is a beer-flavored non-alcoholic

Soft drink

A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...

 drink that Kokuka Beverage Company began producing and selling in Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 in 1948. Kokuka subsequently changed its name to Hoppy Beverage Co., Ltd. Hoppy is currently a registered trademark

Trademark

A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...

 of Hoppy Beverage Co., Ltd.

Despite its beer-like flavor, Hoppy contains no purine bases.

At the time of its launch, Hoppy mixed with shōchū

Shochu

is a Japanese distilled beverage. It is typically distilled from barley, sweet potatoes, or rice, though it is sometimes produced from other ingredients such as brown sugar, buckwheat or chestnut. Typically shōchū contains 25% alcohol by volume...

(a Japanese distilled beverage) was considered a substitute for beer

Beer

Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

, which was beyond the reach of ordinary people. The mixed drink is referred to as Hoppy as well. It is still a staple among some Tokyo residents. It is a popular item at izakaya

Izakaya

An is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. They are popular, casual places for after-work drinking.-Name:...

 (Japanese-style pubs), especially within the suburban old town area along the Keisei Main Line.

Products

• Hoppy (original)
• Black Hoppy (tastes bitter and sweet with aroma)
• 55 Hoppy (memorialized with its 55th birthday)
• Hoppy 330 (bottled in a single-use bottle for home use)
• Hoppy Black (same as Black Hoppy for home use)

Recommended use

Hoppy is a non-alcoholic drink that contains about 0.8 percent of alcohol. It is often added to shōchū, a Japanese distilled beverage. The company recommends a detailed way of using it as follows:

1. Shōchū should be kōrui shōchū (or shōchū kōrui, 焼酎甲類), which is distilled two or more times, and should contain 25 percent alcohol.
2. Beforehand, the Hoppy and shōchū should be chilled in a refrigerator, and glasses should be chilled in a freezer. The company calls this "sanrei" (三冷, literally "three coolings").
3. Five parts Hoppy should be added to one part shōchū. This will give a resultant drink which has about 5 percent alcohol.
4. The Shōchū should be ready in glasses first, and Hoppy should be added vigorously so that the drink foams up, without stirring, which is not recommended.
5. Ice should not be added because it deteriorates from the taste of the drink.

When Hoppy is ordered at a pub, a glass or mug of shōchū is brought along with a bottle of Hoppy. The shochu will be referred to as , and the Hoppy will be called . If another bottle of Hoppy is needed, the phrase "another 'soto'" is used. It is also possible to order just "naka," in which case a shōchū shot will be served on its own.

Some establishments will place the mug and shōchū in a freezer and allow it to turn into a frozen slush before serving it with Hoppy. The use of ice is sometimes looked down upon, but it is possible to find places that serve Hoppy and shōchū with ice.

Manufacturing

Since Hoppy is licensed under an obsolete liquor taxing system

Tax

To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...

, it is the only beverage that is able to be brewed

Brewing

Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...

with level of alcohol that exceeds 1% without being taxed as such.