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Where is Sapporo Premium Beer brewed?

By Mark Porter Last checked 19 September 2026 How we check

Mixed supply

The UK supply of Sapporo Premium Beer is split between imported stock and stock brewed in Britain. Check the small print on the pack.

Listed by Tesco when last checked. The product pages are among the sources below.

5.0%
UK
2.8 units a pint
5.0%
Japan
2.8 units a pint
The UK version matches the strength sold in Japan.

Every beer on the shelf by strength · How the units are worked out

Brewed for the UK in
Mixed: some imported, some brewed in Britain
Mixed supply
Sold as a beer from
Japan
Japanese brand, star emblem, silver can
Brewed in (country)
Mixed
Brand owner
Sapporo Breweries Ltd (Sapporo Holdings)
HQ: Tokyo, Japan
UK strength
5.0%
2.8 units a pint
Strength at home (Japan)
5.0%
2.8 units a pint. The UK 650ml can is 5.0% (Tesco) and Sapporo's Japanese site gives Sapporo Premium Beer, which it now sells domestically as well as for export, as 5%. The same strength on both sides.
What the UK label says
“Country of origin: Japan. 'Brewed under supervision of Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Tokyo, Japan'. Distributor Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Co. Ltd, Wolverhampton; food business operator Carlsberg Breweries, Copenhagen”
Source: www.tesco.com
More about the brand: rights, style, when it was created, where it is brewed at home
UK rights held by
Carlsberg Britvic, full licence partner for the UK from 1 August 2026, covering brewing, marketing and distribution (under licence)
Style
Lager
Brand created
1876, Japan

What we have not confirmed

Carlsberg Britvic's newsroom says 'it will brew and distribute Japan's iconic Sapporo Premium Beer in its UK portfolio from 1 August', as 'the brand's full license partner, overseeing the on-trade and off-trade channels nationwide, as well as all brewing and marketing activities'. Against that, Tesco's listing for the 650ml can (read 5 September 2026) gives Japan as the country of origin and 'Brewed under supervision of Sapporo Breweries Ltd., Tokyo, Japan', at 5.0%. Both can be true during a changeover, so we describe the supply as mixed until we read a pack that says where it was brewed. No source names a UK brewery yet.

The UK strength of 5.0%, the same as in Japan, and the owner are confirmed. Thanks to Tim Webb of CAMRA, who sent the correction in September 2026.

If you have a can or bottle to hand, the producer's name and address in the small print would settle it.

In short

The UK supply of Sapporo Premium Beer is split: some of what reaches the shelf is imported and some is brewed here. The can in your hand could be either, so check the producer address in the small print. It is the same strength here as at home: 5.0%. The brand belongs to Sapporo Breweries Ltd (Sapporo Holdings).

Who has brewed it here

YearsBrewerSiteSource
? to 2026Not confirmedImported from Japan; UK distribution through Carlsberg Marston's, Wolverhampton; Carlsberg Breweries Denmark as food business operatortesco.com
2026 to nowCarlsberg BritvicNot named in any sourcecarlsbergbritvic.co.uk

Questions people ask

Where is Sapporo Premium Beer brewed?

The UK supply is split between imported stock and stock brewed in Britain.

Is Sapporo Premium Beer brewed in the UK?

Partly. Some UK stock is brewed in Britain and some is imported, so it depends which pack you pick up.

Is Sapporo Premium Beer really Japanese?

Only partly. Some UK stock is brewed in Britain and some is imported, so it depends which pack you pick up.

Who owns Sapporo Premium Beer?

Sapporo Premium Beer is owned by Sapporo Breweries Ltd (Sapporo Holdings), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. In the UK the brand is handled by Carlsberg Britvic under licence.

What strength is Sapporo Premium Beer in the UK?

Sapporo Premium Beer is 5.0% ABV in the UK. In Japan it is 5.0%. A UK pint is 2.8 units.

Is Sapporo Premium Beer weaker in the UK than in Japan?

No. It is 5.0% in both the UK and Japan.

See also

Asahi Super Dry
Imported from Italy · 5.0% · sold as Japanese
Genuine import
Asahi Super Dry 0.0
Imported from Italy · 0.0% · sold as Japanese
Kirin Ichiban
Bedford · 4.6% · sold as Japanese
Brewed here

Side by side with Asahi Super Dry.

Every beer sold as Japan

Last checked 19 September 2026. How we check.

Sources

  1. Tesco (tesco.com), 5 September 2026: 5.0% abv, country of origin Japan, brewed under supervision of Sapporo Breweries Tokyo, distributor Carlsberg Marston's Wolverhampton
  2. Sapporo Breweries (Japan) (sapporobeer.jp), 6 September 2026: The Japanese page for Sapporo Draft Beer Black Label (黒ラベル): 'アルコール分 5%'. Black Label is the domestic flagship; Sapporo Premium Beer is an export product with no Japanese equivalent.
  3. Sapporo Breweries (Japan) (sapporobeer.jp), 9 September 2026: Sapporo's Japanese nutrition table, read 9 September 2026: SAPPORO PREMIUM BEER, アルコール分 5%; the domestic flagship 黒ラベル (Black Label) is also 5%.
  4. Sapporo Breweries (Japan) (sapporobeer.jp), 9 September 2026: Japanese product page for the domestic release of Sapporo Premium Beer: アルコール分 5%.
  5. Carlsberg Britvic (carlsbergbritvic.co.uk), 28 July 2026: 'Carlsberg Britvic is pleased to announce that it will brew and distribute Japan's iconic Sapporo Premium Beer in its UK portfolio from 1 August'; 'Carlsberg Britvic will be appointed as the brand's full license partner, overseeing the on-trade and off-trade channels nationwide, as well as all brewing and marketing activities'; no UK brewery site named
  6. The Grocer (thegrocer.co.uk), 6 July 2026: 'Carlsberg Britvic is to produce and distribute Sapporo Premium Beer in the UK'; Carlsberg Group did not say when it planned to launch Sapporo in the UK; no brewery site, ABV or format given

Spotted an error?Tell us what the pack says and we will check it. mark@pretendpint.com