Back in Black: Suntory to release dark version of its Premium Malt’s

May 9, 2007
By Ken Worsley

From the Yomiuri:

Suntory Ltd. on June 26 will begin selling for a limited period its The Premium Malt’s Kuro (black) beer.

The new pilsner is the dark version of Suntory’s The Premium Malt’s, which has taken the top prize for three years running at the Monde Selection international food and spirits competition. The dark pilsner uses sweetly aromatic black barley malt and European aromatic hops to give the beer its flavor.

That part about the “Monde Selection international food and spirits competition” caught my eye, since I had never heard of it. So I Googled it and found a report on the Suntory homepage.

The Premium Malt’s won Japan’s first-ever Grand Gold Medal in the Selection of Beers division at the Monde Selection international food and beverage competition held in Europe, the birthplace of beer, in 2005. With this prestigious award, our excellent brewing technology and superlative quality won acknowledgement from the world at large. In 2006, moreover, The Premium Malt’s captured the award for a second straight year.

Huh.

The lesson? Don’t judge a beer by it’s cover…no…don’t judge a book by its country of origin…no…

Filed Under Business, Econ Light, Japan