We are developing technologies to create new value in alcohol beverage products including beer, happo-shu (low-malt beer), a new genre of beer-tasting sparkling liquor, ready-to-drink (RTD*) liquors and wine. *RTD liquors are packaged low-alcohol beverages sold in a prepared "ready-to-drink" form.
Kirin Brewery applies technology acquired through its years of beer-brewing experience to develop beer and beer derivative products—such as happo-shu (low-malt beer) and "new genre"products (no-malt beer)—to meet diverse customer needs and preferences. The company has developed the technology to assess a variety of raw materials and select only those that meet the strict quality standards established for beer making. It has also come up with the brewing technology necessary to improve the quality and productivity of beer making and to develop new products. All of these applications of technology are widely used in the company's production lines and product development units.
Kirin Brewery works with other Kirin Group companies and external research institutions to incubate seed-stage technology for alcohol beverages products such as shochu and RTD liquors as well as to improve manufacturing processes.
Mercian takes advantage of the full potential of grapes and other fruits in terms of fruitfulness and health benefits to develop wine products that enrich customers' dietary experiences and food products that promote good health.
Kirin Brewery and Mercian have installed in their research laboratories state-of-the-art analysis equipment—such as an MD-GC/MS system*—capable of identifying and analyzing faint traces of flavor substances that are contained in food items and make significant difference to customers' preferences.
*MD-GC/MS system: Multidimensional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry system designed to separate and analyze compounds using multiple capillary columns.
Kirin Brewery performs test brewing of beer, happo-shu (low-malt beer) and fruit liquors using 20-liter pilot fermentors and 200-liter and 2-kiloliter pilot plants. Evaluation results of new raw materials used in the test brewing are shared with the company's breweries.
Kirin Brewery continuously improves the design and functionality of containers and shipping cases—including bottles, cans, barrels, plastic shipping cases for bottled products, and cardboard shipping cases for canned products—to make them sturdier and easier to handle.
The company utilizes beer cans with a 204-diameter end, which is made from thinner aluminum and is 26% lighter than the previous design with a 209-diameter end.
Kirin Brewery has set up an elaborate pilot packaging line equipped with machines that fill bottles and cans with beer and pack them into shipping cases to test prototypes of new bottle and can designs prior to rolling them out into mass production.
Kirin Brewery constantly assesses bottles and cans in terms of their forms, resistance to pressure, free fall and vibration during transportation, ease of opening, and suitability for vending machines so as to add continuous improvements to their designs.
Kirin Brewery collects samples of beer bottles, cans and barrels used in Japan and abroad as well as containers for soft drinks and liquors as a basis for developing databases to be used to design new containers.
