Suntory Beer has a new beer in Japan.
It’s called 「絹の贅沢」 (literally: “Luxurious Silk“).
Embarrassing name for a beer and a generic-looking can design…but it was on sale so I bought half-a-case.
It’s tastes good.
But don’t confuse it with Suntory‘s other new offering in a similar can…
I'd never buy this!
This is Suntory “All Free”. Non-alcoholic beer.
Non-alcoholic beer—none for me, thanks.
Do you like beer? What do you think of “non-alcoholic” beer?
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Tokyo Five 
Yeah it’s a great, great beer, search it up and see some reviews.
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I “googled” it. It looks good (but the bottle’s label is goofy 😉 )
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In Japanese tradition stopping by and akachochin after work provided an avenue to shed inhibitions and speak of things not normally acceptable in Japanese society at large. By tradition, utterances made while “under the influence” were not to beld agains the speaker. Even speaking of dissatifaction with one’s boss in these circumstances was permissible. So, it was not unusual to see inebriated Japanese men inside and indeed outside the beloved akachochins.
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Yes, it’s true that in Japanese culture, when out drinking with one’s boss and co-workers it’s permissible to tell them what you really think while intoxicated…and there will be no hard feelings at work the next day.
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> In Germany people are able to drink responsibly.
> That’s also why they are able to have beer gardens where 100s of people are drinking quite high-percentage alcohol beer, and there is no trouble.
It is clear in my experience that people the non-English-speaking world tend to be relatively more responsible drinkers. It is, of course, highly a matter of culture. In Italy, where I spent my early formative years, I can’t even recall seeing anyone drunk. In the UK and USA, where I spent my later years, just too many. Of course, drink laws also have a lot to do with the situation. But generally, I’m sure most people here will agree with me that the drink laws in modern times had ADDED to binge drinking rather than minimising it.
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>people the non-English-speaking…can’t even recall seeing anyone drunk.
But Japan isn’t an English-speaking country and plenty of people here like to get drunk.
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Baloney. I spent lots of time in Japan, Germany, China, South Africa, and many more and I saw no evidence of drunks in public places was any fewer than in the U. S.
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>…in Japan…no evidence of drunks in public…fewer than in the U.S.
Actually, the way I remember America is that even drinking outdoors (and public drunkenness) is illegal there. That’s one of the things I like about Japan—it’s perfectly acceptable to drink in public (even to the point of intoxication, if one so wishes).
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Hate Suntory, like Kirin.. or Kirin chu-hi.. lemon
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“Chu-hi” are good…but beer is much better—Suntory, Kirin, Asahi, Sapporo, etc. They’re all good!
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haven’t read your blog in a while, but i guess beer is the right topic to be back 😉
So, yes, I love beer. And no, I don’t like alcohol-free beer, but alcohol-free beer seems to be quite popular here in Germany. There are a lot of tv commercials and stuff like that especially for alcohol-free beer. There is even one brewery which claims that their alcohol-free wheat beer is isotonic and good for athletes ;D
I remember when my mother and grandmother had an intervention and my grandfather was only allowed to drink alcohol-free beer due to health reasons, poor guy 😉
Legal drinking age for beer is 16 in Germany, 18 for the harder stuff. Of course I started for real when I was 16 and had my fair share of blackouts for the first few years… 😛 Like thenakedlist said, the obligatory drink every now and then before the legal age for drinking is common in Germany as well.
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>haven’t read your blog in a while
Oh, why not? Please continue visiting and commenting often!
>claims that their alcohol-free wheat beer is isotonic and good for athletes
Really? That doesn’t seem like a very realistic claim.
>Legal drinking age for beer is 16 in Germany
As I said in a comment above…that’s too young!
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Oh, c’mon, not young at all. I got kids too, and they started way, way young, and have learnt when to stop. Come, sit, sit next to us, have a drink on us, let me change your mind over a nice pint…
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>let me change your mind
Probably not possible.
I’m pretty open-minded…but I feel quite certain that alcohol isn’t good for kids.
Just my opinion.
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I’m not a huge beer drinker. I take a little sip of my husband’s, but I’m more of a cheap wine drinker. When we were in Japan several years ago, we stopped at what we thought was a Brewery. Actually, it was a shopping center with a brewery museum. Anyway, they were offering beer flavored soft serve outside. We took a pass. Even my husband, who likes beer drew the line at beer tasting soft serve. I imagine my husband would like to try tasting the luxurious tasting beer. The non-alcoholic? I don’t know. Probably not.
