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Where is Asahi Super Dry brewed?

By Mark Porter Last checked 5 September 2026 How we check

Imported, not from the country on the label

Asahi Super Dry is sold as Japanese, but the beer in UK shops is imported from Italy.

Listed by Tesco and Ocado when last checked. The product pages are among the sources below.

5.0%
UK
2.8 units a pint
5.0%
Japan
2.8 units a pint
The UK version matches the strength sold in Japan.

Every beer on the shelf by strength · How the units are worked out

Brewed for the UK in
Imported from Italy
Imported
Sold as a beer from
Japan
Japanese name and kanji, 'Japan's No.1 beer' claim, karakuchi dry-taste positioning
Brewed in (country)
Italy
Brand owner
Asahi Group Holdings
HQ: Japan
UK strength
5.0%
2.8 units a pint
Strength at home (Japan)
5.0%
2.8 units a pint. UK cans are 5.0%, matching the Japanese home market. The earlier Shepherd Neame licensed UK version was 5.2%.
What the UK label says
“Brewed and Canned by: Birra Peroni S.r.l., Via Birolli, 8 - Roma, Italy. For: Asahi UK Ltd, Asahi House, 88-100 Chertsey Road, Woking, GU21 5BJ, UK.”
Source: www.ocado.com
More about the brand: rights, style, when it was created, where it is brewed at home
UK rights held by
Asahi UK Ltd (owned)
Style
Rice lager
Brand created
1987, Japan
Brewed at home in
Suita and other Asahi Breweries plants, Japan; Padua, Italy (European supply from 2018); Rome, Italy (added June 2020)

A note on the sources

We checked a claim that Asahi Super Dry had moved to the Griffin Brewery at Chiswick and found nothing to support it. Bottles and cans at Tesco carry Birra Peroni, Rome small print at 5.0%, and the 2024 consolidation at the Griffin Brewery covered Meantime and Dark Star only.

The Italian brewing, the Shepherd Neame history, the 2018 switch and the UK strength are sourced to the trade press or to supermarket small print. The Shepherd Neame contract ended between late 2017 and early 2018: The Grocer reported the change in late 2017 and the relaunch came in January 2018.

CAMRA's report 'Beer in the UK' (July 2026, edited by Tim Webb) lists Asahi among lagers produced in the UK, without a source or saying which format. Every supermarket pack we have read (Tesco and Ocado cans and bottles) prints 'Brewed and canned by Birra Peroni S.r.l., Roma', so we have changed nothing. The claim may be about draught, which we have not checked.

In short

Asahi Super Dry is imported. The UK product is brewed in Italy. That is not the country the branding suggests: it is sold as Japanese, but the beer comes from Italy. It is also the same strength as at home, 5.0%. The brand belongs to Asahi Group Holdings, which also owns Fuller's and Peroni Nastro Azzurro in the UK. The label says: "Brewed and Canned by: Birra Peroni S.r.l., Via Birolli, 8 - Roma, Italy. For: Asahi UK Ltd, Asahi House, 88-100 Chertsey Road, Woking, GU21 5BJ, UK."

Who has brewed it here

YearsBrewerSiteSource
2005 to 2017Shepherd Neame (contract brewed under licence)Faversham, Kentmorningadvertiser.co.uk
2018 to nowBirra Peroni (Asahi, in house)Padua, Italy; Rome, Italy from June 2020morningadvertiser.co.uk

Questions people ask

Where is Asahi Super Dry brewed?

The UK product is imported from Italy.

Is Asahi Super Dry brewed in the UK?

No. The UK product is brewed in Italy.

Is Asahi Super Dry really Japanese?

It is sold as Japanese, but the beer in UK shops is brewed in Italy.

Who owns Asahi Super Dry?

Asahi Super Dry is owned by Asahi Group Holdings, headquartered in Japan. In the UK the brand is handled by Asahi UK Ltd.

What strength is Asahi Super Dry in the UK?

Asahi Super Dry is 5.0% ABV in the UK. In Japan it is 5.0%. A UK pint is 2.8 units.

Is Asahi Super Dry weaker in the UK than in Japan?

No. It is 5.0% in both the UK and Japan.

See also

Kirin Ichiban
Bedford · 4.6% · sold as Japanese
Brewed here
Sapporo Premium Beer
Mixed supply · 5.0% · sold as Japanese
Fuller's Frontier
Chiswick · 4.5% · sold as British
Honest British
Fuller's London Pride
Chiswick · 4.7% · sold as British
Honest British
Peroni Nastro Azzurro Stile Capri
Imported from Italy · 4.2% · sold as Italian
Genuine import
Peroni Nastro Azzurro
Imported from Italy · 5.1% · sold as Italian
Genuine import

Side by side with Sapporo Premium Beer and Peroni Nastro Azzurro.

Every beer sold as Japan · Every brand owned by Asahi Group Holdings

Last checked 5 September 2026. How we check.

Sources

  1. The Morning Advertiser (morningadvertiser.co.uk), 28 July 2005: Shepherd Neame secured the deal to brew Asahi Super Dry in the UK
  2. The Morning Advertiser (morningadvertiser.co.uk), 16 January 2018: January 2018 UK relaunch, now brewed in house at the Peroni brewery in Padova, Italy; previously brewed under licence by a third party
  3. The Grocer (thegrocer.co.uk), 28 November 2017: The 5.2% beer was previously contract brewed by Shepherd Neame in Britain; Asahi bringing brewing back in house
  4. Ocado (ocado.com), 5 September 2026: UK ABV 5.0%, brewed and canned by Birra Peroni, Rome, for Asahi UK Ltd
  5. verification pass (tesco.com): Asahi Super Dry Beer Lager Bottles 4x330ml. 5% vol. Brewed and Bottled by: Birra Peroni S.r.l., Via Birolli, 8, Roma, Italy. For: Asahi UK Ltd, Asahi House, 88-
  6. verification pass (tesco.com): Asahi Super Dry Lager Beer 6 x 330ml cans. 5.0% vol. Brewed and Canned by: Birra Peroni S.r.l., Via Birolli, 8 - Roma, Italy. For: Asahi UK Ltd
  7. verification pass (chiswickcalendar.co.uk): Under the new proposal, all Meantime and Dark Star products will be brewed, packaged, and distributed from the Chiswick site alongside the existing production o
  8. petebrown.net
  9. northeastbylines.co.uk
  10. 365drinks.co.uk

Spotted an error?Tell us what the pack says and we will check it. mark@pretendpint.com