Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Asahi Breweries

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Native name
  
アサヒビール株式会社

Traded as
  
TYO: 2502

CEO
  
Naoki Izumiya (Mar 2010–)

Type
  
Kabushiki Kaisha

Industry
  
Beverage

Parent organization
  
Asahi Group Holdings

Asahi Breweries wwwasahibeercomauwpcontentuploads201310as

Founded
  
1889; 128 years ago (1889)

Key people
  
Naoki Izumiya (President and CEO)

Headquarters
  
Sumida, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Stock price
  
2502 (TYO) JP¥ 4,038 +8.00 (+0.20%)24 Feb, 3:00 PM GMT+9 - Disclaimer

Subsidiaries
  
Asahi Soft Drinks, Meantime Brewery, Cottee's, Charlie's

Profiles

486 asahi breweries limited asahi super dry


Asahi Breweries, Ltd. (アサヒビール株式会社, Asahi Bīru Kabushiki Gaisha, TYO: 2502) is a leading brewery and soft drink company based in Tokyo, Japan.

Contents

As of January 2014, Asahi, with a 38% market share, was the largest of the four major beer producers in Japan followed by Kirin Beer with 35% and Suntory with 15%.

After acquiring SABMiller in October 2016, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV agreed to sell the former SABMiller Ltd. business in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania to Asahi for US$7.8 billion. The deal closed on December 21, 2016 and included popular beer brands such as Pilsner Urquell, Tyskie, Lech, Dreher and Ursus. The Breweries in the sale include Pilsner Urquell, Kompania Piwowarska, Ursus, Topvar and Dreher.

Anheuser-Busch InBev had also agreed (in April 2016) to sell Grolsch Brewery, Peroni Brewery and England's Meantime Brewery to Asahi; these deals closed on October 12, 2016. The Breweries in the sale include Pilsner Urquell, Kompania Piwowarska, Ursus, Topvar and Dreher.

Asahi super dry revisited 5 0 abv swillingrog beer review


History

Asahi was founded in Osaka in 1889 as the Osaka Beer Company (大阪麦酒会社, Ōsaka Bakushu Kaisha). During the First World War German prisoners worked in the brewery.

In 1990, Asahi acquired a 19.9% stake in Australian brewery giant Elders IXL which has since become the Foster's Group, later sold to SABMiller.

In 2009, Asahi acquired the Australian beverages unit Schweppes Australia.

In early 2009, Asahi acquired 19.9% of Tsingtao Brewery from Anheuser-Busch InBev for $667 million. The sale made Asahi Breweries, Ltd. the second largest shareholder in Tsingtao behind only the Tsingtao Brewery Group.

In July 2011, Asahi acquired New Zealand juice maker Charlie's and the water and juice divisions of Australian beverage company P&N Beverages.

In August 2011, Asahi acquired New Zealand's Independent Liquor, maker of Vodka Cruiser and other alcoholic beverages, for ¥97.6 billion. In May 2013 its New Zealand operations expanded with the purchase of retail chain Mill Liquorsave. Also, Asahi acquired the Australian brands and assets of Cricketers Arms and Mountain Goat Brewery in 2013 and 2015, respectively.

In 2016, the company bought a number of breweries in Europe as a result of regulators' demands before SABMiller was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Brands

The company's primary beer, from 1957 through the late 1980s, was Asahi Gold (overtaking Asahi Draft, its original formula, which remains in production).

In 1987 Asahi introduced Asahi Super Dry a product that transformed the modern beer industry in Japan. Asahi Super Dry is described as a highly attenuated lager without the heavier malt flavors of competitors' products, with a crisp, dry taste reminiscent of some northern German beers. This highly successful launch led to a significant rise in consumer demand for dry beer and in turn to a dramatic turnaround in Asahi's business performance, surpassing Kirin in terms of both sales and profitability.

By early 2017, the Super Dry brand was Japan’s best-selling beer.

Other beers produced include:

  • Asahi Draft – Lager (first produced in 1892)
  • Asahi Gold – Lager (former flagship product; first produced in 1957)
  • Asahi Stout
  • Asahi Z – Dry lager
  • Asahi Black – a 5% abv dark lager
  • Asahi Prime Time – German Pilsener style lager (only available in Japan)
  • Asahi Beer Hall

    Asahi Breweries' headquarters in Tokyo were designed by French designer Philippe Starck. The Beer Hall is considered one of Tokyo's most recognizable modern structures.

    References

    Asahi Breweries Wikipedia