In 1998, Kirin Brewery entered the low-malt beer market for the first time by selling 'Kirin tanrei nama' which was a huge hit, gaining a 50% market share and at the same time the low-malt beer market as a whole expanded a great deal.
1998年には、麒麟麦酒の発泡酒初参入となる「麒麟淡麗〈生〉」を発売、同年の発泡酒市場のシェア50%を占める大ヒット商品となり、同時に発泡酒市場は大きく拡大した。