The Daily Manila Shimbun

 

Major Japan beer makers bet on canned chuhai with high alcohol content

March 25, 2018



Tokyo- Major Japanese brewers will make their full-fledged inroads into the market for canned "chuhai" cocktails with high alcohol content this spring, to meet growing demand from budget-minded consumers for low-priced products that can make them feel good without drinking much.

The makers hope to sell their new products for around 150 yen per 350-mililiter can.

Conventional canned chuha products have alcohol levels of around 5 pct. But the share of products with 7-9 pct alcohol in the Japanese canned chuhai market grew 2.5-fold in seven years to stand at over 50 pct in 2017, according to private research firm Intage Inc.

Particularly in view of the high popularity of stiff drinks among men in their 40s and 50s, Kirin Brewery Co. will release "Kirin The Strong," a vodka-based cocktail that has an alcohol content of 9 pct, on April 10.

Pinning big hopes on the new product, a Kirin official said, "We'll do compete in the high-alcohol chuhai market."

Sapporo Breweries Ltd. will launch the "Rirakusu," meaning "relax" in English, on April 3, mainly targeting women who want to relax as quickly as possible after finishing work or doing household tasks.

Although the product's alcohol content reaches 8 pct, it has a mild taste thanks to the use of fruit juice-based vinegars as its ingredients, a Sapporo official said.

Suntory Spirits Ltd. will on Tuesday add a bitter lime flavor to its "Strong Zero" series with an alcohol content of 9 pct.

Meanwhile, nonalcoholic beverage giant Coca-Cola (Japan) Co. has revealed that it will go into the canned chuhai business, focusing on the market's future growth. Jiji Press