This is Asahi's first new flagship brand of beer in 7 years!

It's hard to believe considering it feels like within the Japanese food and beverage space, it's almost as if it's a never-ending vortex of products that just somehow keeps on going. But it is indeed the case - although Asahi caveats that this 7 year claim is excluding brand derivatives, limited editions, regional releases and premium offerings, which is a pretty wide net that is probably responsible for that perceived vortex of new beers - and this is actually the result of a highly anticipated tax revision that is due for October 2026, which might not sound like the most exciting raison d'etre, but in the beer game, and especially the Japanese beer game which is dominated by only a handful of players, is probably as good a reason as could exist.

And so given said context, and in almost stereotypical corporate fashion, Asahi knowing that it had to come out the (tax) gate swinging (because you best believe every other Japanese beer company was upping their game for the same reason as well), undertook several consumer surveys, where the goal was for their findings to inform what sort of beer could bag a target of 2 million cases of beer to be moved - for reference the company's golden goose Asahi Super Dry moves about 73 million cases per year just in Japan alone, whilst Asahi's smaller flagship brands like the Asahi Super Dry Nama Jokki and Asahi Super Dry Dry Crystal also moves about 2 million cases per annum (the Asahi Nama Beer being the exception, given that it's been met with incredible success, with 10 million cases sold annually). Which makes the goal sensibly calculated and respectably achievable, and would put it on par with the least performing Asahi Super Dry brands. 

In any case, the surveys showed that regular drinkers were responsible for 70% of all beers consumed, and that within that cohort the taste most desired for was bitterness, which 60% of these regular drinkers who were surveyed had said - and hence we have Asahi The Bitter-ist.

Asahi not just went hard with the new, very stylish black and gold packaging, but also enlisted the endorsement of Hiroyuki Sanada, who famously acted in the show Shogun.

The Asahi The Bitter-ist - very pointedly named - was thus created to embody a bitter, clean aroma reminiscent of citrus peel, with a "piercing perfection" of an invigorating bitter taste, after which is followed by finally a sharp, fleeting and refreshing aftertaste. Their words, not mine! 

In achieving this flavour profile, Asahi would highly the use of Talus (a daughter of Sabro, a craft beer classic) and Hersbrucker (a German noble hop ofter used for lagers, Pilsners and wheat beers) hops, along with Yeast 318 which is most notably used for the classic Asahi Super Dry.

I have to say I was definitely drawn to the aesthetics of the can, and it caught my eye from a mile away with the all black design emblazoned with big gold letterings, which then coupled with it being the first new Asahi brand (excluding a whole bunch of qualifications) in 7 years, I was definitely down to giving it a taste!

With all that said, let's get to tasting it!

Let's go!

Beer Review: Asahi The Bitter-ist アサヒ ザ・ビタリスト

Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep Gold

Aroma: Lusciously malty, really creamy with cereal and earthy scents of oats and a touch of wheat. Gentle accent of citrusy lemon, with a deeper tone of honey. It’s rich and really firm, very aromatic.

Taste: Medium-bodied, it’s really malty on the body as well, really creamy with oat and butter cookies, joined by a good deal of honey. Great richness and maltiness, really velvety and pillowy texture. It’s soon after followed by a gentle yet perky nippy bitterness. The bitterness whilst bright and prominent, is rounded out and very gentle, almost coated in that same honey.

Finish: That delicate bitterness carries through, still incredibly plush and malty, yet persistent. There’s a light outline of lemon-y citrus as well. The finish is gentle and luscious, yet carrying all the way that bitterness. Clean finish.

My Thoughts

A luscious beer that's very enjoyable and would be a solid hit, if, only it were supposed to be an American or even a Bohemian Pilsner. It's still incredibly satisfying, with big maltiness, an accent of citruses, with the richness balanced against a perky yet rounded bitterness. It's refreshing and has a greatly plush texture, enveloping the palate in its malty, buttery robes, with a delicate fragrance, and at the same time a refreshing yet rounded bitterness that leads to a nicely clean finish. It certainly stands on its own and as you sip it, you definitely get a very whole sense of fulfilment - that is, it feels complete in and of itself, which makes it great for a mid-day break or something to cap off the day.

Perhaps the only aspect that some might take issue with is its name - it's not exactly all that bitter, certainly not "piercing". To be clear, the bitterness is prominent and distinct, also persistent and long-lasting, but also really rounded and mete against an overall body of quite a fair deal of richness. In some ways, that makes it abit of a bait-and-switch, although admittedly, a very delightful bait-and-switch! Nevertheless, I could see where they were going with it, where rather than the iconic crisp karakuchi dryness of the Asahi Super Dry, here we're redirected towards noticing a bitterness instead that perhaps could only be made clear with the contrast against a richer body - it certainly didn't come off crisp or particularly dry either! And in that sense, it does nail the job of extending the Asahi family towards satisfying a wider range of palates. Also I've always suspected that when folks say they want something bitter, they don't actually mean bitter in the purest sense.

But enough, waxing lyrical, this was overall really enjoyable - putting aside branding and stylistic interrogation - where it's got great richness, a delightful fragrance, and a well integrated and balanced, rounded out bitterness that has good stamina, all of which is capped off with a nicely clean finish. It's not overly complex, arguably even more textually satisfying than anything else, but definitely heftier, and more bold in flavour than the Asahi Super Dry, and in particularly I really enjoyed this big maltiness of a texture that felt velvety and lush. 

My Rating: 7.5/10

Kanpai!

@111hotpot