3/10/2007

Dropping by to Sapporo and not going to the Sapporo Beer Museum is like going to Disneyland without entering the Sleeping Beauty Cinderella Castle. It’s one of the main attractions in Sapporo. The Museum was set up in 1987 on a Meiji Period red factory building, so it’s hard to miss it when you get there. The Sapporo Beer brewery is the oldest in Japan. Production started in 1877 and is still going strong till today. Ask any fella in the bar what Sapporo Beer is and s/he’ll say *burp*. They all know it.

The museum introduces the history of beer in Japan and the process of beer making. Tasting of various types of beer is possible at a small fee.

How to get there?
You can get to the beer musuem by the “Loop 88 Factory Line” bus that stops among other places at Odori Station and in front of Seibu department store near Sapporo Station. Alternatively, it is a 20-30 minute walk from Sapporo Station.

Here are some trivias on Sapporo Beer and its brewery:

- In 2006, Sapporo announced they would be acquiring No. 3 Canadian brewer Sleeman in a $400-million all-cash deal.

- On July 1, 2003, Sapporo Breweries renamed Sapporo Holdings, Ltd. and became a pure holding company. Its brewing business operations were transferred to a newly established wholly-owned operating subsidiary “Sapporo Breweries Limited.” Sapporo Holdings’ major business units are Sapporo Breweries, Ltd. (beer, happoshu, wine, spirits, foods, etc.), Sapporo Beverage Co., Ltd. (soft drinks), Sapporo Lion, Ltd. (restaurants) and Yebisu Garden Place Co., Ltd. (real estate).

Source: Japan Guide