2007 – Japanese Man Creates Beer from Milk

For many years, milk consumption in Japan had been on the decline, creating a surplus milk problem in Japan. The Japanese island of Hokkaido alone had to dispose of nearly 900 tons of surplus milk in a single month.

Sensing an opportunity, Hokkaido liquor store owner Chitoshi Nakahara decided to see if he could ferment this excess milk into beer.

The experiment worked, and Nakahara began selling “Bilk” in local liquor stores in 2007.