New Japanese beer glass protects your liver but you’ll need patience

Meera Jacka
man using the Yukkuri Beer Glass

A Japanese brewery has introduced a new beer glass that’s purposely a pain to drink out of, but your liver will thank you.

YO-HO Brewing, a Japanese renowned craft beer brewery, has come up with an ingenious glass that will help your liver process alcohol and reduce potential damage.

The Yukkuri Beer Glass, or The Slow Pace Glass in English, is sure to capture attention with its unusual stylish design resembling an hourglass.

However, the glass’s fancy look isn’t just for aesthetics – it’s purposely difficult to drink out, forcing you to take your time and finish your beer slowly.

Yukkuri Beer Glass
The Yukkuri Beer Glass has been designed to resemble an hourglass.

At first glance, a laborious glass may seem like a Chindōgu – a Japanese term used to describe innovative inventions made for a particular purpose with little use in the real world. However, the Yukkuri Beer Glass may actually have significant benefits for your health.

This is because liver cells die each time the organ is forced to filter alcohol. And while new cells can develop, misuse of alcohol can reduce regenerative abilities.

Drinking too much, too often, and too quickly can result in permanent damage as the alcohol causes swelling and inflammation, leading to scarring and cirrhosis of the liver. This final phase of alcoholic liver disease is irreversible.

So, if you enjoy a cold beer (or two) at the end of the day, the Yukkuri Beer Glass hopes to prevent any long-term damage. By being forced to drink slowly, your liver has more time to process the incoming alcohol.

You’ll need to practice patience using the glass, both while drinking and pouring – as the beer will take time to trickle down to the lower section. This is the same section that will prove difficult when it comes to consuming your drink.

According to SoraNews24, attempting to drink any liquid contained in the glass’s lower half is a “brutal” experience as the narrow section in the center only allows “tiny trickles” to pass. This results in a drink that takes “three times longer” to finish.

Nonetheless, the Yukkuri Beer Glass may save you some nasty health problems down the line. Those looking to try it for themselves will need to enter a lottery at Yona Yona Ale, from which 10 winners will be selected to buy the glass for 9,800 yen (approximately $63.6 USD).