E-Malt.com News article: Japan: Sapporo unites with Hokkaido breweries to produce beer from local ingredients

Sapporo Breweries Ltd., one of the country's five major breweries, teamed up this year with four Hokkaido breweries to develop and sell beer using ingredients produced on the island, Daily Yomiuri published on August 23.

Earlier this month, Sapporo Kaitakushi Bakushu, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sapporo Breweries, and Tokachi Beer, a brewery based in Obihiro, Hokkaido, jointly produced a beer made of grain grown in Tokachi, Hokkaido. It has been available for sale in places such as the Sapporo Beer Museum.

Since July, Sapporo Kaitakushi Bakushu and three small Hokkaido breweries have jointly been producing new beer brands using locally grown barley.

The three partners are Okhotsk Beer in Kitami, Abashiri Beer in Abashiri and Engaru Nogyo Shinko Kosha in Engarucho. The three microbreweries brew their own beer from malt from barley grown in Hokkaido and hops, both offered by Sapporo Breweries.

"By working with Sapporo Breweries, we can expand our sales to places where we have no sales channels," a spokesman of Tokachi Beer said. "It also helps us promote our beer to tourists."

"Hokkaido produces top-quality beer ingredients, such as barley, wheat and hops. If we can improve the image of beer made in Hokkaido, our company's corporate image also will get a lift because the firm started in Hokkaido," said the chief of the strategic planning division of Sapporo Breweries' Hokkaido head office.

Through this deal, Sapporo aims at burnishing its image and hopes to fortify the northern island's reputation as the source of the perfect pilsner.

Sapporo Breweries plans to further increase the number of its partner breweries in Hokkaido to enhance the region's image, it is reported.


26 August, 2008