Lucky Number Seven?
The Mainichi Daily News recently reported that Kirin will soon start selling a beer with 7% alcohol called, appropriately enough, Strong Seven.
This is both good news and bad news for Japan’s beer drinkers. Good because it’s strong, bad because, well, it’s going to suck. Granted, I haven’t actually tried Strong Seven yet (it hits stores October 22) but I can bet you it’ll taste like crap. Why? Because every Japanese beer priced below the top tier varieties (Asahi Super Dry, Yebisu, etc.—essentially the stuff you can get overseas) is undrinkable.
Strong Seven is classified as a third-category beer. According to Wikipedia, Japanese beer has three categories, largely based on the amount of malt used. The first, which is called simply “beer,” is the good stuff. What you would probably drink if you weren’t homeless or had no taste buds. Drinks in the second category, called happoshu, contain less than 67% malt. The remaining ingredients are made up of things like corn, rice, sorghum, and potato. Really. Lastly, there’s the third category, which is where our Strong Seven falls. Wikipedia says,
Since 2004, Japanese breweries have produced even lower taxed, non-malt brews made from soybeans and other ingredients which do not fit the classifications for beer or happoshu.
Soybeans? Mmm, yummy. The price of 141 yen per 350ml can and 197 yen for a 500ml can reflects this. (To compare, a 350ml can of Asahi Super Dry is more like 200 yen.)
Mainichi says that Kirin is bypassing the younger people that have been buying diet and light drinks lately and going straight for male beer drinkers aged 30-50. Get the job done without a lot of money drinkers. First beer at 7am on the morning train drinkers. Passed out in the park at noon drinkers. Alcoholics.
I’ll stick with Yebisu, thanks.
Sounds dreadful. But as you say, it’s not going to be a drink for connoisseurs, is it. That percentage is pretty much on the limit of what is drinkable for a beer. I tried an 8% lager once, absolutely undrinkable, pretty much any taste sacrificed for strength.
August 29th, 2008 at 9:34 amActually, Belgium makes really good beer that also happens to be strong, sometimes even 10%. They drink it like wine there, apparently. But the hangovers are terrible. Much as, I expect, the hangovers from Strong Seven.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:06 amThose beers are not industrial lagers, though, are they. I suspect they have a little more about them than the typical chemical brews churned out in Japan.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:49 amGood point, overoften.
August 29th, 2008 at 11:51 amHaven’t got one handy, have you?
August 29th, 2008 at 12:18 pmBelgian beer is difficult to get out here in Oita. You may have better luck in Kumamoto, but Tokyo seems to have the best selection. That being said, the basement of my local Tokiwa has a liquor store with one or two nice bottles. Hoegaarden is best known for its white, but they also have a darker brew called (essentially) Forbidden Fruit, which is really good. I found that at Tokiwa. Anything from Leffe, Delirium, and of course Chimay will also be good.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:24 pmLeffe… now there’s a classy and flavourful brew. Which has left me with brain damage more than once. Great stuff.
August 29th, 2008 at 12:42 pm