New drinks

I wrote about Pepsi Japan‘s new drink that they started selling this week called Pepsi Shiso.
(Click here to read it).

I decided to buy a bottle of it today to try it just for the novelty value.

"Pepsi Shiso" on the convenience store shelf.

I know what シソ (Shiso), the Japanese herb, tastes like. We actually have some growing in my wife’s garden right now.
I like it fine…but the idea of “Shiso flavored cola” seemed very odd to me.

I was right. Pepsi Shiso smells and tastes alot like the herb. As I said, I think Shiso is good…as an herb. But in a cola, I found it unappealing.

I took a couple sips to try it, and gave the rest of the drink to my kids. Even they found it “mediocre”.

I guess we won’t be buying Pepsi Shiso again.

After trying the Pepsi Shiso, I opened my favorite drink…an ice cold beer! (Actually a 発泡酒 (Low-malt beer), which is just as good to me).

Yesterday, I bought a case of Kirin Beer‘s newest offering: 「コクの時間」 (I would’ve translated it as “Wonderful Time“…but it says on the can “Golden Moments“).

Regardless, the beer was much better than the herb cola! (Actually, a cold beer is better than any other drink! 🙂 )

I ♥ Beer

I like beer! Especially 麒麟ビール (Kirin Beer).
I drink a can or two everyday with dinner.
I even like 発泡酒 (low-malt beer), which is popular in Japan because it’s taxed much lower than regular beer…and therefore cheaper. (Actually, all of the beers mentioned in this post are 発泡酒 (low-malt beer)).

My favorite beer is 「麒麟淡麗」 (Kirin “Tanrei“):

But I’m not picky. I’ll drink any* beer.

麒麟ビール (Kirin Beer) is currently selling my favorite 「淡麗」 (“Tanrei“) beer in special cans for the upcoming 2010 Soccer World Cup which will be hosted by South Africa. (Japan co-hosted the 2002 Soccer World Cup games with South Korea, by the way.)

The special “2010 Soccer World Cup” edition 麒麟ビール (Kirin Beer) cans show the JFA (Japan Football (Soccer) Association) logo.

Kirin "2010 World Cup" special-edition beer cans.

Another beer that I like is the fairly new 「麒麟ストロングセブン」 (“Kirin Strong Seven”), which has 7% alcohol level (compared to the usual 5.5% of regular Japanese beer)!

Kirin "Strong Seven" Beer with 7% alcohol.

* I said above that I’ll drink any beer. There are exceptions…I don’t like lite beers or non-alcoholic beers. 麒麟ビール (Kirin Beer) has recently introduced one of each into their line-up. I won’t be buying either of these!

One is their new lite beer called 「麒麟ゼロ」 (“Kirin Zero“).
It’s called “Zero” because it contains 糖質ゼロ (zero carbohydrates) and カロリーオフ (low calories). It’s also only 3% alcohol.

"Kirin Zero" lite beer. (No thanks.)

The other is 「キリンフリー」 (“Kirin Free“). This is a ノンアルコール (alcoholic free) beer.
It contains “0.00% alcohol“.

Kirin's "alcohol-free" beer. (Not for me).

Have you ever tried any of these? What type (and brand) of beer do you drink?

Japanese beer

Do you like beer?
Have you ever tried Japanese beer?

I ♥ beer!

「麒麟ビール」 (Kirin Beer) is my favorite…but I’ll take any cold lager!

Kirin Tanrei Double

Japan has five major brewers:

• Kirin Beer – This beer began in the late nineteenth-century in 横浜 (Yokohama, Japan). It’s named after a mythological creature called a 「麒麟」 (kirin) that looks like a dragon (it’s featured on the beer cans)…not named after a giraffe (which is 「キリン」 (kirin), also).


A mythological "kirin".

Many people don’t know that hidden in the creature on Kirin Beer cans is the word 「キリン」 (kirin):



「キ・リ・ン」 (Ki-ri-n) written in the creature's mane.

(I wrote another post that mentions Kirin Beer. Click here to see it.)

• Asahi Beer -Started in 大阪 (Osaka, Japan).





The Asahi Beer brewery is a Tokyo landmark.

(I have pictures of old Asahi Beer posters on the end of another post. Click here to see it.)

• Suntory Beer – Also started in 大阪 (Osaka, Japan).
  Suntory Beer got it’s name because the founder’s name was Mr. Torii…or Torii-san. So, he took the words Torii and san and reversed them into San-torii and changed the spelling to Suntory.

(Another famous Japanese company got their name in a similar manner. The Bridgestone company was founded by Mr. Ishibashi…which translates into Stone bridge, which he reversed to Bridgestone.)



Suntory Beer

• Sapporo Beer – Started in 北海道札幌 (Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan).


Sapporo Beer

Sapporo Beer bought the Yebisu Beer brewery (which was from Tokyo), so they make that beer as well.



Yebisu Beer (pronounced "Ebisu")

• Orion Beer – From 沖縄 (Okinawa, Japan)


Orion Beer

Have you ever tried Japanese beer? Which ones have you tried? Did you like them?
What’s your favorite beer in the world?

As I said above, I like 「麒麟ビール」 (Kirin Beer) best…and probably オリオンビール (Orion Beer) as my next favorite.