Sapporo Breweries

Sapporo Breweries originated in Sapporo, Hokkaido, during the Meiji period, where the Kaitakushi established many businesses. Seibei Nakagawa, a Germany-trained brewer, became the first brewmaster of the Kaitakushi Brewery in June 1876, and the first Sapporo Lager was produced at that time following the completion of the plant in September of that year. Privatized in 1886, the Sapporo brewery became the centerpiece for the Sapporo Beer Company.

In 1887, another company, the Nippon Beer Brewery Company, was established in Mita, Meguro, Tokyo, and began producing Yebisu Beer. The competition between Sapporo and Nippon Beer, as well as competition with the Osaka (now Asahi) and Kirin breweries led to a 1906 merger of Sapporo, Nippon, and Osaka breweries into the Dai-Nippon Beer Company, Ltd. (大日本麦酒株式会社), 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. Yebisu Beer was relaunched as a separate brand in 1971, marketed as a German-style barley beer. Sapporo Black Label beer was launched in 1977.

In 2006, Sapporo announced that it would be acquiring Canadian brewer Sleeman in a $400-million all-cash deal.

On February 15, 2007, Steel Partners Japan Strategic Fund, a Cayman Islands-registered fund management subsidiary of Warren Lichtenstein's Steel Partners and the biggest shareholder (18.6% as of Feb. 2007) of Sapporo Holdings, submitted a proposal to the company seeking approval to raise its stake to 66.6%.

On 3 August 2017, it was announced that Sapporo Brewing Company would be acquiring Anchor Brewing.

In 2020, Sapporo Breweries won the Lausanne Index Prize - Best of Packaging.

Despite its name, Sapporo beer is not exclusively brewed in Sapporo. Sapporo is also brewed in Sendai, Chiba, Shizuoka, and Kyushu. Most Sapporo beer sold in North America had been brewed at the Sleeman brewery in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Sapporo completed a $165 million dollar buyout of Stone Brewing Co. in September 2022, acquiring Stone's brewing facilities in Escondido, California and Richmond, Virginia. The Richmond, VA facility is currently undergoing $33 million in capital upgrades, after which it will make about 50% of their total United States output.

The company produces a range of pale and dark lagers, including Sapporo Draft (Premium in North America) and Yebisu. In the Sleeman brewery in Canada they brew Sleeman branded beers such as Sleeman Cream Ale, as well as Sapporo Premium.

The company also produces a malt based soft drink, Super Clear, which was launched in 2002 as a low-alcohol beer, then changed in September 2009 to an alcohol free malt drink.

Yebisu

Yebisu (ヱビス, Ebisu) is one of Japan's oldest brands, first brewed in Tokyo in 1890 by the Japan Beer Brewery Company. Through a complicated set of mergers and divisions, the brand was acquired and eventually retained by the modern-day Sapporo Brewery. The brand lay dormant during the post-World War II era, until it was resurrected in 1971. It has been brewed continuously ever since.

Yebisu comes in two main varieties: Yebisu (Premium), a Dortmunder/export lager, and Yebisu Black, a dark lager. There are also occasional special varieties that are limited in distribution area and time. In April 2007, for example, there was a green-label "The Hop" variety.