Latest news with #KirinHoldingsCo.
Asahi Shimbun
4 days ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Kirin develops hops that could help beer survive global warming
Riko Imahori, a researcher at Kirin Holdings Co., stands next to heat-resistant Saaz hops, foreground, that show lush leaves and taller growth compared with untreated seedlings, background, on July 28 in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture. (Masaki Hashida) Abnormal weather conditions and rising global temperatures are threatening world-wide production of hops, the key ingredient in beer. However, Kirin Holdings Co. has developed a technique to create heat-resistant hops during the seedling cultivation process without sacrificing their aroma, bitterness and flavor. The company has filed a patent for the method and presented its research at a conference of the International Hop Growers' Convention (IHGC) held in Germany in June. Kirin hopes to put into practice its method of strengthening hops' heat tolerance to ensure quality as the number of hop farmers in Japan continues to decline. In 2022, Kirin developed the world's first technology for mass producing hop seedlings. It will combine this technology with the heat-resistant cultivation method. Hops, often called the 'soul of beer,' normally thrive in cool climates. 'We have found a strong possibility of maintaining hop yields even in high temperatures,' said Riko Imahori of Kirin's Research and Development Division. 'From next fiscal year, we plan to start similar field trials overseas.' PRE-TREATED WITH HEAT The project began three years ago, focusing on a phenomenon called 'heat acclimation,' where plants exposed to mild temperature stress beforehand can survive in high-temperature environments that are not lethal. The company applied this approach to hop cultivation, working with Saaz hops from the Czech Republic and Hersbrucker hops from Germany, both popular varieties in beer production. Kirin treated hop seedlings at 25 degrees before cultivation and found they grew well even in high temperatures of 30 degrees. They showed no signs of poor growth. The same solid growth was observed even after the seedlings were not watered for 10 days to simulate drought conditions. Field tests on the seedlings were conducted outdoors at two locations in Iwate Prefecture, with a daytime temperature difference of about 2 degrees. Seedlings pre-treated with heat performed better than the untreated ones at the warmer site. They grew taller and developed more leaves without growth problems, the company said. Importantly, the hops' aroma and flavor remained unchanged. HOP PRODUCTION DECREASE According to the IHGC, the estimated hop production for 2024 was 110,000 tons, a 13-percent decrease from five years ago. Abnormal weather, including rising temperatures, has been cited for the decline. In 2023, a Czech research team published in the journal Nature Communications a report titled, 'Climate-induced decline in the quality and quantity of European hops calls for immediate adaptation measures.' According to the study, hop yields in Europe's main growing regions—Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia—are projected to decline by up to 18 percent by the year 2050. The study also predicts the content of alpha acids, the compounds responsible for beer's characteristic bitterness, could decrease by as much as 31 percent. 'GUERRILLA RAINSTORMS' Hops are mainly grown in cool regions known as the 'hop belt,' located between 35 and 55 degrees latitude in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. In Japan, major hop-producing areas are the Tohoku region and Hokkaido. Like farmers in the hop belt in Europe, hop growers in Tono city, Iwate Prefecture, are also experiencing abnormal weather. 'In the past, summer daytime temperatures were around 27 to 28 degrees,' said Junpei Anbe, head of the Tono hop agricultural cooperative. On the day of the interview with Anbe at the end of July, the daytime temperature reached 33 degrees. 'When it gets too hot, hops flower before fully growing, causing the cones to fall before harvest and reducing yields,' Anbe said. 'This has become especially common recently.' The abnormal weather conditions have also increased the frequency of sudden, intense downpours known as 'guerrilla rainstorms.' While hops need sufficient water to grow, these heavy rains often recede so quickly that the soil cannot absorb enough moisture. The guerilla storms do not provide the beneficial rain that hop cultivation requires, according to Anbe. FARMER SHORTAGE Another serious challenge to Japan's hop production is the shortage of farmers with the expertise and skills to grow the plants under sensitive conditions. The aging population and declining rural communities have led to a steady drop in hop farming. According to the national federation of hop agricultural cooperatives, production plunged from 2,513 tons and 6,682 hop growers in 1970 to just 123 tons and 96 growers in 2023. Amid these demographic conditions, Kirin started researching heat-resistant hop cultivation to ensure sustainable production. 'Even as global warming worsens, we want to maintain hop yield and quality through this research to continue making delicious beer,' Kirin's Imahori said.
