Alcohol is consumed freely in Japan, but nearly always with food. The nation’s most popular tipple is of western origin: beer. Introduced to Japan about 200 years ago, beer is now produced and consumed in huge quantities. The big four brewers are Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory, with pale golden lager the standard. Local ales and stouts are also available, as are all foreign beers, wines and spirits. Japan’s most famous indigenous drink is sake or nihonshu, a fermented rice wine. Dry or sweet, hot or cold, sake comes in as many varieties as normal wine. More robust, but just as Japanese, is shôchû, a spirit made from rice, wheat or potatoes.