Aeon starts selling cheap beer

Too late...when autumn is around the corner..selling for ONLY Y158 ? it outsourced the production to SK company to make it more expensive than local production?

There's plenty of beers cheaper than 158 yen out there... Some of which are already sold at Aeon.

No thanks i will stick to Yebisu or lowenbrau. third - category says it all.

I'm usually a beer snob, but it's not half bad...unlike the entirely undrinkable 'fake beer' that is so popular over here.

Bit expensive, I'd say

This is supposed to be 100% malt with german hops, no low malt, no third category crap, just a cheap import. If it's on par with the local equivalents why not, just another fizzy yellow beer, a cheap one though.

Topvalu has gotten into everything. Next... cheap condoms. Enjoy the beers... the 4th generation will be made in backwater China. Japan and SK sure do have a love/hate relationship.

With the JPY rate to the South Korean Won, I am sure they are all making a killing! Everytime the USD gets weaker against the JPY so does the Won against the JPY. So Kanpai! Cheers! Salud!

Looks like somebody saw the price and mistook Aeon's beer for a low quality happoshu, which it isn't. It's a proper beer, made with hops and malt only, no rice or corn starch, which gives it a nice head start over most beers made in Japan in my books.

Also, it hit the shelves at least a few days ago, I bought it last Thursday .The taste is a bit sharp and not quite refined, but at 158 yen a pop this is a real game changer. I bet right now the main Japanese breweries are foaming at the mouth at the sight of this upstart beer selling a few dozen yen cheaper than their brews. I guess we will soon see how much their prices were bloated by the tax and how big were their overheads.

Japanese beers are of a high class, but I worry about irradiated ingredients, so, I may try it.

I tried it. Nothing to write home about. I'd recommending spending 100 yen more and buying a decent Japanese microbrew like Ao-Oni India Pale Ale, which is much tastier and more satisfying.

Looks like somebody saw the price and mistook Aeon's beer for a low quality happoshu, which it isn't.

The article makes it sounds as if it's a low-malt beer and then mentions happoshu, so why wouldn't you make that connection?

I'd rather spend the little bit extra and get a proper beer. Plenty of nice ones from Japanese breweries especially if you include the micro brews.

Top Valu Becquerel Lager. Great name.

Hate to break it to these guys, but 158 for a 350ml can is not a good deal by any means. Regular beer is already that price under some labels, and happoshuu is 30 yen less a can. This is like announcing that one can is going to be 158 yen, but if you buy two it's a special 316 yen!

smith, what are you talking about? This beer is the absolute cheapest real beer on the market in Japan. You can't buy another 350 ml can of beer in Japan for 158 yen. The next cheapest I've seen is Halida, a Vietnamese beer - 330ml for 168 yen. Everything else is 198 yen or more.

I bought a six pack last weekend. Perfectly good beer, as good as Kirin Lager or Ichibanshibori. Happoshu ( there aren't many of them around anymore, Kirin Tanrei and a few others ) is right around the same price as Barreal Lager Beer. The daisan/3rd category junk is around 120 yen. Better off paying 40 yen more for a decent beer.

There's plenty of beers cheaper than 158 yen out there

Not real beer though. This stuff is real beer.

third - category says it all.

No, the word "beer" says it all. If it has "beer" on the label - thats what it is.

Regular beer is already that price under some labels

Not in Japan though. Happoshu or 3-cat, maybe.

Just a tip for you lads out there, if you want to get "beer" and not the other stuff, it will have the word "beer" written on it. The happoshu and 3-cat cannot write the word beer on the can. This is a handy Kanji to know - 発泡酒. Means happoshu and you wont find it on real beer. Or on this can.

And yes, this article was very confusing.

Just popped out with dog and bought a few of these. Trying one now and it aint bad. Not top end stuff but very drinkable.