Spring themed happoshu

Hidamari no Sanpomichi

Brand: Suntory

Price: 160 yen

Place of purchase: Belx Supermarket

Rating:

Beer fans might wrinkle their noses at the thought of happoshu, or near-beer. However, the big beer breweries are coming out with pretty flavourful versions in 2026. This happoshu, Hidamari no Sanpomichi, comes in 350 and 500 ml aluminum cans. I thought I'd sample the shorty. The label design evokes spring with nanohana flowers and clear blue sky. The brew pours with a decent amount of foam and the beer itself is golden and clear. The flavour is hoppy and the tail is just a touch bitter. It's a cheap, chill spring beer.

For a cheap brew to go with dinner, Hidamari no Sanpomichi isn't bad. This low-malt near-beer is a decent drink. Suntory's product website says it's made with quality malt and aromatic hops of an unspecified variety. All good. The result is a beer^like drink that is a little thin, but has a good sweet and hoppy flavour with a touch of bitter finish. This is the "toriaezu" drink, the one you have to wind down and save your hard-earned yen for the next typical Japanese lager beer. I'd say it's worth a try once.