The BBC reports that Sea water beer craze hits brewers (in Japan):
The craze for a cheap beer made out of sea water and raw malt is denting Japan's brewing industry.Hot dang! Cheap brew! Who's got the church key?
The country's biggest brewer Asahi said it was seeing a continuing slide in sales as more and more Japanese turned to the drink called happoshu.
Asahi makes Japan's best-selling beer but in the past three months the company's operating profit has fallen more than 20%.
The popularity of happoshu is hurting the sales of all Japan's big brewers.
... and bad news
According to one columnist at a Japanese website - Captain Japan - the only thing the success of happoshu proves, is that if a drink is cheap enough, it will sell, even if it tastes like medicine.The low price is due to a loophole in Japan's tax laws that the politicians are eager to close, but for now everyone is having a good time except the traditional beer brands. Captain Japan explains it all in his story on happoshu.
