The ichiban shibori (first pressing) process is a method to make beer only from the first running of rich wort that comes out naturally during the filtering. Beer made with this process has a fine barley malt taste and a smooth finish with little bitter aftertaste.

We have developed the world's first technology (patent registered) to remove purine bodies from beer during its manufacturing process using particles of activated carbon capable of selectively absorbing these bodies. Millions of tiny pores of various sizes in particles of activated carbon absorb substances of matching sizes. We have, for the first time, identified the size of the pore ideal for absorbing purine bodies.

We have developed a technology to provide an environment in which yeast can be activated more efficiently in the fermentation process for a new genre of no-malt beer. Alcohol beverages made with this process taste crisper thanks to high-level fermentation.

We have developed the world's first beer-tasting beverage with 0.00% alcohol content. We have combined the wort-manufacturing technology used for beer-making and the flavoring technology to produce beer-tasting beverages without the need for yeast or fermentation.

Mercian is researching ways to exploit the full potential of fruits and wine in terms of taste and health benefits. To develop Japanese wine with distinct characteristics, the company is researching the aroma of Koshu wine and how well wine goes with Japanese food.

Mercian has established through research that the unpleasant taste you may get when you have seafood and wine in your mouth at the same time is actually an unpleasant smell—rather than taste—caused by a chemical reaction of the iron contained in wine.

Kirin Brewery is developing lighter, sturdier glass bottles—without compromising quality and safety. The company has made its returnable bottles stronger by applying a ceramic coating to their exterior, which in turn enables to reduce their weight by 21% to 475 grams per bottle from 605 grams in the previous design. Kirin Brewery has completely switched over to these lighter bottles in the Japanese market, resulting in savings in natural resources, greater transportation efficiency, and a reduction in energy use and CO₂ emissions.

Kirin Brewery has developed an aluminum can with smaller-diameter ends and a thinner wall, reducing the weight by 26% to 12.1 grams from 20.5 grams in the previous design. As Japan imports 99% of the bauxite used in aluminum production, the use of these lighter cans, which need less aluminum, results not only in savings in the use of natural resources but also in a reduction in energy use during the transportation of materials and the production of aluminum ore.

Kirin Brewery has developed a technology to coat the exterior of clear glass bottles with an extremely thin layer of organic pigment (urethane thin coating) in a variety of colors. The company applies a blue coating to its shochu bottles (pictured below). A blue-coated bottle protects its content from the sun's ultraviolet rays. When it is returned to a factory after use, the blue pigment on the surface dissolves during the recycling process and the bottle can be used as a clear, colorless bottle.

Kirin Brewery is the first brewery in the world that has made aluminum cans out of aluminum coils laminated with PET film. Film-laminated cans eliminate the need to apply coating to or sinter the internal surface, reducing CO₂ emissions during can production and making rinsing with water unnecessary at the finish of the can-production process.

Kirin Brewery has redesigned a cardboard shipping case for 24 cans of alcohol beverages into a corner-cut wrap-around cardboard case. The redesigned case uses less paper to make and is easier to carry; it is also designed for a packaging line that packs 24 cans of beer into a case at high speed.

Mercian markets its Franzia wine either in bottles or in cardboard containers with a plastic liner. The cardboard container has an angled tap near the bottom and, coupled with a corner-cut design and a tilting feature, makes it easier to pour wine into a glass—all the way to the last drop.