The 9 Best Japanese Beers, According to Experts

Walk into an izakaya in Tokyo or New York and order a tall glass of beer. You’ll usually get one of the crisp, crushable lagers that define Japanese brews for most imbibers. These rice-brewed beverages are massively refreshing, a perfect toriaezu beer, or “beer for now,” as you check the food menu and unwind.

While delicious, rice lagers only scratch the surface of the Japanese beer scene. Before 1994, the Japanese government had a law that restricted brewing licenses to giant producers. After it was revised, the door opened for small-scale operations. Soon, new breweries began to experiment with German, Belgian, and American styles through a distinctly Japanese lens.

Japanese beers sitting on a bar.

The first Japanese craft brewer was Echigo Beer in Niigata, a city 200 miles north of Tokyo, whose Koshihikari Rice Lager—an elevated take on the traditional rice lager—remains a touchstone.

“It is crisp, clean, and endlessly drinkable,” says Kiyo Darner, general manager of Izakaya Juraku in New York. “On our menu I call it ‘the world’s best, most boring beer’ because of its perfect balance.”

Balance is the unifying element that defines Japanese beer, from a cold, foam-topped Asahi to a matcha IPA.

While a triple dry-hopped hazy American IPA dominates your attention, a Japanese IPA like Raydeen offers bright citrus flavor and gentle bitterness. It pairs perfectly with a heavy meal and acts like a palate cleanser, says Darner, whose Japanese-style pub features one of the widest Japanese beer selections in the U.S.

A fridge full of Japanese beers.

Many Japanese brewers also bring a culinary mindset to their beers by featuring local ingredients. Yuzu-infused beers are commonplace and quite good. But with a little luck, you’ll find ales brewed with roasted sweet potatoes, sansho peppercorns, or salted plums. These beers reflect a brewing culture that prizes harmony.

“Japanese brewers rarely make beer just for shock value,” Darner says. “Their approach is about restraint while highlighting ingredients.”

That sensibility makes the country’s lagers endlessly drinkable, IPAs surprisingly approachable, and experimental releases uniquely Japanese. The result is a beer scene that extends far beyond the tall silver cans you see on sushi counters. Japan now offers some of the most distinctive beers in the world. Here’s where to start your journey.

Asahi Super Dry is a classic Japanese rice lager.

Of the big three Japanese lagers, which includes Sapporo and Kirin, Asahi best represents Japanese dry lager. It’s truly the driest of the dry. Its clean profile also provides more of that toasted rice, cracker-like grain flavor than its peers. In other words, it tastes a bit more like beer. Asahi is now largely brewed in the U.S. This is a good thing because these lagers are delicate. They taste significantly fresher in your pint glass if they don’t have to cross the Pacific.

Hitachino Nest White Ale is the perfect introduction to Japanese craft beer.

Hitachino Nest’s Belgian-style white ale is most beer enthusiasts’ introduction to Japanese craft beer. Fortunately for Hitachino Nest’s brewing peers, it’s about as delicious an envoy as anyone could hope. This creamy wheat beer is on par with the world’s best—Belgium’s St. Bernardus Wit and Maine’s Allagash White—and stands out for its soft citrus zip. In Japan, it’s spawned numerous wheat beer rivals, but none compare, says Yoshi Masuda, a Japanese beer educator: “Hitachino’s just the best.”

Echigo Koshihikari is a perfectly balanced beer.

Brewed with Koshihikari rice—a premium grain used in sake—Echigo Koshihikari is a study in subtlety. Even on this list of superbly balanced beers, it stands out for its harmony of gentle malts and mild bitterness. Darner calls it a perfected Budweiser. If you’re looking for a beach beer, or better yet, a desert island beer, Echigo is a fantastic option.

Looking for the perfect beer to drink with a meal? Grab Orion.

Though it trails the big lagers in popularity, Orion, pronounced “O-ree-on,” earns its place as the better dry lager to pair with a meal. “This rice lager has long been my go-to at sushi restaurants,” says Andrea Starr, senior director of merchandising at Total Wine & More. “Its subtle sweetness makes it an excellent food pairing.”

