is a descendant of a brewery founded in 1876 on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost major island, and began selling Sapporo brand lager in 1877. The brewery was part of a general movement on the part of the Japanese government to promote economic development on Hokkaido. Beer was considered appropriate for the region because of the cool climate and the availability of barley and hops.

The original company was reorganized in 1887 and re-established as Nippon Bakushu Shuzo Kaisha (Japan Beer Brewery Company). With the addition of capital from several large trading companies, they opened a brewery in the Meguro area of Tokyo and also began producing Yebisu Beer in 1890. In 1906, the company aligned with Asahi Beer to form Dai Nippon Breweries, which commands approximately 70% of the Japanese market. From the start of this alliance, beer consumption in Japan increased dramatically until the start of World War II, when rationing put a brake on beer production. The Yebisu brand of beer was discontinued in 1943.

In 1949, the Dai Nippon alliance was broken up by the Japanese government’s Economic Decentralization Act, resulting in two separate entities, Asahi Breweries Ltd and Nippon Breweries Ltd. In 1964, in response to consumer demands, the name of Nippon Breweries was changed to Sapporo Beer. Then, in 1971, Yebisu Beer was reintroduced to the market after a 28-year absence. This 100% malt beer was considered Japan’s first authentically German-style beer in the postwar period, and its popularity continues today. In recent years, several versions have been released, including a dark beer and an extra hoppy lager.

The most popular Sapporo product, however, has been Sapporo Black Label beer, which was introduced in 1977 to join the long-selling Sapporo Lager, which remains Japan’s only pasteurized beer. Sapporo entered the low-malt “happo-shu” beer market in 2001, and it currently produces a number of products in this lower tax category. In 2006, Sapporo bought Sleeman Breweries of Ontario, Canada’s third-largest brewer, which now produces most of the Sapporo beer sold in North America.

See also japan.