Sapporo Beer Museum is located in Hokkaido, Japan, just a 20 minute walk east from Sapporo Station. Founded in 1876, Sapporo is one of the oldest and most popular brands of beer in Japan. Hokkaido, being the birthplace of beer in Japan.
Sapporo beer became known worldwide in 1972 when the Olympic Winter Games were held here. Today Sapporo is well known for its ramen, beer, and the annual snow festival held in February. Talking to some Sapporo locals, some of them have never been to the snow festival, saying "it's held every year, I always tell myself I can go next year, or the year after that".
After having moved the factory to Tokyo, where their world headquarters is located in Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo, the Sapporo Beer Museum was opened in its place in 1987. Today you can enjoy a complimentary tour of the museum, enjoy three choices of beer and check out many of its restaurants.
Today the company has five breweries in Japan, the Sleeman brewery in Canada, and Sapporo Brewing Company in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Sapporo beer sold in the U.S.A is most likely brewed from either the factory in Wisconsin or Canada.
Hours |
Enjoy the day drinking!, cause this place is not open late.
The museum is open from 11:30 to 20:00 (entry until 19:30).
Mondays it is closed, or the following day if Monday is a national holiday.
It is also closed New Year's Eve, and a few other irregular closing days.
Beer |
The museum itself is free.
Before or after the tour of the museum, or skip the museum all together if you really just want the beer, you can enjoy a beer tasting in the Sapporo Beer Garden. There are three types of beers you can choose from:
1. Kaitakushi; ¥300/$2.82, Kaitakushi beer is made from the original recipe of Kaitakushi brewery. It is brewed using only malt, hops, yeast and pure water. The hops and barley for this local beer are grown in Hokkaido. It has a rich and mild taste.
2. Classic; ¥200/$1.88, Sapporo Classic is made from 100% malt, and has the original beer taste, the chemistry is right for ingredients grown in the rich nature of Hokkaido. Enjoy the smooth drinkability.
3. Black Label; ¥200/$1.88, Sapporo's best selling product since its release in 1977. A perfect balance of barley flavor and crisp aftertaste. Long-lasting and refreshing drinkability from the first sip to the last.
4. Sample all three!; ¥600/ $5.64, Trying all three is a must. The glasses are decently small, so don't worry about whether or not you can drink three glasses of beer. All together, they are about the size of a pint of beer.
How to get there |
From Sapporo Station, it is about a 20 minute walk depending on how fast you are. Definitely walkable if you are a profound traveler and want to save a buck or two.
From Sapporo Station, walk east and it'll be hard to miss. You can't really go wrong with which street you choose, there's so many ways to get there. I even got a little lost walking. I could see the Sapporo tower with the red star on it, but I was in a walled-in parking lot in the back of some apartment buildings. But an old Japanese woman with purple hair walking towards me starting pointing at the metal gate hidden behind some trees. I wasn't sure where the door led so I had tried to go around. I pointed towards that same medal door and this old lady just smiles and shakes her head. It was the cutest, non-verbal conversation I've ever had with an old Japanese lady with purple hair.
If you'd like, the "Loop 88 Factory Line" bus stops at Odori Station and in front of Seibu department store near Sapporo Station, departing every 20 minutes. The bus station by the train station is called "Sapporo-eki-mae". The bus costs ¥210/$2 per ride.
ENJOY YOUR DAY DRINKING!
And don't forget to check out the gift shop and nearby restaurants.
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