Suntory | Products and the Service | The Premium Malt's

What is most attractive about The Premium Malt's?: Mr. Yoshizawa: Since its arrival in the Meiji Era, beer in Japan has been enjoyed in two different styles: a full-bodied taste, and a light taste with a refreshing feel. This style was influenced by the climate of Japan, with its high temperatures and humidity. The introduction of happoshu and new genre beer in recent years bears evidence of the popularity of the lighter taste. This is also a reason why beer is positioned as an aperitif in Japan. However, in Europe, known for its great beers, beers with distinctive characters are brewed in each locality and people usually enjoy a variety of beers with different tastes, according to their mood and occasion. The Premium Malt's is a unique kind of beer, characterized by a rich, quality taste and the floral aroma of hops. This may contradict with the current consumer trend for lighter beers. But there is also a trend to reconsider “comfort” and “real luxury” sensed in Japan recently. The Premium Malt's has introduced a new way of tasting beer in Japan: enjoying a rich, satisfying beer with meals. I highly evaluate the beer as it has set a new direction of tasting beers.

From the perspective of fermentation science, what point of The Premium Malt's is worthy of special mention?: Mr. Yoshizawa: The point worthy of special mention is “water.” It goes without saying that water plays an important role in brewing, considering where breweries of sake are located. Also in brewing beer, water determines not only the taste, but also the color and mouth feel. For example, pilsner was born in 1894 in Pilsen in the Czech. At that time, the dark beer of Munich was the major style of beer. Some brewers tried to make dark beer with the same ingredients, using the same process. The resulting beer was not dark brown, but a golden-colored, crisp beer. One of the main reasons for the difference is that the water in Munich is hard, whereas the water in Pilsen is very soft. This difference in water quality led to the birth of the world's most popular beer style–pilsner. Suntory has long recognized the importance of water in beer brewing and it has used natural water for all beer and happoshu products. In fact, Japan's natural water is soft–the same as in Pilsen. It is really suitable for making a pilsner type of beer. Moreover, there are many water systems throughout Japan and water in each region provides a unique quality. The Premium Malt's is made of 100% malt and an abundance of finest aroma hops. However, their full taste and aroma could not have been drawn out without the natural water of Japan.

How would you recommend The Premium Malt's should be enjoyed?: Mr. Yoshizawa: Japanese cuisine is originally light-flavored, and the role of sake is to complement the delicate flavors you find. However, in recent years, the Japanese diet has diversified: we eat not only Japanese food, but also Japanese-style Western, Chinese, Italian and French dishes. These flavors are stronger and complicated. Many of the dishes sit heavily in the stomach. Beers are suited for drinking with meals because they offset the grease in food and promote digestion. The high-quality taste of The Premium Malt's, in particular, has enabled us to enjoy beer with meals, a step further from sake's conventional role of bestowing flavor on food.

Kiyoshi Yoshizawa, former professor of Tokyo University of Agriculture: After serving as Director of the National Research Institute of Brewing, he became a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture. He taught at the Department of Fermentation Science, Faculty of Applied Biosciences, which was then the only academic institution in Japan specialized in the study of liquor production. He studied a broad range of areas relating to alcohol, such as yeast's tolerance to alcohol, and classification and expression by characteristics of liquor. He is the authority in fermentation science who continues to contribute to the liquor industry even after his retirement.