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Move aside, Asahi Super Dry – Asahi Spice Beer is in town, and it’s hotter than you think

Oona McGee a few minute ago
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Meet the surprisingly fiery beer that’s on everyone’s lips right now.

When a lot of overseas people think about Japanese beer, Japan’s world-famous brand “Asahi Super Dry” might come to mind. However, right now, there’s a new type of Asahi making news in Japan, and rather than being dry, it’s surprisingly fiery, as the brew is made with jalapenos.

Called Asahi Spice Beer, you can find the new tipple at convenience stores, supermarkets, and liquor shops, the latter of which is where we found ours, being sold in 350-millilitre (12-ounce) cans for 195 yen, (US$1.22)…

▼ …and six-packs for 1,094 yen.

Released on 21 October, after being test-marketed in 2024, the beer is already proving to be popular, as we had to visit six stores to find it. It immediately caught our eye from the shelf, with its red-hot hue and fiery details, and the words “Brewed from quality beer ingredients and jalapeno pepper” under the golden name, “Asahi Spice Beer“.

After hearing from a friend that the beer didn’t have too much of a kick to it, we didn’t feel that we had anything to worry about with the heat levels in the drink. After all, how spicy can a beer be?

▼ With that thought in mind, we popped open the can.

Pouring some of it into a glass, it looked like an ordinary beer, and there wasn’t any noticeable spicy aroma.

▼ Feeling unsure of what to expect, we raised the glass and took a sip, only to find…

▼ … it was spicy!!

Though we’d only taken a tiny sip, the heat was unmistakable. This wasn’t a case of mild spiciness, as our friend had suggested, because within seconds, our tongue, lips and throat began to tingle.

It was a reaction that took us completely by surprise, and what was even more unexpected was the flavour, as it was utterly delicious. The first thing you taste is the crispness and umami you’d expect from a good beer, with just the right amount of bitterness, and then the heat from the jalapenos comes bolting in, lingering in the carbonation and leaving you with a sense of refreshment and spiciness at the same time.

Rather than getting in the way of things, the jalapenos actually added a nice accent in flavour. That said, there were moments when the heat lingered longer than expected, but after trying the beer with food, the heat took on another dimension.

Trying it with a bowl of oden, the spice beer became even more refreshing, with the heat bringing out the flavours of the simmered ingredients.

Usually, eating spicy food makes us want to drink more beer, but this time it was the other way around – drinking the beer made us want to eat more oden. Together, they worked a treat, and after dinner, the beer went well with a square of dark chocolate too.

After trying the beer, we were reminded that life really is better with a little spice. And the spice in this beer is nothing to sneeze at, as it’s a stimulating tipple that’ll enliven your entire palate with every sip.

In fact, once you’ve had one of these, you might find yourselves like us, hankering for another. The release is well-timed too, as it’s a surprisingly good winter warmer, so be sure to keep an eye out for it next time you’re browsing the aisles in Japan.

Related: Asahi Spice Beer
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