Sapporo Brewery

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A can of Sapporo "Classic" beer

Sapporo Breweries Limited
Location	Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
Owner	Sapporo Holdings Limited (TYO: 2501 )
Year opened	1876
Annual production	616,374 kiloliters (2005)
Active Beers
Draft One	Happoshu
Edelpils	German pilsener
Namashibori	Happoshu
Namashibori Fiber	Happoshu
Namashibori Mugi	Happoshu
Namashibori Toretate	Happoshu
Sapporo Black	Euro dark lager
Sapporo Classic	German pilsener
Sapporo Draft	Japanese rice lager
Sapporo Light	Light lager
Sapporo Organic 100	German pilsener
Sapporo Original Draft	Japanese rice lager
Sapporo Pilsener Premium	German pilsener
Sapporo Premium	Japanese rice lager
Sapporo Reijou	Happoshu
Sapporo Reserve	Euro pale lager
Sapporo Slims	Happoshu
The Winter's Tale - Fuyumonogatari	Japanese rice lager
Yebisu (Premium)	Dortmunder / Export lager
Yebisu Black	Euro dark lager
Yebisu Cho-choki-jukusei	Dortmunder / Export lager

Sapporo Breweries Limited (サッポロビール株式会社, Sapporo Bīru Kabushiki-gaisha^?) is a Japanese company that makes beer, headquartered in Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo.

[edit] History

The origins of this company is in Sapporo, Hokkaido during the Meiji period, where the Hokkaido Development Commission (Kaitakushi) established many businesses. Seibei Nakagawa, a German-trained brewer, became the first brewmaster of the Kaitakushi Brewery in June 1876, and the first Sapporo Lager was produced at that time. Privatized in 1886, the Sapporo brewery became the centerpiece for the Sapporo Beer Company.

In 1887, another company, the Japan Beer Brewery Company was established in Mita, Meguro, 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 DaiNippon Beer Company, Ltd., which formed a near monopoly on the Japanese market until after World War II.

After 1949, DaiNippon 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.

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).

In 2006, Sapporo announced they would be acquiring No. 3 Canadian brewer Sleeman in a $400-million all-cash deal. [1]

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%. [2][3]

[edit] Brands

The depiction of the god Yebisu popularized by Sapporo Breweries Limited

Yebisu (ゑびす, Webisu^?) is a beer produced by the Sapporo Brewery. It comes in three varieties: Yebisu (Premium), a Dortmunder/export lager; Yebisu Black, a Euro dark lager; and Yebisu Cho-choki-jukusei, a Dortmunder/export lager.

Yebisu is notable in that its Japanese name includes the now-obsolete we kana.