Even IPA haters will find something to love in Rydeen’s take on the style.

Rydeen is the sort of IPA that makes people who hate IPAs smile. There’s no overbearing bitterness, so you can simply enjoy the spoils: a bready barley base with floral notes and hints of grapefruit and orange zest. It’s also hard not to love the label, which honors a snow monkey that frequently visits the brewery. Long-time beer nerds might recognize something: Isn’t this what Goose Island IPA used to taste like? Before American craft beer trended toward big, bold hop bombs, that classic brew shared Rydeen’s soft citrus hop profile and malt backing.

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Coedo Beniaka is brewed with ingredients you wouldn’t expect.

Coedo Beniaka, an unassuming amber ale brewed with roasted sweet potatoes, pairs phenomenally well with hearty dinners. It’s richer than most Japanese beers, yet not heavy like you’d expect from a similarly strong American amber. The gentle, savory sweet potatoes complement the caramel and toasted malts so that it’s hard to tell where the barley ends and the root vegetable begins.

Hitachino Nest is such a great brewery we had to include another one of their best: Pirika.

Hitachino Nest’s lineup is so excellent that we limited the brand to two entries for the sake of variety. After the White Ale, Pirika embodies what makes the brewery unmatched in Japan. It’s an outstanding beer to pair with food and a pleasure to enjoy by itself. This sessionable brew combines yuzu—akin to crossing a mandarin with a lemon—with earthy sansho peppers and bright American hops. That sounds like a lot to take in, but the flavors meld with grace. Try it with ramen; yuzu and hops cut through the savory broth while the peppers enhance it.

10 Barrel Money Cat is a delightfully bitter Japanese-style lager.

Oregon-brewed 10 Barrel Money Cat is the ideal dry lager for those who have grown accustomed to American IPA levels of bitterness. To be clear, this isn’t a bitter beer. However, there’s a relatively pronounced earthy bitterness. Its rice-dominant aroma is similar to Asahi, and the mild finishing kick makes it a companion for sweeter sushi rolls.

Want to skip the alcohol? Reach for RationAle Japanese Style Dry.

RationAle Japanese Style Dry is the most fun you can have with a Japanese-style beer sans the alcohol. (For impressive fidelity, try Asahi Super Dry 0.0.) RationAle’s offering is brewed with cherry blossoms and floral Saphir hops. The result is a gentle fruit and flower garden character over the backing rice and barley.

Is Japanese beer made with rice?

Often, yes. Japan’s best-known lagers—Asahi, Sapporo, and Kirin—use rice in the grain bill, though malted barley remains the backbone. Rice lightens the body, dries the finish, and creates a more refreshing sip. Some craft breweries go further, showcasing specialty or regional varieties. Echigo’s Koshihikari Rice Lager touts its Niigata-grown grain, while others skip rice entirely.

Even if you haven’t tried a Japanese beer, you’ve likely tasted a rice lager—Bud Light relies on rice for its crisp profile.

What makes Japanese beer different from American beer?

Balance, restraint, and harmony with food. American craft brewing often emphasizes extremes: massive hop additions, higher alcohol, and thick, dessert-like flavors. Many Japanese brewers focus on drinkability and elements that complement a meal without overwhelming it. Even Japanese IPAs skew toward balance—a bit like an English IPA with American hops—rather than overwhelming juicy hop aromas. There are exceptions, of course. Within Japan, breweries are increasingly emulating the big hops of American IPAs. However, these rarely see export to the U.S.

Do Japanese beers use unique ingredients?

Yes. It’s one of the most interesting features of Japanese craft beer. Yuzu and sansho peppercorns are two popular ingredients. While other brewers use roasted sweet potatoes (Coedo Beniaka), matcha (Kyoto Brewing), or salted plums (Hitachino Nest). These ingredients typically add subtle character so that the beers still taste like their underlying style.