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Which beers sold as foreign are brewed in Britain, and what to buy instead

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Work in progress. We are still reading cans and settling where listings disagree. Seen a beer whose small print contradicts its label? Tell us.

Where is Kirin Ichiban brewed?

Sold as foreign, brewed in Britain Verified Last checked 5 September 2026

Kirin Ichiban is sold as a beer from Japan. It is brewed in Britain, at Bedford, Bedfordshire.

What to drink instead 6 beers on the same shelves that are what they say

Listed by Tesco, Morrisons and Ocado when last checked. The product pages are among the sources below.

4.6%
UK
5.0%
Japan
The UK version is 0.4 percentage points weaker than the version sold in Japan, a cut of 8.0%.

Every beer on the shelf by strength

Brewed for the UK in
Bedford, Bedfordshire (Eagle Brewery, owned by S.A. Damm since 2023)
Brewed in Britain. Site inferred: the pack names the company, not the brewery
Sold as a beer from
Japan
Japanese brand, kirin mythical beast logo, Japanese script on pack, 'first press' brewing story
Brewed in (country)
United Kingdom
Brand owner
Kirin Holdings Company Limited
HQ: Tokyo, Japan
UK strength
4.6%
Strength at home (Japan)
5.0%
UK Kirin Ichiban is 4.6% on the Tesco pack. The Japanese Ichiban Shibori is 5% per Kirin's own Japanese product page.
What the UK label says
“'Brewed by: DAMM 1876 Ltd., 5A Bear Lane, SE1 0UH, London, UK. Kirin Europe GmbH, Berliner Allee 26, 40212 Düsseldorf, Germany.' Tesco does not display an explicit country of origin field on this listing.”
Source: www.tesco.com
More about the brand: rights, style, when it was created, where it is brewed at home
UK rights held by
Damm 1876 Ltd (S.A. Damm UK) since 2025; previously Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (under licence)
Style
Japanese Rice Lager
Brand created
1990, Japan
Brewed at home in
Japan (Kirin Brewery Company)

In short

Kirin Ichiban is sold in Britain as a beer from Japan. The cues are Japanese brand, kirin mythical beast logo, Japanese script on pack, 'first press' brewing story. Since 2025 it has been brewed at Bedford, Bedfordshire by Damm 1876 Ltd; before that Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company made it at Bedford until the site was sold to Damm. In Japan the same beer is 5.0%. Here it is 4.6%, which is 0.4 percentage points weaker. The brand belongs to Kirin Holdings Company Limited. On the recipe: Brewed to Kirin's 'ichiban shibori' first-press method using rice alongside malted barley.

Who has brewed it here

YearsBrewerSiteSource
? to 2017Charles Wells / Wells & Young'sBedford (Eagle Brewery)diffordsguide.com
2017 to 2020Marston's plc (bought Charles Wells' brewing business in 2017)Bedford (Eagle Brewery)foodmanufacture.co.uk
2020 to 2024Carlsberg Marston's Brewing CompanyBedford (Eagle Brewery) until the site was sold to Dammcarlsbergbritvic.co.uk
2025 to nowDamm 1876 LtdBedford (Eagle Brewery)prnewswire.co.uk

What changed

Questions people ask

Where is Kirin Ichiban brewed?

The beer sold in the UK is brewed at Bedford, Bedfordshire by Damm 1876 Ltd.

Is Kirin Ichiban brewed in the UK?

Yes. It is brewed at Bedford, Bedfordshire.

Is Kirin Ichiban really Japanese?

The branding is Japanese, but the beer sold in Britain is brewed in the UK at Bedford, Bedfordshire.

Who owns Kirin Ichiban?

Kirin Ichiban is owned by Kirin Holdings Company Limited, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

What strength is Kirin Ichiban in the UK?

Kirin Ichiban is 4.6% ABV in the UK. In Japan it is 5.0%.

Is Kirin Ichiban weaker in the UK than in Japan?

Yes. The UK version is 4.6% against 5.0% in Japan, 0.4 percentage points weaker.

See also

Asahi Super Dry
Imported from Italy · 5.0% · sold as Japanese
Genuine import Verified
Asahi Super Dry 0.0
Imported from Italy · 0.0% · sold as Japanese
Verified
Sapporo Premium Beer
Imported from Japan · 5.0% · sold as Japanese
Genuine import Verified

Every beer sold as Japan

Sources

  1. Tesco (tesco.com), 5 September 2026: 4.6% ABV, 'Brewed by: DAMM 1876 Ltd., London, UK' plus Kirin Europe GmbH
  2. PR Newswire (S.A. Damm) (prnewswire.co.uk), December 2024: Damm becomes exclusive UK distributor of Kirin Ichiban
  3. Food Manufacture (foodmanufacture.co.uk), 8 November 2022: CMBC sold the Eagle Brewery, Bedford, to S.A. Damm; Marston's had bought it with Charles Wells' brewing business in 2017
  4. Difford's Guide (diffordsguide.com): historic UK production by Wells & Young's, product of United Kingdom
  5. second research pass (petebrown.net): cited by second research pass
  6. second research pass (carlsbergbritvic.co.uk): cited by second research pass
  7. second research pass (groceries.morrisons.com): cited by second research pass
  8. second research pass (zoom.ocado.com): cited by second research pass
  9. second research pass (kirineurope.com): cited by second research pass
  10. Kirin (Japan) (kirin.co.jp), 5 September 2026: Kirin's Japanese product page for 一番搾り生ビール gives 'アルコール分 5%'.

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