Most common drinking patterns of beer-like beverages at home in Japan as of May 2026

According to a survey conducted in Japan in 2026, the largest share of consumers drank beer only without switching to other beer-like beverages, while ** percent preferred to drink only "happoshu" or "new genre beer".

Happoshu, also known as sparkling liquor, referred to beer-like beverages with a malt-content of less than 50 percent, which were considered a cheaper alternative to beer. Following tax increases, third-genre beer ("daisan beer") was introduced as a second alternative without malt before further tax reforms in 2023 hampered the segment growth.