Survey on How Craft Beer is Consumed and Discovered - New Encounters Driven Mainly by 'In-Store Discovery' and 'Word-of-Mouth' -

Ishii Shokai LLC (Machida City, Tokyo) conducted a "Survey on Craft Beer - The Reality of Consumer Behavior and Store Selection -" targeting individuals who have drunk craft beer within the last 3 months and drink it at least once every 2 to 3 months.

[Survey Background] While the number of domestic craft beer breweries is approaching 1,000 as of 2025, their market share remained at just 1.72% in fiscal 2023. Given these changes in the market environment, we conducted this survey to understand the drinking realities, behaviors, and attitudes of craft beer drinkers.

[Survey Results Topics] * Over 70% of drinkers replied, "Trying various brands and styles is fun." * The primary drinking scene is "at home on weekends and holidays," followed by "at taprooms and craft beer specialty stores on weekends and holidays." * New encounters are primarily through 'in-store discovery' and 'introductions and word-of-mouth from friends and acquaintances.' * In a preliminary survey of 13,554 people, only 5.1% had drunk craft beer within the last 3 months.

[Survey Summary] * Survey period: March 17-18, 2026 * Target audience: People who have drunk craft beer in the past 3 months and drink it at least once every 2-3 months. * Survey method: Internet survey using Uni-Research * Number of valid responses: 431

[Over 70% of Drinkers Answered 'Trying Various Brands and Styles is Fun'] As a tendency when enjoying craft beer, "trying various brands and styles is fun (73.0%)" scored the highest, indicating that exploration and curiosity are at the core of craft beer consumption. This was followed by "drinking on the occasion of trips or events (68.9%)" and "relaxing alone / as a reward for myself (66.6%)," showing a high affinity with special occasions and personal time. *Numbers in parentheses are the total of "Applies" and "Somewhat applies."

[Drinking Scenes are Primarily 'At Home on Weekends', followed by 'Taprooms/Specialty Stores on Weekends'] The most common scene for drinking craft beer was "at home on weekends and holidays" at 59.9%, followed by "at taprooms and craft beer specialty stores on weekends and holidays" at 41.1%, "at home on weekdays" at 38.5%, and "before or after events" at 35.0%.