Although summer is winding down, beer remains a necessity in many people's refrigerators. In our traditional impression, beer is meant for chugging—large bottles, big cans, or even kegs are satisfying enough, and 330ml cans or small bottles are already the smallest common packaging on the market, often sold in groups like "dozens" or "cases." However, people's demands for beer have evolved: not only do they want better quality, but also smaller quantities. In July, Taobao released its "2023 Small Can Alcohol Report," which showed that during the 618 shopping festival, "small can alcohol" (the industry term for drinks under 330ml) saw strong sales growth, with imported mini can beer leading all small can products with a 202% increase. It's worth noting that small packaging for baijiu (Chinese liquor) has been a trend for years, and the emerging "convenience store cocktail mixing" trend has also popularized small bottles of spirits, but both have been outpaced by the newcomer: mini can beer. So, who exactly is buying these mini cans that are downed in one gulp, leaving you feeling like you drank nothing?

Young Women: The "Promotional Force" of Mini Can Beer Although mini can beer is not yet common on the market, in recent years, various beer manufacturers have been competing to make beer smaller: Carlsberg at 275ml, Budweiser at 235ml, Tsingtao Pure Draft at 200ml, Heineken at 150ml, and Japanese brands like Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo have taken it to the extreme with 135ml "XXXS" packaging—any smaller and you couldn't even take a proper gulp. On April 1, 2014 (April Fools' Day), Kirin Beer released a beer with only 1ml content, taking "small" to the extreme. In Japan, 135ml mini can beer is not a new product but has a history of over 40 years—its pioneer was Asahi Beer: in 1981, when 500ml and 330ml dominated canned beer, Asahi was the first to introduce a 250ml can, and in 1984, they further shrank it to 135ml, creating a classic. In the famous manga series "Kaiji" (which includes "Gambling Apocalypse Kaiji," "Gambling Paradox Kaiji," and "Gambling Fallacy Kaiji") that began serialization in 1996, there is a famous scene involving Asahi mini cans: the protagonist Kaiji, burdened by massive gambling debts, becomes a laborer in an underground prison, and only by saving six months of "wages" to buy a day pass can he escape. He had made up his mind, but couldn't resist the temptation of ice-cold beer and chicken skewers, ultimately squandering his wages—"before he knew it, he was drinking heavily." The "Pandora's box" that lured him into desire and temptation was a free 135ml can of Asahi beer given by the prison warden.

Fukumoto Nobuyuki, whose art style is not refined and can even draw faces as triangles, used a large spread to meticulously depict this can of ice-cold beer. However, even in Japan, the birthplace of mini can beer, many people wonder why manufacturers would release such a version. The most widespread rumor is that it's specifically for祭祀 offerings. Around August 15 each year, during the Bon Festival (a Japanese holiday for honoring ancestral spirits), 135ml beer sells the most, and some convenience stores even put up祭祀-themed promotional ads, leading to stereotypes about mini can beer. In February 2023, Tomoaki Okamura, the beer marketing manager at Asahi Beverages, revealed the history of the 135ml can in an interview. They were actually targeting women and elderly users who have low alcohol tolerance but enjoy a sip. Unexpectedly, it sold well, even becoming a souvenir for foreign tourists. The祭祀 theory is inaccurate; according to their market research, over 80% of buyers consume it themselves. In Japanese drinking culture, beer often "leads the charge" for group toasts and to quench thirst and stimulate appetite. Mini can beer has become the best choice for those who can't drink much: "First, have a proper beer, then switch to non-alcoholic drinks." "Some people want a drink before bed, but 330ml is too much; a mini can that's finished in two sips is just right... Also, some people dislike the taste of beer that warms up after opening, so mini cans provide an extremely chilled, luxurious taste." Additionally, in cocktails that use beer as an ingredient, the mini can size is just right. Asahi's 250ml beer was marketed for mixing. In fact, the advantages and drinking scenarios of mini can beer align perfectly with today's young Chinese consumers. On Chinese social media and e-commerce review sections, you'll find almost all young women recommending mini can beer: it's satisfying and relaxing without getting drunk, doesn't cause bloating or weight gain, and aligns with the prevailing healthy lifestyle philosophy. For those who want to drink and love drinking but have low tolerance, mini can beer perfectly solves this problem for "weak but addicted" young consumers. Taobao's "Small Can Alcohol Report" also provides evidence: the top three cities for buying small can alcohol are Shenzhen, Fuzhou, and Nanjing, with most listed cities from the south, while the well-known "drinker regions" like the three northeastern provinces, Inner Mongolia, and Shandong are absent. Moreover, this mini can packaging fits the recent "mini economy" trend, as from cars and bags to cakes and milk tea, the smaller and cuter, the more popular among female customers. Some women who don't usually drink even buy various mini cans as cute collectibles. Logically, young female consumers should be the main customer base for small can beer. "The trend of small can alcohol is very obvious, and the younger the consumer, the more they like it, with smaller sizes being preferred. From low-alcohol drinks to small cans, drinking has shifted from a social attribute to a ritual of young people's lives, like brewing a good cup of tea; drinking a small can is the same." This was the view of the head of Tmall Supermarket's alcohol division—however, their own "Small Can Alcohol Report" presents a completely different picture.

