Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2010

Non-alcoholic “beer taste drinks” were one of the big success stories of 2009, and consultants Fuji Keizai are predicting that the market will swell to ¥21 billion this year. Suntory and Asahi have just upped the stakes with their latest abominations—sorry, creations: All-Free (¥143) and W-Zero (¥138) both manage to cut not just alcohol but also calories out of the equation. If their aims are the same, they go about them in a rather different fashion: Asahi’s offering comes with gaudy packaging and an equally pugnacious aroma, while Suntory tones it down with minimal whites and gold, and a semi-convincing waft of hops. Neither is likely to appeal to people who actually drink beer, mind you: W-Zero tastes more like licking raisins out of someone’s armpits, and although All-Free is more palatable, the celery aftertaste is distracting, to say the least. Anyone hoping that this is all just a flash in the pan might be disappointed to hear that, at the time of writing, Suntory has had to put production of All-Free on temporary hold—because of excessive demand.