Calpis Beer layers the sweet-tart taste of Calpis — a Japanese fermented milk drink (sold in North America as Calpico) — over beer’s natural bitterness, with a hint of anisette adding a refreshing herbal note. Think of it as a grown-up take on a milky soft drink: smooth, easy to sip, and a great option even for those who aren’t usually beer fans. It’s a refreshing beer cocktail built for summer.
Recipe & Instructions
Ingredients
Recipe no.009
- Anisette – 1/3 oz (10ml)
- Calpis concentrate – 2/3 oz (20ml)
- Beer – Full
- Full = fill the glass about 80–90% full
Instructions
Chill your glass and beer ahead of time.
Add the anisette and Calpis concentrate to the glass and stir.
Top with beer and stir gently to finish.
- Technique ｜Stir
- Glass ｜Pilsner Glass / Collins Glass
- ABV ｜approximately 5–6%
- Best Enjoyed ｜Daytime / Before dinner
About Calpis Beer
Origins
You’d assume a name like Double-Cultured came from a corporate marketing team — it didn’t. Calpis Beer’s pairing was invented and named in 2011 by a single Calpis employee, exactly the kind of story that makes me trust a drink more. The name is simple: double, for two, plus cultured, for fermentation — combining Calpis and beer, born from different fermentation processes, in one glass. Calpis dates to 1919 as a sweet-tart lactic drink, later a summer staple once cut with soda.
Beer sits at the opposite end, getting its bitterness from yeast rather than lactic acid. Combine the two, and you’re mixing two fermentation cultures in one glass — exactly why the name works as more than wordplay. A later variation added anisette, a fragrant herbal liqueur, and that’s how Calpis Beer came to be.
With its sweet-tart flavor and refreshing finish, it’s approachable even for people who usually avoid beer’s bitterness — one of the more inventive beer cocktails from Japan’s fermentation culture.
Characteristics & Flavor
Calpis Beer’s real appeal is how it softens beer’s bitterness while layering in Calpis’s sweet-tart flavor and anisette’s herbal aroma into something genuinely new. Sweetness and bitterness stay in careful balance here, which is exactly why it works even for people who don’t usually reach for beer.
That balance comes down to chemistry as much as flavor: Calpis’s gentle lactic tang physically wraps around beer’s bitter compounds, while anisette adds an aromatic lift that ties the whole thing together. The result reads lighter and fruitier than beer on its own.
A pilsner sharpens the crisp, refreshing side of the drink, while a fruitier beer style pushes it closer to dessert territory. Adjusting how much Calpis you pour is the easiest way to dial the sweetness to your own taste — I’d start light and add more rather than the other way around.
Refreshing, easy to drink, and genuinely playful, Calpis Beer works just as well solo at home as it does poured for a crowd.
Points, Twists & Food Pairings
- Best Pairings・・・Try it with karaage (Japanese fried chicken), spring rolls, or salty edamame — the sweet-tart Calpis balances fried, savory bites beautifully.
- Mixing Tip・・・Pour the Calpis and anisette first, then add cold beer gently down the side of the glass to keep the foam light and the drink well-balanced.
- Easy Twist・・・Swap in a fruity wheat beer instead of a pilsner for a dessert-like variation, or add a splash of soda for an even lighter, fizzier finish.
- Drinking Note・・・Calpis concentrate is sweet on its own; start with less than the recipe calls for if you prefer a drier, less sugary balance.
