We’re now all too familiar with hearing that imported beers are shifting to stateside production. And while Anheuser-Busch has been brewing all domestically-sold Kirin beers since 1996, that responsibility is about to change hands.
On Monday, New Belgium Brewing announced that it will take over the domestic production of Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light at the end of this year, lining up with the end of Kirin’s contract brewing deal with AB InBev. According to a press release, the decision comes from a logistical maneuver to relocate Kirin’s U.S. production to its subsidiary’s facilities as Kirin’s Australian subsidiary, Lion, acquired New Belgium Brewing in 2019.
