Japanese "Dai-san" beers: Beers with no malt

[nikkuchan]

Hello all. I've been curious about this for a long time. I have lived and worked in Japan for about 10 years, and during my time I learned a bit about their beer classification. Beer is separated into three categories for taxation purposes: In order for beer to be considered beer, it has to have a malt content of at least 67%. Any beer that has less malt than that is a "happoushu," which literally means carbonated alcohol. However, there is a third category, called "Dai-san" (which means "number three," but I like to call it "third-rate"). These are the cheapest. They aren't as good as real beer, of course, but they are not bad, and very drinkable (they are better than malt liquor at the very least). The thing is: these beers apparently have no malt in them. I thought this was rather interesting, because they taste like beer, not an imitation. I tried to find out what is used to make them, or find some recipes, but I haven't found much.

Does anybody know anything about these kinds of beers?

I'm assuming these are not the same as gluten-free beers, so I put it up in the general forum.

 

[YtBoI]

Ive made a japanese style lager and love it, but I have not heard of these other styles. I would love to learn more about this.