgian influenced’ ginger beer.
have you tried the ‘straight’ beer yet? please review!
Comment by harvey — May 17, 2009 @ 10:53 pm
I haven’t tried the ‘straight’ beer yet, keep passing it in the supermarket but not picking it up. Will review it soon and let you know.
Comment by admin — May 18, 2009 @ 9:10 am
Greetings friend. You’ve stumbled on third category there–as Style Free contains no malt or anything resembling a beer. It’s just water, beer flavoring and grain alcohol.
Stop by Good Beer and Country Boys (www.jibeer.com) we do a lot of talking about Japanese craft beers!
Comment by DH — May 21, 2009 @ 1:06 pm
harvey: Reviewed the “Straight Beer” for you, here:
Suntory Straight Beer
Comment by admin — May 26, 2009 @ 1:45 pm