Much like the popularity of Japanese whisky, beer brewing in Japan is a serious pastime. Big Japanese beer brands are popular for easy drinking. Most of their commercial lagers are around 5% Alcohol By Volume (ABV) and are quality-made products crafted from barley, malt, and even rice. Their flagship regular beer market has been joined in recent years by a growing Japanese craft beer scene.

Once upon a time, I spent nearly two years living and working just outside the city of Yokohama, Japan. I got to know the Japanese passion for quality beer brewing, including a trip to Tokyo’s Beer Museum and extensive nights spent in the company of my teacher friends knocking back every type of beer – on tap, in bottles, and cans.

Much like the distillation of other Japanese alcohol (think whisky and sake) versatility and efficiency, detail, and technical and quality assurance are mainstays of the Japanese beer style.

The following collection of beers detail excellent offerings for the beer enthusiast, some familiar and others you may not be aware of. All are well worth sampling, just make sure to drink responsibly.

Best Buy

1. Sapporo Premium Beer

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For mine, Sapporo Beer is the best Japanese beer brand (just edging Asahi and Kirin), and a lager I continue to drink when the opportunity arises. The Sapporo Brewery, located on the snowy northern Isle of Hokkaido, is the oldest in Japan and a great place to visit when touring or skiing (they also have the world’s best pork).

In U.S. terms the gold star Sapporo Beer is a light pale lager, with a nice aroma of hops that feels clean and refreshing on your palate. It’s also a great accompaniment for a range of foods, but especially supporting spicy bites like Mexican, Indian, and Thai cuisine.

It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, if you reach for an ice beer and pull out the Silver Bullet Sapporo canned beer, make sure you crack that tin because you won’t be disappointed.