Japan: Kirin set to ramp up beer development via proprietary AI

Major Japanese beverage maker Kirin Holdings Co is set to ramp up beer development with its proprietary artificial intelligence, a company official said, underscoring the expanding role of advanced technology in sensory fields, Japan Today reported on December 16.

The AI system identifies the compounds needed for a desired flavor profile from a wide range of taste-influencing factors, such as bitterness and richness, the official said, with Kirin planning to use the technology in beers released from March 2026 onward.

By combining human expertise with AI, the firm aims to boost both the accuracy and speed of its work, improving how quickly and precisely new beer flavors can be created, the official added.

As a beer's flavor depends on a complex mix of ingredients, determining the key components and ideal balance has been difficult, with much of the fine-tuning traditionally relying on the experience of individual brew developers.

Kirin has built an AI system based on two decades of ingredient data and consumer tasting surveys, allowing the company to quantify how specific compounds shape flavor and helping it design beers with targeted taste profiles.

When a new beer faces issues involving bitterness, the AI presents ingredient options that can address the problem. In tests in which consumers compared samples several times, versions produced with AI support consistently received higher evaluations.

Kirin plans to apply the AI to other products including wine and soft drinks in the future, but developer Yuto Fujiwara emphasized that it remains only a support tool, saying people will continue to define brand direction and make the final decisions on flavor.

In the Japanese food and beverage industry, Sapporo Holdings Ltd. announced in 2022 that it would implement an AI system to support product creation.