Sapporo Premium Beer

Sapporo Premium Beer is the top-selling Japanese brand in the United States. This Japanese beer classic is widely available and ultra-refreshing.

In this post, we review this iconic Japanese beer, where it’s made, its ingredients, retail and delivery options, similar beers, serving suggestions, and more.

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Finding and Buying Sapporo Premium

Sapporo Premium is widely available across the United States at retailers and at Japanese restaurants and izakaykas. It’s often available on draft and at a reasonable price-point.

Many grocers carry Sapporo Premium, as well. Asian markets will often carry a variety of mainstream Japanese beers. But this beer is popular enough that it turns up at regular grocery stores all the time.

If you want to enjoy this biru tonight, check out the online retailers below. As an affiliate advertiser for these vendors, we earn a portion of the sale price.

Sapporo Premium Tasting Notes

Sapporo Premium Beer is made in the international pale lager style.

This pale lager is very light, soft, and dry— just not quite as dry as rival Asahi Super Dry. Modest hop bitterness levels and high carbonation make for a smooth drinking experience. The aromatic intensity of this beer is modest, with citrusy, floral, and grainy notes.

Serving Sapporo Beer

Enjoying Sapporo Premium is a straightforward experience. Serve it cold, in a glass of some kind, and enjoy. An ice-cold temperature will make Sapporo feather-light and clean. A slight chill will open up a bit more of the aromas and flavors in the beer. This result can be achieved quickly by pouring fridge-temp beer into a room temperature glass.

The sake bomb is another popular service option for Sapporo. Cheap hot sake dropped into a cold beer seems to be a crowd-pleaser. For safety purposes, a sturdy sake glass is required.

Proper Beer Storage

Most all beer should be stored cold if possible. Sapporo is no exception.

Cold storage facilitates a longer shelf-life. But even cold beer can deteriorate rapidly, so fresher is better.

Light damage is another storage factor to be mindful of. Light contact can allow skunky aromas to develop. Cans and kegs are safe, but glass is another matter. Luckily, Sapporo Premium uses brown glass, which offers the most protection from light.

Pairing Sapporo Premium with Food

Sapporo Premium Beer is a ubiquitous offering in Japanese restaurants and bars across the US and Canada. It is a refreshing foil for a large variety of Japanese cuisine.

Sapporo Premium can scrub away oily and strong fishy flavors. The soft and savory nature of this lager won’t interfere with Sashimi or sushi. Other recommendations include tempura, ramen, and katsu.

Where is Sapporo Premium Beer Made?

Sapporo has breweries spread across Japan, Canada, the United States, and Vietnam.

If you’re enjoying a Sapporo outside of Japan, there’s a good chance it wasn’t brewed there. Outside of North America, this beer is called Sapporo Draft.

Is Sapporo Premium Gluten-Free?

Sapporo beers are not gluten-free. They do contain rice, but they also use malted barley, which contains gluten. Therefore, celiacs and those with gluten intolerance should not drink this beer.

Similar Beers to Sapporo Premium

Sapporo Premium is made in the ubiquitous international pale lager style.

From Japan, there are several similar beers. Asahi Super Dry is the most like Sapporo. It is slightly drier in flavor. Orion Draft from Okinawa also tastes a lot like Sapporo. But Orion is more complex (and pricey). Kirin Ichiban is an all-malt Japanese beer classic with more body and flavor than Sapporo Premium. And finally, Echigo Koshihikari is a craft rice lager with more complexity, more flavor, and a higher price.

Beer brands from outside of Japan that are similar to Sapporo Premium include Miller Lite, Bud Light, Amstel Light, Stella Artois, Tsing Tao, and Singha.

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About Sapporo Beer

Sapporo is the oldest Japanese beer brand (active today). The company was founded in 1876 as the Kaitakushi Brewery in Hokkaido, Japan. It was a government project to modernize and strengthen Japan, as well as Hokkaido.

Seibei Nakagawa, the original brewer, is an iconic figure in Japanese beer history. He would help to introduce German brewing techniques to Japan.

Sapporo remains one of the country’s major beer producers to this day. Much of their export market product is brewed outside of Japan. North American Sapporo beer production now takes place in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and in Vietnam.

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