The "pecking order" of Japanese beers?

[aster]

Are there any Japanese posters amongst us?

I'm curious to find out how the following beers are ranked in Japan in terms of perceived quality/"esteem"/etc.:

- Kirin
- Yebisu
- Sapporo
- Asahi
- Suntory

[JR8]

The above are all same 'ol from my experience, except Ebisu in small gold cans that at least has some flavour. Also the special 'winter beers' the big brewers bring out each year are generally very nice.

Otherwise you are looking at the equivalent of the big-brewers in the US. The companies are big, but the product is swill. In that respect Kirin is much like Budweiser.


p.s. There is a lovely craft beer called Hitachino Nest [Owls Nest]
http://hitachinonest.com/

I've had that in restaurants in NYC, and er, somewhere else (not Japan). Definitely worth keeping an eye out for.

[l'ange qui passe]

Those breweries develop constant battles for domestic market shares and every beer lover has different opinion and preference in Japan. Sales-wise, Kirin and Asahi always compete for the largest share (over 35%), then Suntory and Sapporo (10 to 15%). Probably best sellers include Kirin Ichiban Shibori, Asahi Super Dry, Suntory Premium Malts. Yebisu is a brand owned by Sapporo and has a firm popularity. Some beer lovers admire its quality...

Other than the best sellers, they offer many different types of beer such as flavored, calorie zero or seasonal products. And even Japanese can’t catch up with
http://beernomikurabe.seesaa.net/

I personally prefer Hoegaarden or Erdinger though

Are there any Japanese posters amongst us?

I'm curious to find out how the following beers are ranked in Japan in terms of perceived quality/"esteem"/etc.:

- Kirin
- Yebisu
- Sapporo
- Asahi
- Suntory

[aster]

If you asked a Japanese guy to list these beers in terms of brand quality, in what order would they go?

Not sure about Suntory, but I would imagine Sapporo would be close to the bottom of that list?

[x9200]

Hijacking the thread.
Aster (and other beer enthusiasts), what do you about Bavaria 8.6 Gold?

[aster]

Wouldn't try it if the fate of the world depended on it. Is that like the ghetto beer of the region?

Into Japanese beers at present to be honest. Though I will try all sorts of things at 'Meds' in the basement of Orchard Central, where they have 1-for-1 on all beers (100+ different types available) all day, every day, until July something.

[JR8]

Wouldn't try it if the fate of the world depended on it. Is that like the ghetto beer of the region?

The ghetto beer? Oh in that case KSL is probably a fan

Myself, I don't usually like stuff above 5.5% or so, as it becomes too rich. Carlsberg Special Brew might be the only exception ...

[JR8]

You can find plenty of beer rating sites on the web.

http://beeradvocate.com/ ... is a well known one.

http://www.tobp.com/review/country.asp?t=18 has some more reviews on JP beer...

Good luck, and why not try and post back any kind of list that you compile!

[BillyB]

Wouldn't try it if the fate of the world depended on it. Is that like the ghetto beer of the region?

The ghetto beer? Oh in that case KSL is probably a fan

Myself, I don't usually like stuff above 5.5% or so, as it becomes too rich. Carlsberg Special Brew might be the only exception ...

Those were the days - Special Brew and, my personal favourite, force 10 down the park on a Friday night freezing your nuts off!!

[JR8]

Wouldn't try it if the fate of the world depended on it. Is that like the ghetto beer of the region?

The ghetto beer? Oh in that case KSL is probably a fan

Myself, I don't usually like stuff above 5.5% or so, as it becomes too rich. Carlsberg Special Brew might be the only exception ...

Those were the days - Special Brew and, my personal favourite, force 10 down the park on a Friday night freezing your nuts off!!

Ok
[Er, ICA you can come and arrest him now, there obviously a mistake letting this chap in ]

[BillyB]

The ghetto beer? Oh in that case KSL is probably a fan

Myself, I don't usually like stuff above 5.5% or so, as it becomes too rich. Carlsberg Special Brew might be the only exception ...

Those were the days - Special Brew and, my personal favourite, force 10 down the park on a Friday night freezing your nuts off!!

Ok
[Er, ICA you can come and arrest him now, there obviously a mistake letting this chap in ]

Ha ha!! But nowadays I won't touch anything younger than a 1945 Mouton......

[JR8]

Haha... look what money does.

I was horrified to see a beggar outside our corner shop last week, and then next day see him drinking beer (on the street) that costs twice what I pay.

[BillyB]

I remember reading, and laughing, about a so-called tramp in London who used to frequent the City hot spots, and made 400-500 quid a day from begging. The cheeky twat was pictured getting into his shiny new bimmer after a hard day on the graft!!

[x9200]

Ghetto in this region most often refers to a rich enclave in the area of poverty. No slightest doubts Aster, with his modesty, meant exactly something over this line.

8.6 gold is far away from Barons and such. It is only 6.5%, almost light (somewhere around IPA), a bit sweet and with a distinctive and pleasant flavour. Bavaria is not a respected brand in some regions of Holland so actually I only tried it for the first time in Singapore. There are 2 more from 8.6 family. Heavier, but still IMHO far away from the Barons.

Japanese ones, all I could try from CS are ok but nothing special. Pretty average, standard taste. Actually I like most the sapporo for its armored cans

[aster]

Sorry, I've mistake it for the Baron's strong beer that I've seen here and there.

Not much of a fan of sweet beers, I prefer the taste of Japanese lagers and especially the likes of Yebisu for my first beer - after that one any beer will taste like it has "added sugar."

The Japanese must be brewing their beers the traditional way, not like the turbo-brewing processes that have turned major beer brands into a "beer-like drink." Just check out the froth from Jap beers, that's a certain give-away, and compare it to Western lagers.