In a creative approach to promoting responsible drinking, a Japanese brewery has created a beer glass that makes it deliberately more difficult to drink from, encouraging drinkers to slow down and appreciate their beverage. The "Drink Slowly" Yona Yona Ale glass, developed by Yoho Brewing Company in Nagano Prefecture, is designed to make sipping beer a slower-paced experience, aligning with Japan's health ministry guidelines on moderating alcohol intake.

The idea behind the glass is to disrupt the common practice of quickly consuming a pint and to encourage drinkers to enjoy their beer with more focus and appreciation. Similar to concepts in slow marketing, slow reading, and slow journalism, the "slow drinking" concept aims to foster a more thoughtful and enjoyable experience.

The design of the "Drink Slowly" glass

The 350ml Yona Yona Ale glass is shaped like an hourglass, with a narrow neck measuring just 6 millimetres, which restricts the flow of beer. According to Yoho Brewing, this design forces drinkers to take longer to finish their beer, roughly three times longer than a regular glass. This slower consumption allows for a better appreciation of the beer's flavors and encourages moderation.

The brewery collaborated with the Tokyo Glass Art Institute for six months to develop the unique glass, and according to their findings, 15 out of 16 drinkers reported that the glass made drinking more difficult. This feedback confirms the effectiveness of the design in slowing down the drinking process.

Limited availability and pricing

If you’re interested in owning one of these specially designed glasses, it won’t be easy. Yoho Brewing is selling the "Drink Slowly" glass through a lottery on their website, with a price tag of ¥9,800 (approximately £60). Entries must be submitted by 16 August, and only 20 glasses are available at the moment. However, the brewery has stated that if demand is strong, they may consider mass production.

In addition to purchasing the glass, you can enjoy the Yona Yona Ale in the same type of glass at the brewery’s taproom for ¥880 until 16 August, or at the Tokyo pub Beer College from 28 July to 3 August.

Promoting responsible drinking through humor

Yoho Brewing’s initiative goes beyond just creating a functional product; the brewery aims to use humor and creativity to raise awareness about responsible drinking. A survey conducted by the company found that only 21% of people aged 20-60 were aware of Japan’s health ministry guidelines for moderating alcohol consumption, while 35% of regular drinkers expressed a desire to reduce their alcohol intake.

Yoho Brewing CEO Naoyuki Ide commented, “When it comes to responsible drinking, breweries tend to be too serious – ‘We will work to raise awareness,’ for example. We want to use humor to let people enjoy themselves while learning about responsible drinking.”

This innovative glass is part of Yoho Brewing’s larger effort to integrate fun and responsibility into drinking culture, creating a more mindful and enjoyable experience for beer drinkers.