In a creative collaboration, Ishigakijima Brewery has created a new type of beverage by blending their Marine Beer, an export-style lager, with the Shirayuri (White Lily) Awamori from Ikehara Distillery, which is also located on Ishigaki. The result is “High Beer,” aiming for a new twist on the high ball. After a year of marketing research, they came up with a 4-to-1 beer to awamori mixture that contains 10% alcohol. They say it is a refreshing yet rich drink.

The motive behind this was that while the markets for beer and awamori continue to shrink, sales of high balls are growing, and the two companies thought to take advantage of this trend (note that while the overall market for beer is indeed shrinking, the market for craft beer is growing steadily). Hopes are that this will bring recent high ball converts back to beer.

While many Japanese craft breweries are experimenting with sake yeast, rice, and/or koji in their beers, this is the first beer-awamori hybrid to date. Sounds like a rather interesting high ball, to say the least. A slice of Okinawan shikwasa should round it out nicely. High Beer sells for ¥700 for a 500ml bottle or ¥450 for a 330 ml. (As reported in the Okinawa Times, Feb. 21, 2018)

-Prof. Mark Meli, author of Craft Beer in Japan: the Essential Guide