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There are many breweries that you can visit around Tokyo…where was the museum that you visited?
And if you’ve never tried non-alcohol beer…I recommend that you don’t bother! 😉
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I recently turned 21, so I’ve started to try different beers from different countries. I haven’t gotten to Japan yet, but I did try some Sapporo Reserve before and I enjoyed it, very clean and crisp.
I’m currently drinking some Jamaican Red Stripe lager as I type this.
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Good on yer, Michael! Shame you couldn’t have started drinking (in moderation, of course) like the rest of the civilised world does at 18. Back in my days in the UK, it was 11. Up the drinking age, and now we have binge drinking. Go figure.
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>…drinking…the civilised world does at 18.
Which countries have a drinking age that low?
It’s set at twenty-years-old in Japan.
My oldest daughter will turn 18 in a few months…I think that’s too young to drink!
>Back in my days in the UK, it was 11.
Are you serious? The legal drinking age was only eleven?
That’s crazy!
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>My oldest daughter will turn 18 in a few months…I think that’s too young to drink!
Oh, come, come, 18 is hardly young drink-wise. Umm, sure, family culture and the culture of where a person grew up also have a lot to do with it. It’s hard to explain. In my family, people start pretty young, around 10, glass of wine during meals, that sort of thing. Maybe it’s also because we grew up in various places in Europe, where people of all ages do drink during meals.
>Are you serious? The legal drinking age was only eleven?
Oh, no, no, no. The actual legal drinking age was 18 even in my time. It’s just that nobody, not even the police, bothered to enforce it – as long as you behave and not go overboard. This was a time when you were 13 and could go to pubs with an 18-year-old who is allowed to get the booze for you, you get told by the pub landlord to sit in a corner with your drink and be nice. This was the time when 13 year olds could go to newsagent to get smokes (‘tens’ only, not 20s) quite legally. And go to concerts if you went with at least one 18 year old. Those where wonderful times.
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The legal age was (and I think still is) 16 for drinking in restaurants.
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>18 is hardly young drink-wise….In my family, people start pretty young, around 10…13 and could go to pubs
Those ages are all much too young! Still children!
Maybe it’s because I’m the father of teenagers, but I could never permit them to drink at this age.
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>The legal age was (and I think still is) 16
Yeah, “Pongrocks” mentioned that.
Even eighteen is too young to drink alcohol, I think.
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>try different beers from different countries.
Sounds great! Which is your favorite so far?
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So far I’m enjoying St. Bernardus Abt 12 from Belgium. It’s a great dark brown beer with a creamy sweet taste, recommended.
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>St. Bernardus Abt 12 from Belgium
I don’t think I’ve heard of that one before.
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I usually drink low-malt beer( Happousyu 発泡酒) because of the cheap price.
First I don’t like it but now I think it usual beer.
In particular I choose “Mugi to Hoppu 麦とホップ” by Sapporo.
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>I usually drink low-malt beer( Happousyu 発泡酒) because of the cheap price.
Actually this 「絹の贅沢」 (“Luxurious Silk”) by Suntory is a 「発泡酒」 (“Malt liquor”) too.
I also usually drink those due to their lower cost…they look and taste like beer, so I just call them “beer”.
>(At) first I didn’t like it but now I think it usual beer.
I liked them even at first taste…just like beer to me.
>I choose “Mugi to Hoppu 麦とホップ” by Sapporo.
I like that one a lot too.
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> Actually this 「絹の贅沢」 (“Luxurious Silk”) by Suntory is a 「発泡酒」 (“Malt liquor”) too.
Which makes it almost as bad as non-alcohol beer, in my opinion 🙂
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>almost as bad as non-alcohol beer
You live in Japan but you don’t drink 発泡酒? A lot cheaper than “regular” beer.
And I think it tastes just like lager beer.
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Most Happoshu “beers” that I’ve seen have been lager-like, but I prefer to drink pale ales or wheat beers. And it’s not about the cost, I don’t mind spending a bit more money for a good quality beer.
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>I prefer to drink pale ales or wheat beers.
Oh, I see. I drink lager almost exclusively…so 「発泡酒」 (Japanese malt liquor) is good to me.
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“Luxury Silk”? Sounds like a toilet paper.
