This will be the generic Happoshu post, because we don’t feel like wasting your time with the 10,000 different kinds of the stuff that is out here. It seems like the big four are releasing a new kind of happoshu every week, and besides the clever marketing that each “beer” receives…it all tastes the same!!!
If you are the kind of person that wants to drink, as some of my friends put it back home…”anything cold”, then I am sure the Happoshu will work for you. It is cheap, and true to form it tastes like cheap beer. Not much taste, not much bite, and not much of anything at all.
In general, Happoshu refers to any low-malt beer where less that 67% of the mash used when brewing is made of malt. In Japan, beer is taxed due to how much malt it contains, so of course Happoshu is cheaper than 100% malt beers. This is the main attractant for Japanese and foreigners alike…everyone loves cheap beer!! The tax bracket is structured so that the tax increases as the malt content increases, so the money making beer professors at the big four found out very quickly that it is more profitable for them to make “beer” with less malt.
Good for their wallet and yours, bad for Mr. Tastebuds.
Most Happoshu you will find in your local convenience store or market actually contain less than 25% malt. The rest is made up of old soba noodles, shrimp tails and “sauce.” There are many “beers” in your local Circle-K or 7-11 that actually contain NO MALT at all. These beverages use other mash ingredients like corn, soy peptide and pea protein. YUMMY! Drink up! Still, others like Super Blue and Clear Asahi simply just mix some kind of wheat or barley spirit with liquid and are flavored to taste like beer. They are cheap. And like your mother always told you, what you pay for is what you get.
Nate always says that Happoshu is ok if it is very cold and you are very thirsty. If you are looking for a good “end of the week” relaxing brew, don’t drink one of these—unless you are on a strict budget. Happoshu is great for those that want to pound 15 in one night, but for those of us looking for taste…we are forced to pay the price.
You won’t find Happoshu at your local bar or restaurant, they always serve one of the big four’s flagship beers. However if you find yourself out wandering the town, and only have a few hundred yen in your pocket…be my guest…but don’t say we didn’t warn you!!!
The best Happoshu you can buy is Enjuku-Kuro. Is the “black” version of their Enjuku beer. Good taste at a low price. It’s no show stopper mind you, but she’ll do in a pinch for sure.
Some of you will love the Happoshu. My friend Tawanda would swear by the “Red Asahi.” For you that are Happoshu-lovers….just imagine Nate is chugging this one for Tawanda….and you….
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