Archive record · Brewery
Kirin Brewery Company
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Founded
- 1885
- Archive ID
- TB-GS0BW7FQ
- Last checked
- 2026-08-05
Who owns this brewery?
The direct owner is recorded. No company is held above it.
- Kirin Brewery CompanyThis brewery
- Kirin Holdings Company, LimitedConglomerate
From the record
Summary
A global conglomerate famous for Kirin Ichiban Shibori (First Press). They also hold significant stakes in Brooklyn Brewery globally. Not an acquisition: this is the founding brewery of the group that bears its name, so there is no purchase date to record.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
Ichiban Shibori uses only the first press of the wort and throws away the rest, which is an expensive way to make a mass-market lager. It is also why it tastes the way it does.
Ownership & corporate history
- Subsidiary of Kirin Holdings Company, Limited2007
What the sources say
Researched 2026-09-13 (Wikidata parent lead); no held claim preceded it. Holding-company transition of July 2007; the brewing business passed to a re-established Kirin Brewery Company, Limited. Lineage: Japan Brewery 1885, Kirin Brewery 1907.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
The Beer Library
Beers
Kirin Ichiban Shibori
Year-RoundJapanese Lager
Ichiban shibori means first press — only the wort that runs off before the grain bed is sparged is used, and the rest is discarded. It is a deliberately wasteful way to make a mass-market lager, and it is the entire point.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →KIRIN ICHIBAN
Year-RoundPale lager
Released 1990. Official investor guide identifies 1990 launch.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →SPRING VALLEY Hojun 496
NATIONALCraft ale
Released 2021. Nationwide Spring Valley release in 2021.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Kirin Zero Ichi
NON-ALCOHOLNon-alcoholic beer-taste beverage
Released 2017. Official Kirin history records its 2017 introduction.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Kirin GREEN'S FREE
NON-ALCOHOLNon-alcoholic beer-taste beverage
Released 2020. Official Kirin source identifies it as 0.00% non-alcohol.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →KIRIN FREE
RETIRED / PREDECESSOR PRODUCTNon-alcoholic beer
Released 2009. Official Kirin source calls it the world's first 0.00% non-alcoholic beer.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Kirin Brewery Company is controlled by Public company.
Kirin Report 2025 · Kirin Holdings · 2025
PrimaryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05Claim last checked 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Kirin Brewery Company
- Who owns Kirin Brewery Company?
- Kirin Brewery Company is owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited. Kirin Brewery Company is based in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
- Is Kirin Brewery Company still independent?
- No. Kirin Brewery Company is owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited and is no longer independent.
- When was Kirin Brewery Company founded?
- Kirin Brewery Company was founded in 1885 in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
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