Tap Handle #222: Sapporo - Katana Samurai Sword

This is a gorgeous tap, from the leather-wrapped handle to the mirror-polished blade with Japanese characters on it. The tap is not specific to any Sapporo variety. Definitely one of my favorite taps.

Sapporo beer started in 1876 in Sapporo City, Japan as a state-run brewery. Sapporo, the largest city in the Northern part of Japan, was a frontier town. Seibei Nakagawa, the first German-trained Japanese "Braumeister" (brewmaster) crafted the beer using locally produced ingredients and authentic beer crafting techniques. The beer quickly became a success and was consumed throughout the nation. The iconic star, initially a symbol of the pioneers in the area of Sapporo, was chosen to represent the Sapporo brand. In 1886, Sapporo was privatized. The next year, another company, named Japan Beer, was established in Tokyo, and began producing Yebisu Beer. The competition between Sapporo and Japan Beer, as well as competition with the Osaka (now Asahi) and Kirin breweries led to a 1906 merger of Sapporo, Japan, and Osaka breweries into the Dai-Nippon Beer Company, Ltd., which formed a near monopoly on the Japanese market until after World War II. After 1949, Dai-Nippon was split into Nippon and Asahi breweries, with the Nippon Breweries resuming production of Sapporo beer in 1956 and renaming itself to the present name, Sapporo Breweries, in 1964, when it was brought to the U.S. Yebisu Beer was relaunched as a separate brand in 1971, marketed as a German-style barley beer. In 1984, Sapporo U.S.A., Inc. was founded to maintain high quality and distribution of the brand throughout the country. Sapporo quickly established its status as the #1 selling Asian beer in the U. S.

In 2006, Sapporo acquired Canadian brewer Sleeman. Most Sapporo sold in North America is brewed at the Sleeman brewery in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Despite its name, Sapporo beer is not exclusively brewed in Sapporo - it is also brewed in Sendai, Chiba, Shizuoka, and Kyushu. The Sapporo site hosts a beer museum, as well as the Sapporo Beer Garden, which consists of two restaurants, including the atmospheric Genghis Khan Hall, where diners can sample the all-you-can-eat barbecued mutton.

Sapporo Premium is a pale lager with lush aroma of hops, crisp taste, refreshing flavor, and refined bitterness to leave a clean finish. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 2.22 out of 5.

Sapporo Beer Official Website