Asahi Shimbun
10-08-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
How Kirin's Heartland defied convention and found a following
Heartland Beer by Kirin Brewery. Japan's first beer to be sold in an emerald green bottle, with an unlabeled embossed design on July 4 in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward (Masaki Hashida) Brewmaster Eriko Ota is an unsung hero in Japan for helping to create a beer in a distinctive emerald green bottle unlike any other in the market. In the fiercely competitive world of Japanese brewing, where industry giants vie for dominance, her brainchild, Kirin's Heartland Beer, carved out a special niche. It is often mentioned alongside Sapporo Lager Beer (Akaboshi) as a 'beer that sells without advertising.' This fall, Ota—a senior fellow at Kirin Holdings Co.'s Health Science Business Headquarters and one of the minds behind Heartland—is set to leave the company at the end of her post-retirement re-employment period. Beer enthusiasts should raise a toast to Ota, marking the finale of a long career deeply entwined with the story of this unconventional brew. Her journey offers a rare window into the radical thinking and creative experimentation that gave birth to a beer that remains as popular as ever, almost 40 years after its introduction. 'Our aim was to create a beer with a crisp, clean finish—one that didn't leave a lingering aftertaste,' said Ota, 64. 'Everything was trial and error. We produced more than 50 prototypes in a five-kilogram tank. I remember getting dizzy from it all,' she recalled with a laugh. Her professional life began with Heartland, and the premium pale lager remains one of her proudest achievements. Ota joined Kirin Brewery in 1983, two years before the equal employment opportunity law was enacted, and just six months later, she became part of the newly formed development team for Heartland. 'At the time, Kirin held more than 60 percent of Japan's beer market,' Ota said. 'The question we kept asking was: how do we reach the remaining 40 percent? That's when the idea emerged—let's launch an entirely new brand to tap into that underserved segment.' Internal research conducted by the marketing department had uncovered some alarming trends: Kirin's brand-specific orders at restaurants were declining; the rise in single-person households was leading to a drop in home beer deliveries; and an increasing number of consumers were seeking personal fulfillment and becoming more selective in their choices. A 10 percent decline in market share was projected. Heartland was born from this sense of urgency. It was a period when so-called 'Saison culture' was flourishing—a movement that blended retail and cultural innovation, led by the now-defunct Saison Group and its core companies, such as Seibu Department Stores and Parco Co., known for their lifestyle-oriented shopping complexes. 'For decades, it was standard practice in Japan for each beer company to focus on just one flagship brand,' Ota said. 'We wanted to challenge that model. Instead of pushing products from the top down, we aimed to create something that consumers would seek out themselves. Our goal was to design a beer that resonated with people's lifestyles and personal aspirations.' Heartland's green bottle is embossed with the image of a large tree—a bold departure from convention. Notably absent is Kirin's iconic emblem, the mythical chimera-like creature from East Asian folklore. Even the company name is nowhere to be found on the bottle, a deliberate choice to let the product speak for itself. The design was inspired by two unexpected sources: unlabeled embossed bottles recovered from a sunken ship off the coast of New York, and a landscape painting depicting a granary in Illinois. Heartland was also the first beer in Japan to feature an emerald green bottle—another quiet but striking break from industry norms. BREWING A CULT FOLLOWING When Heartland was launched in 1986, it aimed to be a 'beer known only to those in the know'—a quiet, discerning alternative to the mainstream. But just a year later, Asahi Breweries' Super Dry burst onto the scene, capturing the market and igniting a nationwide 'Dry Boom.' As Japan plunged into a frenzy of stock speculation and land investment, emblematic of the bubble economy era, Heartland struggled to find its footing. 'Heartland isn't a beer of the bubble era,' Ota said. 'It's a beer that represents something more personal—a place of the heart. That's why it didn't thrive in a time defined by asset-price bubbles.' According to professor Akihiro Inoue, a marketing expert at Keio University's Graduate School of Business Administration, the Heartland development team never lost faith in its vision. Instead, the team members quietly and persistently worked to foster a deeper emotional connection with consumers. They invited interested bar and restaurant owners to Kirin's Tokyo headquarters, where they shared the brand's philosophy and emphasized its cultural significance. Heartland began to regain momentum in 1993, following the collapse of Japan's bubble economy. That year marked the beginning of a remarkable streak: shipments rose for 24 consecutive years. And since 2022, sales have continued to exceed the previous year's figures for three years in a row. Remarkably, this success has been achieved without a single mass-market advertising campaign—and without altering the beer's original brewing method, which only uses malt, hops and water, or design. Over time, Heartland has quietly cultivated a loyal, if niche, following. 'Maybe the concept was just a little ahead of its time,' Ota said. 'But I truly believe it was something society needed.' A similar story of quiet persistence applies to Sapporo's time-honored Akaboshi (Red Star) beer. First brewed in 1877, it holds the distinction of being Japan's oldest surviving beer brand. In 2024, its shipment volume was approximately 2.1 times higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. Like Heartland, Akaboshi has never relied on traditional mass advertising—eschewing TV, newspapers, and train station ads in favor of word-of-mouth and long-term brand integrity. RIVAL ASAHI KEEPS CLOSE EYE ON HEARTLAND How do competitors view the quiet success of beers such as Heartland? Asked about the trend, Atsushi Katsuki, president and CEO of Asahi Group Holdings, responded without hesitation: 'We're watching it very closely. There's a kind of synergy at play—when manufacturers take a steady, thoughtful approach, and restaurants that are committed to genuine quality choose to serve their products. That creates a perception among consumers that, 'If this place carries it, it must be good.''
