OREANDA-NEWS. March 9, 2010. The first containers of Asahi Super Dry in the characteristic 0.44-litre Steiny bottle were shipped in late December from the Baltika brewery in St. Petersburg. The total volume of the first shipment was 35,000 litres. The European division of Asahi Breweries Ltd. will supervise sales and promotion of the brand in France and Italy.

Ekaterina Zezkova, Baltika Breweries Regional Manager, Europe: "The contract to produce Asahi Super Dry for European countries once again confirms Baltika’s international reputation as a reliable partner and producer of quality beer. Moreover, this project will bring profits to the company and further utilize the production capacities of the Baltika-St. Petersburg brewery."

Asahi Super Dry is exported to more than 40 countries and is produced under license in the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Canada, Thailand, and Russia. However, the special equipment for producing Japan’s № 1 beer in 0.44-litre Steiny bottles is installed only in Japan and Russia. Italy and France are among the key export markets for Asahi Breweries, which is why it was decided to begin exporting Asahi Super Dry in the 0.44-litre bottle, brewed at the Baltika-St. Petersburg brewery to these countries.

In 2008, Baltika Breweries and Asahi Breweries (Tokyo) signed a licensing agreement to produce, sell, and promote Asahi Super Dry in European part of Russia and CIS countries. In 2009 the two parties reached an agreement to produce Asahi Super Dry in the Steiny 0.44-litre bottle for Europe and to extend distribution territory to include Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and a number of regions in the Russian Federation (the Urals and Western Siberia). This decision is especially important under uneasy conditions of the Russian beer market.

Asahi Super Dry (‘karakuchi’ in Japanese) first went on the market on 17 March 1987, and thanks to its original taste has been the number-one selling brand in Japan for years. To make the brand the rare Asahi yeast strain is used, which is not only very effective in the fermentation process but imparts the complex aroma and the clean, dry taste that Super Dry is noted for. The brewing barley used in producing Super Dry is carefully selected according to more than 100 criteria including the type of grain, its origins, and the method of germination. To give the beer its refined, slightly bitter taste, expensive, elite strains of hops are used.