Middle-Aged Men: The "Behind-the-Scenes Consumers" of Mini Cans? Contrary to our expectations, Taobao's "2023 Small Can Alcohol Report" shows that men account for 67% of small can alcohol purchases, and even more surprisingly, users born before 1980 account for 68%. This suggests that middle-aged men are the main consumers of mini can beer—these guys don't post on social media or write reviews; they just silently spend money. It's worth noting that while this isn't a professional statistical paper, we should consider some confounding factors. First, the data includes not only mini can beer but also small-packaged baijiu and spirits; second, some "middle-aged men" might actually be young women living alone who use male accounts for safety reasons, which would mean the actual proportion of middle-aged men buying mini can beer is lower than the statistics suggest. But even so, a significant number of middle-aged men are buying mini can beer. In Japan, the birthplace of mini can beer, this trend is even more pronounced. According to statistics, over 70% of consumers of 250ml and 135ml small cans are over 50 years old. To accommodate them, Asahi Beer even modified the pull tabs on mini cans to be larger and thicker for easier opening. This modification for elderly consumers even won a design award. So why do middle-aged men buy these mini cans that can be finished in two or three sips? Health considerations are undoubtedly the most obvious reason. In your twenties, lining up a dozen empty beer bottles as "trophies" is no big deal, but as you age and your body functions decline, you switch to slim cigarettes and small cans of beer; if you want to live longer, you can't be as reckless as in your youth. More critically, for middle-aged people, drinking too much beer isn't just about vomiting and discomfort. In March 2022, the University of Pennsylvania published research showing that for people aged 40-69, consuming an average of 500ml of beer per day is equivalent to accelerating brain aging by two years—but they say a small can is fine. Along with reduced alcohol consumption, middle-aged men's drinking times and occasions have changed. For them, business entertainment and social gatherings that require drinking games have decreased significantly compared to their youth. Often, they open a can of beer at home to relax or with a meal, and mini can beer is perfect for such occasions. Of course, it's also possible that middle-aged men buy mini cans by mistake—maybe they were watching a game and accidentally ordered them, and then were too lazy to return them, as men's carelessness tends to increase with age.

The "Smaller Tastes Better" Rule: Does It Apply to Mini Can Beer? Recently, "diao si drinks" (cheap, large-volume drinks) have become popular, and some people have brought up the "smaller tastes better" rule: larger drinks are harder to chill completely, and since they take longer to finish, they warm up and cause "taste fatigue," making them less enjoyable. The most typical example is cola. The British Mirror conducted a survey showing that 90% of people believe cola in glass bottles, despite being the least cost-effective, tastes the best. And this isn't unfounded: the refreshing sensation of cola comes mainly from low temperature and carbon dioxide. Assuming all packaging uses the same formula, glass bottles and cans can hold more carbonation than plastic bottles and are less prone to losing temperature and gas. Large plastic bottles have insufficient carbonation, and with rapid temperature loss and gas escape, by the end it's almost just sugar water, hence the saying, "The first sip of a three-yuan cola is worth two and a half yuan." In terms of the source of pleasure, beer is similar to cola—it wins on ice-cold temperature and bubbles—and compared to cola, which gets more expensive as it gets smaller, small can beer might be even less cost-effective: for example, a 135ml can of Asahi beer averages around 10 yuan per can on Taobao, while a 500ml large can of Asahi at a 7-Eleven convenience store costs only 8 yuan and is often on sale. Tsingtao Beer's mini can is marketed as "one sip of freshness." To test whether mini can beer also follows the "smaller tastes better" rule, I specifically bought several different brands and packaging of mini can beer before writing this article to compare them myself. Asahi, Sapporo, and Kirin's Ichiban Shibori and Tanrei (both from Kirin) — my assessment is that the four mini cans are not much different; they all have the standard light industrial lager taste. As for Kirin Ichiban Shibori, my usual go-to beer, the small can version does offer a slightly better drinking experience than the large can. Since Ichiban Shibori has a rich malt flavor, the large can often develops a slightly bitter taste in the latter half due to warming and loss of carbonation, but the 135ml can doesn't have this problem—after all, it doesn't have a latter half. Additionally, since the 135ml mini cans are only available as original imports, they have subtle taste differences from domestically produced versions. In this sense, whether the main buyers of mini can beer are young women or middle-aged men, being willing to prioritize a better drinking experience over "cost-effectiveness" and allowing beer to evolve from a low-quality, cheap commodity to a symbol of relaxation, pleasure, ambiance, and health is ultimately a good thing for the development of beer culture in China. Finally, I've seen people on social media claim that "drinking a 135ml can of beer won't register on a breathalyzer." That's true, but I still hope everyone adheres to the principle of "don't drink and drive, don't drive after drinking," and drink responsibly for the benefit of all.