Japan Breweries History: Kirin Brewery Company, Ltd.
In 1870 an American William Copeland and a German brewmaster (Herman Heckard)
setup and opened the Spring Valley Brewery in Tokyo Japan. The brewery closed
in 1884 but was reopened in 1885 by some British and German citizens as the
Japan Brewing Company Ltd. The Japan Brewing Company launched a new german style
lager named "Kirin". In 1907 the Mitsubishi family acquired the Japan Brewing
Company and renamed it to its current name: Kirin Brewery Company Ltd.
A great earthquake in 1923 destroyed the original brewery but it was not
only rebuilt but over the remainder of the century 16 Kirin breweries were built
or acquired. In 1966 Kirin's market share in Japan went over 50 percent.
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