Last Updated: 8/4/2020

Asahi was founded in 1889 as the Osaka Beer Brewing Company 大阪麦酒会社. Today it has at least eight breweries in Japan alone, with more abroad, and more still contract brewing copious volumes (including Orion).

Asahi’s big hit came in 1987 with the release of Super Dry (スーパードライ). Up to this point, Japanese beers were rather rich and sweet. This highly attenuated and refreshing lager turned the Japanese beer market upside down and ignited the Dry Wars (ドライ戦争).

vintage Japanese beer poster — A vintage Asahi Beer poster. The brewing industry in Japan relied heavily on German brewers and ingredients during its formative decades.

Asahi beers tend to contain modest hop levels, and rice is typically on the grain bill. Corn is also used for Asahi Super Dry. It’s worth noting that Asahi makes a respectable effort to mitigate their carbon and ecological footprint.