Japan: Non-alcoholic beer sales make a 12-fold leap from 2008

Sales of non-alcoholic beer first began to take off in Japan in 2008 and sales figures for 2011 are likely to total around 29 million cases, each case holding 24 250-mililiter bottles. That is a 12-fold leap from sales in 2008, The Malaysia Insider reported on January, 22 .

Kirin was the first of Japan’s “Big Four” brewers to see the opportunities in the non-alcoholic beer sector and released Kirin Free in April 2009.

The company initially set an annual sales target of 630,000 cases of 20 633-mililiter bottles. By October, that estimate had been hiked to 3.5 million cases.

Suntory Liquors Ltd. released a new alcohol-free beer in October, with sales of its Nonaru Kibun so brisk that it raised its sales target for the three months it was first on the market to one million cases — 70 per cent higher than its initial expectations.

The reason for the unexpected popularity of alcohol-free beer in a nation that famously enjoys a drink are numerous, including a recent crackdown by police on drunk driving and more people saying they do not enjoy the effects of alcohol but still want to be able to socialise.

The brewers are also keen to expand their products’ profiles overseas, with Kirin launching Kirin Free in the United States on a trial basis in October.

25 January, 2012