Asahi Super Dry Beer Review - The Japanese Classic With the Iconic Karakuchi Taste

December 24, 2022 Cameron Mackenzie

Asahi Super Dry is a Japanese rice lager that you most likely will recognise. First created in 1987, it redefined the beer category and introduced the world to a new taste in beer. Today, Asahi Super Dry is Japan’s No.1 beer and this innovative brand has become a global icon of progressive Japan.

Asahi is a historical brewery of many firsts. The predecessor of Asahi Breweries Ltd, Osaka Brewery Ltd, was founded in 1889 in Japan, around the time that similar breweries such as Japan Brewery, Ltd. and Sapporo Brewery, Ltd. were also founded. This marked the start of a period of huge development of the Japanese beer industry.

With Komakichi Torii as their president, the company quickly grew and built their first Suita Village Brewery in 1891. This brewery still stands to this day, now the Asahi Breweries Suita Plant, with aspects of the original building incorporated into the modern renovation.

The first Asahi Beer then followed, with its launch in 1892. Only a year later, it won the highest award at the World’s Columbian Exposition, immediately showing the success and popularity of the brewery's first invention.

Going from strength to strength, in the next decade Osaka Brewery Ltd opened the first full-scale, permanent beer hall Asahiken. Following this, the Asahi Beer earned the highest honours at the Paris World’s Fair in 1900, and then the brewery launched Japan’s first bottled unpasteurized beer, branded as Asahi Nama Beer.

With such growth, in 1906 Dai Nippon Brewery Co., Ltd. was established as a joint venture of Osaka Brewery, Ltd., Nippon Brewery, Ltd., and Sapporo Brewery, Ltd. The rapid development of brewing in Japan over a mere few decades saw this growth continue at such great pace.

In 1949 Dai Nippon Brewery Co., Ltd. was split into Asahi Breweries, Ltd. and Nippon Brewery,vLtd. under the Excessive Economic Power Deconcentration Act, during the occupation period. The aims of these measures were to reduce economic concentration through dissolution of the zaibatsu (財閥, "financial clique"), elimination of intercorporate shareholding and reorganisation of large enterprises, and to develop centrifugal forces through decentralising and democratising the economic system. However, this government scheme only led Asahi Breweries to become more concentrated in their success, leading to the development of the beer in question today - Asahi Super Dry.

Prior to the development of Super Dry, Asahi Breweries first launched Asahi Gold, which, in 1958, was the first canned beer in Japan. The original Asahi Beer then followed in its footsteps, when in 1971 it became the first aluminium canned beer in Japan.

The iconic logo that we see to this day was born in 1986, with the release of the new Asahi Nama Beer. This was the first product designed with the iconic Asahi corporate logo.

Then came Asahi Super Dry, in 1987. This still claims to be the world’s first ‘super dry’ taste beer. The brewing forces in Japan were still strong, and the launch of this super dry beer sparked what was known as the ‘Dry Wars’ in Japan, and a brief marketing fad for dry beers internationally. However Asahi has stood the test of time and now years later Super Dry continues its legacy as the world’s premier dry beer.

So what was the desire for a dry beer? The aim of brewing this rice lager was to meet customer preference for a more palatable beer with less maltiness, a light aftertaste but still a relatively high ABV. In the UK, Asahi Super Dry now sits at a reasonable 5.2%, but depending on your location it can be found anywhere between this and 4.9% ABV. It is highly carbonated, with a refreshing taste and a clear finish. It leaves you refreshed and ready for the next sip, or next bite of food. This is what they call the Karakuchi taste.

To achieve this, Asahi uses select grains and hops sourced worldwide based on strict criteria to maintain flavour consistency and promote sustainability. Barley with high starch content and both noble style bitter and fine aroma hops are key contributors to Super Dry’s smooth taste.

To comment on the sustainability element, Asahi Breweries are a global brand that is constantly innovating to improve production technology and quality management. This commitment to progressive brewing helps share Asahi Super Dry with the whole world, as is part of the reason why it has continued to do so for over thirty years.

In terms of the taste, Asahi Super Dry can be the subject of some disagreement. It goes beyond the typical beer taste, with a crisp nose and a clean aftertaste. Some punters think this beer is too watered down, but in my opinion Asahi Super Dry is a perfect pilsner to pair with your food. There’s no surprise that restaurant chains like Wagamamas see so much success, with this being their only beer on draught in most of their UK venues.

You can find Asahi Super Dry at most major UK supermarkets, and from January 2023, you will be able to find Asahi Super Dry 0.0% in the UK, following in the footsteps of its brand partner Peroni.

This beer is easy drinking, light, and refreshing, and to me is one of, if not the best, lager options that is commonly found across the globe. It’s clear, light look in the iconic silver labelled brown bottle provides a palatable, enlivening lager beer, which is unsurprisingly delicious.

Cheers! Or as the Japanese would say: 乾杯, ”kanpai”.

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