Alcohol-free Kirin beer

Sounds vile....

May be good for j-ministers attending International Conferences.

Well it isn't the world's first, by a long shot. Obviously they never typed "non-alcohol beer" into Google. However, one thing they all have in common is that they taste worse than cow urine.

I've already consumed 28 bottles and can still type a response to this thread.

Brilliant!

Well it isn't the world's first, by a long shot

Actually, it may be. I have seen on the label of "non-alcohol" beer a notice of a very small amount, about 0.5% (in actuality, low-alcohol beer). Kirin claims 0.00%. Also, it is a "beer-taste drink" not beer without the alcohol. They may not be wrong if you go by the exact wording... maybe.

they taste worse than cow urine

Russia's Baltica 0 non-alcohol actually tastes like beer.

along with real beer I always have a case of non-alchohol beer, Gerstel usually, that & one other German brew taste great & perfect when you want the taste without the alcohol, Gerstel also tastes way way better than that happoshu poison.

The best near-beer I've ever had was Kaliber, bottled by Guinness. It's hard to find though, and I've never seen it in Japan. Gerstel is good and recently at Kaldi I tried Prostel (0.7% alcohol) that was selling for under 100 yen a can, a pretty good price for a German brew. Texas Select sells at discounters here for as low as 82 yen a can. One I stay away from is O'Doul's from the US, which can best be described as fizzy yellow water -- it's awful.

Can I drink that and drive?

Yes you can drink and drive this. I guess kirin must have overlooked HOLSTEN manufactured by Carlsberg in making the claim "the world’s first “alcohol 0.00%” beer-taste drink." which is also 0.0%.

The whole point of drinking beer is taste and getting drunk, or at least a slight buzz. Like taking methadone instead of heroin. Or smoking without inhaling. What's the point? If you like the taste of beer but not the buzz, I guess. Or want the taste of beer while at work. Personally, I can't see any Japanese politician going for this.

Strewth non alcohol beer, what a bleeding joke.

The point of drinking is to get yourself lightened up and get merry. Blimey, you might as well have a cup of tea than buy this beer. I don't reckon it will catch on like.

Personally, I can't see any Japanese politician going for this.

Me neither, it would not make any politicians speech more coherent or truthful. I'm a pretty light drinker but it is certainly the alcohol which makes merry the hearts of men and it would be hard to drink for the taste I imagine.

A gateway drug to real beer.

"includes no alcohol", what is that supposed to mean? It's an oxymoron.

"alcohol-free beer"

What's the point?

For the same price I can enjoy a Kirin Double Tanrei or better yet, a refreshing Asahi Ginger Draft, both of which have 5.5% alcohol.

Kirin Free? So Kirin = alcohol? I am confused. Anyway, alcohol free beer is not beer. The word beer must not be used for an alcohol free beverage. I feel it's illegal.

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" ---Benjamin Franklin

Russia's Baltica 0 non-alcohol actually tastes like beer.

Haven't seen that, but I do like Baltika's alcoholic beers....

The best near-beer I've ever had was Kaliber, bottled by Guinness. It's hard to find though, and I've never seen it in Japan.

I think I've seen it here in NZ.

spudman,

Holsten, that was the other one I was thinking about, a good choice.

And to those of you who sneer well I dont care, sometimes after some yardwork in the summer these taste great & then I can still jump in the car & go do something with my day, if I hit the real stuff then you end up vegging & wasting a lot of time, hey I love to do that as much as the next day but lots if times I got other things to do & having a couple beers wud then rule that out.

Besides I have lots of time in the evening for the real stuff, AFTER I have got everything I need done, done! And thats when beer tastes the best!!

Malta Goya has been around for decades.

I like beer; I like getting nicely lit up too, but sometimes I want beer with my meal, say lunch during the work week, and don't want to get lit up. The beer flavor goes well with so much, and it's a real thirst quencher. I actually find it annoying getting a little drunk sometimes.

Like Beelzebub says, Kaliber is very good - frequently rated best. St. Pauli NA is good too, as is Clausthaler. Most of the others are on the weak side.

Most NA marketed beer is actually around 0.5%, so it's not really alcohol free. In the US you still need to be over minority buy it, 18 - 21 depending. And in California, you can't buy it after 2 AM.

I have to agree with some of the points above. I like near beer mainly because I like the taste of hops. Sometimes I want to ride my bike or study, so it's a good idea for those occasions. However, mixing it 50-50 with ginger ale also makes a really nice drink. It's very similar in taste to a real ginger ale shandy.

Most of the near beer here in Japan isn't that great IMHO, but there's a fairly decent one called Hoppy. I've had the Holsten near bear and it's by far my favorite (haven't seen it here, though). I'll look forward to trying the Kirin. I wish someone would make a near beer with British hops sometime, though... I think fuggles hops would make a really nice near beer.

I only drink Kirin-free beer.

I'd rather have a soft drink. What's the point of beer without alcohol?

Whats the point ?

Try to drink a soft drink with "sashimi" !

its awful, for my taste anyway ! ...so i drink Premium Prime Select, 98 yens with 0.7% alcohol.

"includes no alcohol", what is that supposed to mean? It's an oxymoron.

It means that the writer didn't understand the mistake and didn't bother to have it checked by a thoughtful native speaker.

HOLSTEN manufactured by Carlsberg in making the claim "the world’s first “alcohol 0.00%” beer-taste drink."

Carlsberg uses Japanese advertisers with schoolboy English? Fascinating.

had to stick to something similar from Europe during my beach trips (designated driver). the guy who sold those to me said he felt sorry for me cuz i had drink this rubbish. i felt sorry for myself as well.

Next up, meatless meatballs.

You guys are missing the point, or you must be alcoholics. Some people, like me, love the taste of an ice cold beer, especially in the summertime, and some people like me can no longer have any alcohol. I'm a kidney transplant recipient, and I can no longer have any alcohol or I risk the chance that it will interfere with my anti-rejection drugs and my body will reject the new kidney. I waited 8.5 years for this kidney, so I will not chance it. While I waited 8.5 years, I was on kidney dialysis and not allowed to have beer, because it is high in phosphorus, which is bad for dialysis patients. I haven't had a beer in 8.5 years, so now I can drink this Kirin beer, which tastes great to me. (Maybe, because I haven't had a beer in such a long time) Most all "non-alcohol" beer have alcohol in it. Granted it's only 0.05% alcohol by volume, but it's still alcohol. Kirin has 0.00% alcohol, which is safe for me to drink. I'm sure there are others out there with health problems who can not drink alcohol, like me.