Japan: Sales of “happoshu” low-malt quasi-beer jump 24% in September

Brewers’ domestic sales of “happoshu” low-malt quasi-beer jumped about 24 percent from a year earlier in September, thanks to the release of new products that their makers say are free from purine bodies, which may cause gout if their intake is excessive, The Japan News reported on October 11.

As for purine-free happoshu brands released in September, Kirin Brewery Co. sold 940,000 cases of “Kirin Tanrei Platinum Double,” Asahi Breweries Ltd. 540,000 cases of “Super Zero” and Suntory Liquors Ltd., a Suntory Holdings Ltd. unit, 360,000 cases of “Oishi Zero.” Each case contains the equivalent of 20 633-milliliter bottles.

Meanwhile, sales of “Goku Zero” of Sapporo Breweries Ltd., the pioneer purine-free brand, relaunched as a happoshu product in July, amounted to 520,000 cases.

15 October, 2014