Introduced to their country less than 150 years ago, the Japanese have made a significant contribution to the world of beer.
Japan discovered beer relatively recently, with the first brewery established there by the enterprising Dutch in 1870. Since then, they have been catching up, and the average Japanese easily out-drinks the rest of Asia, on a per-capita basis. This may have something to do with fact that bars typically stay open until 5 am and that beer vending machines are never far away. Beer has decidedly become an integral part of Japanese life, and has notably become a fixture on sushi bar menus.
Today, the market is dominated by four major players, namely Kirin, Asahi, Sapporo and Suntory, and by one main type of beer, the lager, notably the pale lager. No doubt the Dutch and later the Germans from Bavaria introduced the lager, and like much of Asia, Japan’s hot and humid summer climate sealed the deal.
Like many Asian beers, Japanese lagers were relatively soft and almost sweet up until Asahi launched its Super Dry brew in 1987. Their concept: use a mix of barley and rice, convert more of the starch into fermentable sugars, stretch out the lagering period to produce a smooth body, and use an extremely fine filter to remove yeast and proteins. Other breweries jumped on the bandwagon and the light, crisp and clean-tasting Japanese dry beer was born.
The upshot of lagers is that they go remarkably well with the delicate flavours found in much of Japanese cuisine. The combination of sushi, ginger, soy sauce and wasabi go particularly well with the dry crispness of Japanese beers. This sensation also helps to cut through the spiciness of some Japanese dishes and sushi rolls.
If you want to drink your beer Japanese style, here are few fun rules and rituals to follow. Try them at least for a few rounds to get in the mood. Note that in Japanese culture, one bottle is always shared before another is opened.
* In Japan, glasses used for beer are quite small, leading to frequent refills!