German non-alcohol beer isn’t too bad. I used to drink Franziskaner’s non-alcohol Weissbier at lunch time.
Chinese non-alcohol beer, however, is best avoided at all costs. Much like the regular beer, actually.
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>I used to drink Franziskaner’s non-alcohol Weissbier at lunch time.
Is that OK?
I don’t think I’d drink a non-alcoholic beer (if I liked the stuff) on a work lunch-break. Too much potential for trouble (coming back to work with “beer breath”, a co-worker noticing that you were “drinking” on the clock, etc).
Now, lunch time on a day off…that’s another story—a “normal” beer is good then!
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This was in Bavaria, where it’s acceptable to drink beer for breakfast, and where many offices have restaurants/canteens that serve beer at lunch time.
In my case I was was working in a small company (around 6 people) and we all went for lunch together.
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>…in Bavaria…many offices have restaurants/canteens that serve beer at lunch time.
That sounds like a recipe for disaster, I would think.
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No, not at all. In Germany people are able to drink responsibly.
That’s also why they are able to have beer gardens where 100s of people are drinking quite high-percentage alcohol beer, and there is no trouble.
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>In Germany people are able to drink responsibly.
I see…but, maybe it’s cultural difference, but I’m not used to the idea of drinking “on the clock” at work.
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If it’s non-alcohol, you’re not “drinking” 😉
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>If it’s non-alcohol, you’re not “drinking”
But you said in this comment that “many offices…serve beer at lunch”.
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Take a look at the description of my just released book “Skivvy Girl: The Love of a Post WWII Japanese Pleasure Girl. It’s on Amazon.com or my web site.
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Everyone can check out the interview you did with me too:
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/earnest-mercer-interview/
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For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.
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Oh, yes, that rings a bell too!
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>Oh, yes, that rings a bell too!
Did you like that movie, too?
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>For relaxing times, make it Suntory time.
That quote (and your username (“Bob”)) are from that over-rated movie “Lost In Translation“, isn’t it?
Do you like that movie?
I didn’t like it at all.
(I wrote this post:
https://tokyo5.wordpress.com/2009/05/24/ramen-girl/ )
I’m not a fan of any of the “Ford-Coppola” movies.
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Bill Murray stars in “Lost In Translation“…coincidentally, he had a minor role in the movie I re-watched tonite—“Zombieland“.
(I’m not a big fan of Bill Murray either, though).
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I prefer beer to wine and especially enjoy CORONA. I drink 1-3 beers a week. Hubby drinks 6 beers per week.
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Corona Beer is good. I don’t drink it often because, due to being an import, it’s more expensive than domestic (Japanese) beer.
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I was going to say non-alcoholic beer is absolutely revolting. Then it also occurred to me that, considering the other alternatives (usually from the West), the Japanese non-alcoholic beers aren’t actually that bad. They’re not great, but at least I don’t have to spit it out.
@tornadoes28: Yeah, stupid name. But, hey, it’s Japan, so at least we could still reclassify it as ‘weird’ just for kicks.
@Ernest Mercer: OMG! I have faint memories of that scotch you mentioned! Of course, I was a kid back in the 70s, but I recalled Dad bringing home a bottle from his Japanese trips. That Akadama portwine, yeah, faint memories too, but I seem to recall it was sold under a different name in Daimaru department store in Hong Kong. Thanks for the memories! Brings a tear to my eyes that.
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>Japanese non-alcoholic beers aren’t actually that bad.
Personally I dislike any “near beer” very much.
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Suntory was a producer of a rot-gut whiskey in 1950-1954 and was avoided by everyone I knew then. But while living in Japan in 1975-1976, the company made the best imitation scotch whiskey I’ve ever tasted. Can’t remember the name, but it was bottled in a black glass bottle. Japanese beer was very good in the 1950s. My favorite was Asahi, but Kirin was popular. I also imbibed in the Japanese port wine Akadama on cold days in Chitose in 1951.
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>My favorite was Asahi, but Kirin was popular.
Usually foreigners in Japan prefer Asahi Beer but most Japanese like Kirin Beer. I liked Asahi best when I first arrived in Japan, too…but Kirin is the best after all, I think now.
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What a stupid name for a beer.
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Yeah, granted 「絹の贅沢」 sounds better in Japanese than “Luxurious Silk” does in English…but just barely.
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