Got Bilk? Milk & Beer

Bilk - it does a bottle good!
A local brewery has produced a low-malt beer with milk. Milk consumption has been declining steadily in Japan, and Hokkaido disposed of nearly 900 tonnes of milk last March due to over-production, according to the Japan Dairy Association.

Chitoshi Nakahara, head of the Nakahara liquor shop on the northernmost island of Hokkaido said after the waste of so much milk he came up with the new brew idea, "Bilk." A combination of "milk" and "beer" which is appx. 30 percent milk and also contains hops, and the production process does not differ much from that of regular beer, he said.

His shop started selling Bilk, which apart from a slight milky scent looks and tastes like ordinary beer. Available at local shops and by mail order. However, Nakahara is currently out of stock due to heavy media attention.

Don't worry if you can't get hold of any, Nakahara also sells beer brewed from Hokkaido potatoes. Beertatoes?

Sorry folks, I haven't ben able to find a link to purchase online.