Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 17 augusT 2017
Changing tastes brew bitter times for Japan’s beer makers

By YURI KAGEYAMA change of perspective af-
AP Business Writer ter the tsunami and nucle-
TOKYO (AP) — From beer ar disaster in northeastern
gardens on the rooftops Japan in 2011. These days,
of department stores to many Japanese are less
fireworks extravaganzas to concerned about keeping
quiet, wood-paneled craft up with their neighbors, he
breweries, Japanese seem said.
to quaff an awful lot of “The biggest contrast to
beer in the summer. that kind of thinking is the
But beer consumption has bubble era when people
been tanking for five years simply wanted what was
straight in Japan, as the considered cool by soci-
younger generation shies ety, be it their home or their
away from the obligatory car,” he said, referring to
after-work drinking that was the go-go economy of the
a trademark of the dark- late 1980s, which collapsed
suited heroes of Japan Inc. in the early 1990s.
Japan’s annual per cap- Last year, Kirin signed a
ita beer consumption fell deal with Brooklyn Brewer-
about 7 percent between ies, founded by former AP
2010 to 2015, according to war correspondent Steve
a study by major beer mak- Hindy, to replicate its fla-
er Kirin. vors at its plants in Japan.
The future outlook is for In this July 31, 2017 photo, customers enjoy lunch at beer restaurant Spring Valley Brewery in Kirin also opened a craft
more of the same. It’s Tokyo. brewery — still relatively
such an obvious trend that Associated Press uncommon in Japan — in
there’s a Japanese phrase “Beer can offer joy, hap- No. 1 in the Japanese beer Africa just 7 percent, ac- Tokyo’s fashionable Dai-
to describe it, “beerooh piness and smiles, and so industry in 1998. The com- cording to the Kirin study. kanyama district two years
banareh,” or “leaving everyone should try beer pany’s latest ad campaign By nationality, Czechs were ago: Spring Valley Brewery.
beer,” a gradual decline again.” features Depp riffing on an No. 1 in per capita con- Asahi opened one near its
that hit after beer drinking Asahi, founded in the late electric guitar on a roof-
peaked in about the mid- 1800’s, is an institution in top before popping a cold
1990s. Tokyo, where its huge gold- one.
Younger Japanese tend en suds sign shines on the “He is an extraordinary
to be more independent- banks of the Sumida River. character,” Matsuba told
minded than their baby The annual Sumida River The Associated Press. “It’s
boom generation parents summer fireworks it spon- about the unexpected fac-
or their grandparents, who sors each July work like one tor of Hollywood.”
saw going out for beers big huge ad for its beer — To expand its already formi-
with their office bosses and this year the city’s gover- dable global reach, Asahi
co-workers as a call of duty. nor, Yuriko Koike, donned has signed agreements
Brews also are losing out in a summer kimono for tele- with overseas beer brands,
Japan to a wide variety of vised “kanpais” —tradition- such as Italy’s Peroni, the
other liquors, from wines to al toasts — by the river. Dutch Grolsch and Pilsner
“kanchuhai” fruity cock- In its effort to grab atten- Urquell of Czechoslovakia.
Other Japanese breweries
also are expanding. Asahi’s In this July 31, 2017 photo, six types of beers with snacks are
rival, Sapporo Holdings, displayed as it is a popular item on the menu allowing people
which has been the No. 1 to enjoy their taste preferences, at Spring Valley Brewery beer
Japanese beer maker in restaurant in Tokyo.
the U.S. for three decades, Associated Press
announced this month
it was acquiring Anchor sumption of beer. Ameri- head office recently.
Brewing Company. cans ranked No. 20, while Kirin’s brewery has a west-
It likely would take way Japanese were 55th, down ern menu, spacious terrace
more than a cameo by from 38th in 2010. and beers with names like
Depp, though, to reverse “The days of the daily ‘kan- DayDream and Jazzberry
the trend away from beer. pai’ and chugging beer that are brewed behind
Data compiled by Kirin are over,” says Kirin spokes- transparent walls.
Brewery Co., a rival Japa- woman Naomi Sasaki. Shizuka Nagasawa, 29, was
In this Monday, July 31, 2017, photo, office workers raise their nese brewery, found the At least, though, Japanese enjoying a recent week-
beers together for a kanpai, or a toast, at a beer garden on the annual global consump- are starting to appreciate day afternoon off at Spring
rooftops of Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo.
Associated Press tion of beer, at nearly 184 more nuanced craft beers, Valley Brewery with her hus-
million kiloliters, fell in 2015 she says, reflecting their band Keita Nagasawa and
tails, whiskies and cheap- tion and help reverse the from the year before, for more individual-oriented their 3-year-old son. They’re
er beer-like drinks, and of decline in beer consump- the first time in 30 years, lifestyles. such fans they joined the
course, sake. tion, especially among the as consumption in China Japan now has about 200 brewery’s club and have
Naturally, all this worries Ha- younger generation, the peaked. small craft breweries, giving craft beer delivered to their
ruhiko Matsuba, marketing iconic Japanese brand By region, Asia still tops the consumers more choice home each month.
manager for Asahi Brewer- has turned to Hollywood. It world in beer consumption, about the beers they drink, “There is such a wide range,
ies, the industry leader in tapped actor Johnny Depp making up 34 percent of said Hiroyuki Fujiwara, presi- like bitter-tasting ones and
Japan. to help sell a limited-edition global beer guzzling, fol- dent of the Japan Beer fruity flavors. Checking
“The custom is getting lost,” version of its 30-year-old lowed by Europe at 27 per- Journalists Association. them out is fun,” said the
said Matsuba, who says he hit Super Dry — the brew cent. North America ac- Fujiwara believes chang- clerical worker at a tea-
enjoys a beer or two a day. that helped catapult it to counts for 14 percent and ing tastes in part reflect a maker.q