Frozen beer

A new drink craze may soon be hitting a patio near you this summer — frozen beer. Popular in Japan and a few Japanese restaurants now feature the drink. Made from Sapporo and with the promise it stays cooler longer, we went to a Japanese pub in Toronto to find out more.

Nicole Wong isn’t a beer fan but today she will be trying frozen beer at Don Don Izakaya for the first time: “I find beer has that bitter taste. I dont really like.”

Her friend Charmaine Chan has had frozen beer once before and is a fan: “Yes, I ordered the pint, I’m sorry.”

The drink is said to be a great option for those new to beer, but whats up with that slushy looking thing on top?

Charmaine: “The foam is really cute. It feels slushy — it gives you a different texture when youre drinking and you don’t normally get that when youre having beer.”

The sub zero frosted swirl made of beer means your drink stays super cold and isn’t diluted.

Nicole: “I feel like this stay cold longer too, because we took our sweet time and the foam still here and it’s ice cold.”

And the verdict?

Nicole: “Ya, it’s still frozen — I really like it.”

At Don Don Izakaya’s, they call their frozen beer the polar beer and it stays cold for 20 minutes. It’s only been around a month and has really sold well.

Harumasa Honda is the Don Don Izakaya manager: “It’s just took off. I think now it’s the best selling beer we have in the restaurant.”

Honda admits beer enthusiasts may be hesistant at first: “For the beer purists, it may be a bit of an acquired taste. Of course, it’s something different and what they are not used to.”

But for the most part, people are embracing this frosty new beer trend: “People are starting to learn about it, accept it and starting to love it.”

Nicole said: “I’ve had beer before and it did have that warm taste to it after 20-30 minutes. I usually just leave it there and I don’t finish it. This I can comfortably say I finished it!