Brewery: Orion

Origin: Okinawa, Japan

Okinawa is abit of a standout from mainland Japan, with a very distinctive culture of their own, belonging to an archipelago of islands called the Ryukyu Islands (which in the past was a kingdom of its own, known as the Ryukyu Kingdom) that is somewhat equidistant between Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

The island's most famous locally made alcoholic beverage is actually Awamori, which is made using Thai Indica rice, which as you might have guessed, was influenced by the island's historic trade relations with Thailand. Awamori is also unique for using black koji mold for its fermentation process.

Okinawa is a unique island that is probably the least culturally similar to mainland Japan. (Image Source: Time Out)

Its location has meant that the island has been exposed to a spectrum of external cultural forces that have together shaped the island's own traditions and practices. (Image Source: Pelletier's Karate Academy)

Perhaps more recently, the island has played host to the US (a contentious topic, I shan't address) since the 1940's, eventually officially rejoining Japan in the early 1970's. As you might imagine, the people and practices of the island bears quite a fair bit of influence from a mix of various external cultural forces.

One of the outcomes of which is beer. In the 1950's as the island sought to rebuild itself, one of the produce that was created was Orion beer, known as Okinawa's Craft "The Draft".

The Okinawan Beer For The World

Orion has an emphasis on being an unpasteurised draft beer which has fresher flavors and packs in more foam, one of the most accessible Japanese draft beers on the export market. (Image Source: Public Wine, Beer and Spirits)

Let's start with Orion's name - when Sosei Gushiken, an Okinawan politician and businessman, had sought to help the island's economy recover by means of establishing a manufacturing industry, he had thought to produce beer as the island was still occupied in the 1950's by the Americans. As this was at the time somewhat of a public service, the name was actually put up to the public for suggestions.

A top prize that is equivalent to US$83.40 today was to be awarded to the person whose suggested name was selected. A total of 2,500 entries was collected, which yielded 823 names, which was later screened to 810 viable names, with of course "Orion" being ultimately selected.

It was thought to resonate with the Okinawan populace and would also appeal to consumers, being the name of a constellation in the southern sky that also happened to match the southern island Okinawa. The company had felt that stars were appropriate as symbols of dreams and aspirations and the US forces commander for Okinawa at the time had also donned a three-star emblem. Thus Orion was born.

(Image Source: The Japanese Bar)

The logo was later created with several considerations in mind, the "O" in Orion was deliberately cut to be an incomplete circle, which was meant to signify the brand's desire to pursue its ideals and complete the circle. The "i" signified a person whose head (the dot for the "i") represented a complete circle and the southern sun. Overall, the logo was to convey a future-orientedness that was to be achieved by maintaining solidarity around the eternal pursuit of a complete circle.

The blue color used in the logo symbolises the sea and sky of Okinawa - harmony with nature and that of freshness and purity in its waters; the red color would represent the southern sun - burning passion, energetic and of solidarity.

This was Okinawa's export to the world. 

| Read: [Reviewed] Orion "The Draft" Lager, Okinawa's Craft Beer, 5% ABV

Over the years, Orion has experimented with several labels, yet their flagship The Draft, or Orion Draft, has stayed consistent. It is made using a combination of barley malt, rice and corn, which is then brewed with spring water from a local Okinawan mountain nearby the brewery, using German Hallertau and Czech Saaz hops.

Officially, it is categorised as a Japanese rice draft lager, meaning it's unpasteurised so as to keep in a fresher flavor and remains one of the most easily accessible Japanese draft beers if you're looking outside of Japan. Given how small Okinawa is, Orion's 60% market share is not particularly large, and in the broader country-level, Orion only controls 1% of the Japanese beer market as the fifth-largest Japanese beer brewer, as such the export market is of particular importance to Orion. 

As a brand whose origin was in service to its people, the brand is probably the most socially conscious of its peers - in 2020, it discontinued its high ABV label, Watta Strong, as the company believed that this would help combat alcoholism. Safe to say, it's probably the only brewery to do so in Japan; maybe globally. Not what you'd imagine from a beer company!

Whether you're in Japan or otherwise, when you're at your local supermarket or convenience store, keep a look out for Orion, and be sure to give this fresh island brew a try. You'll be surprised at how gentle yet complex the taste of Okinawa can be!

Kanpai!

@111hotpot