Boukensha Sakaba no Ryourinin - Vol. 2 Ch. 10

[PerfectDeath]

Until now, I still can't understand why in manga they make beer look like the tastiest thing in the world. I don't like it, and I think there are much better alcoholic drinks, like ice wine. Also, I didn't know you could use beer to make food; I only knew about wine.

I often use beer when making chili mainly it adds the bitter flavors of the roasted grain and hops, you can alternatively use coffee or dark chocolate. But don't use a light beer since it will not add those roasted notes.
Anyway, Japanese beer gets its origin from an American Gun Seller who used the money he made selling guns to Japan to make a beer brewery, that beer was inspired by the lighter Pilsner style of beer. Prior to that there really were no carbonated, light, and refreshing beverages in Japan so it got very popular.
For myself, I found as I got older the bitter flavors became more tolerable. I used to feel sick if I drank more than one beer due to its bitterness but I could down shots of whiskey no problem.
The beer in this manga is probably more of an older Ale style that would be dominated by the flavor of roasted malt, but I don't think the author realized that and just made a Asahi without hops...
You can find carbonated malt beverages, usually made by the Dutch, they are quite sweet (I see them in Walmart's international isle). You might have liked ancient Beer that doesn't have the bitter hop taste.

 

[Nemo2342]

I like Ice wine too. perhaps I should buy another bottle for my house… I don’t like beer either and don’t see the appeal. This happens in real life too, but I used to hate it when people say you don’t like it because you’re not old enough. No matter how old I was I still hated beer (those people were right when it came to wine and everything else though, but still).

I'd rather have a hard cider instead of most beers.