Brewed in Japan: The Evolution of the Japanese Beer Industry

This book is the very first in English to explore beer’s steady rise to become Japan’s “beverage of the masses.” Based on his extensive translations of Japanese-language source material, author Jeffrey W. Alexander reveals how Japanese brewers adopted and domes- ticated beer in just a few generations, despite its entirely foreign origins.

Brewed in Japan explores the start of beer brewing in Japan, the many challenges facing major brewers during the Second World War, and the postwar industry’s continuing evolution through craft beer and innovative beer-like products. Written not simply for Japan specialists, this book will appeal to beer industry professionals, craft beer enthusiasts, and anyone with an interest in Japanese history and culture.

Featuring nearly 300 pages of text, dozens of photographs and period advertisements, and a vast bibliography, Brewed in Japan is both a close analysis of Japan’s leading brewing firms and a reveal- ing look at the fascinating country in which they do business.

• Jeffrey W. Alexander, Author

  Jeffrey W. Alexander is associate professor and chair of the department of history at the University of Wisconsin, Parkside.

• Considering the significant position beer assumes nowadays in Japanese consumption practices, a thorough historical treatment is long overdue. We urgently need this book.
  —K.J. Cwiertka, author of Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power and National Identity
• The story Alexander tells is a fresh one, intersecting with important themes in Japan’s modern history (from the process of 'borrowing' from the West to the growth of the consumer economy) but novel and revealing at every turn. Brewed in Japan is a striking new addition to the field and engages with many of the most widely debated issues in Japanese economic and social history.
  —William Tsutsui, author of Banking Policy in Japan: American Efforts at Reform during the Occupation
• While many studies look at a snapshot in time, or a particular period in Japanese history, Alexander takes us through a century of change and development of the beer industry. Making excellent use of the company records, Brewed in Japan provides us a portal into the changes to the business environment that have driven and sometimes buffeted Japan.
  —Thomas W. Roehl, co-author of Mobilizing Invisible Assets