Orion is locally brewed in Okinawa, and therefore popular here. It is tolerable, sort of comparable to Budweiser I suppose. Anyway, if you make it to Okinawa, a stop at the Orion Beer factory where you go on a free tour and receive 2 beers afterwards is a must.
Orion actually has many varieties that it sells; some are seasonal or limited edition, and others are old standbys. Here are a few of I have imbibed over the years:
“Splash beat” is new this summer; not too bad. The next one is a Shikwasa beer (shikwasa is sort of an Okinawan lime), and again, not too bad, but a little strange. Third is obviously draft; “nama bi-ru” 生ビール means draft beer in Japanese. Aeon Rycom is regular Orion with a special label to commemorate the opening of a very large shopping mall in Okinawa. Erm, yes… it is a small island sometimes and you celebrate things like this. Next is ちゅらたいむ “chura taimu” which is a mix of Okinawan (chura meaning beautiful) and Japanese-English (taimu which is TIME). This is actually a lovely summer beer that I quite enjoyed.
