Survey on How to Drink and Discover Craft Beer - New Contact Points Centered on 'In-Store Discovery' and 'Word-of-Mouth'

Ishii Shokai LLC (Machida, Tokyo) has conducted a 'Survey on Craft Beer: Consumption Behavior and Store Selection' targeting individuals who have consumed craft beer within the last three months and drink it at least once every 2-3 months.

Survey Background
As of 2025, the number of domestic craft beer breweries has increased to nearly 1,000, while the market share remained at 1.72% as of fiscal 2023. Given these market changes, we conducted this survey to understand the drinking habits, behaviors, and awareness of craft beer consumers.

Survey Highlights
- Over 70% of drinkers answered that 'trying various brands and styles is fun.'
- Drinking scenes are centered on 'at home on weekends/holidays,' followed by 'at taprooms or specialty stores on weekends/holidays.'
- New contact points are centered on 'in-store discovery' and 'introductions/word-of-mouth from friends and acquaintances.'
- In a preliminary survey of 13,554 people, 5.1% had consumed craft beer within the last three months.

Survey Overview
- Period: March 17-18, 2026
- Target: Individuals who drank craft beer within the last 3 months and drink at least once every 2-3 months.
- Method: Internet survey using Uny Research.
- Valid responses: 431.

Key Findings
- Over 70% enjoy trying new brands: 73.0% find it fun to explore different styles, highlighting curiosity as a core driver.
- Drinking scenes: 59.9% drink at home on weekends, while 41.1% visit taprooms or specialty stores.
- Discovery: 47.8% discover new beers in-store, followed by 38.7% through word-of-mouth.
- Market reach: Only 5.1% of the general population (13,554 surveyed) consumed craft beer in the last 3 months, indicating a niche market.

Future Surveys
We plan to continue researching themes such as 'triggers for thinking of craft beer' and 'level of engagement.' We welcome feedback from breweries and are open to discussions based on this data.