Japan: Asahi Breweries Ltd. announced on March 24 it has increased 60% its projected output of a new "happoshu" low-malt beer product, named Honnama Gold, to 8 million cases from the initially planned 5 million cases for the period to December 31, 2005, according to Kyodo News. One case holds 12.66 liters, or the equivalent of 20 633-milliliter bottles.

Asahi introduced the low-malt beer, Honnama Gold, in late February 2005. Sales of the product in the first month after its debut eclipsed the equivalent of 2.5 million cases. Asahi said, it has started production of the low-malt beer at two additional factories, on top of the initial two plants tasked with producing it.

The product got off to a good start in the happoshu market where various brewers' happoshu brands took blows from buoyant sales of a range of a beer-like sparkling alcoholic beverage, dubbed "third-category" beer.

In the happoshu market, Asahi rival Kirin Brewery Co. renovated the existing Tanrei brand series from the start of 2005 by increasing the quantity of wheat, a key ingredient. Another rival, Sapporo Breweries Ltd., has been seeking to fuel sales of its Hokkaido Namashibori happoshu brand by waging a campaign touting its "safety features."

27 March, 2005