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Which beers sold as foreign are brewed in Britain, and what to buy instead

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Work in progress. We are still reading cans and settling where listings disagree. Seen a beer whose small print contradicts its label? Tell us.

Where is Sapporo Premium Beer brewed?

Genuine import Verified Last checked 6 September 2026

Sapporo Premium Beer is genuinely imported from Japan.

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

Every beer on the shelf by strength

Brewed for the UK in
Imported from Japan
Imported
Sold as a beer from
Japan
Japanese brand, star emblem, silver can
Brewed in (country)
Japan
Brand owner
Sapporo Breweries Ltd (Sapporo Holdings)
HQ: Tokyo, Japan
UK strength
5.0%
Strength at home (Japan)
Not established
Tesco 650ml can lists 5.0%. Sapporo Premium Beer is an export product; the Japanese flagship, Sapporo Draft Beer Black Label, is 5% on sapporobeer.jp, but it is a different product, so no like-for-like home strength is recorded.
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 Marston's Brewing Co. Ltd, Wolverhampton (UK distributor); Carlsberg Breweries A/S named as food business operator (as importer and distributor)
Style
Lager
Brand created
1876, Japan
Brewed at home in
Not established

In short

Sapporo Premium Beer is imported. The UK product is brewed in Japan. The UK version is 5.0%; the home-market strength is not established. The brand belongs to Sapporo Breweries Ltd (Sapporo Holdings).

Who has brewed it here

YearsBrewerSiteSource
Dates not establishedNot establishedUK distribution through Carlsberg Marston's, Wolverhampton; Carlsberg Breweries Denmark as food business operatortesco.com

What changed

Questions people ask

Where is Sapporo Premium Beer brewed?

The UK product is imported from Japan.

Is Sapporo Premium Beer brewed in the UK?

No. The UK product is brewed in Japan.

Is Sapporo Premium Beer really Japanese?

Yes, on origin: the UK product is brewed in Japan.

Who owns Sapporo Premium Beer?

Sapporo Premium Beer is owned by Sapporo Breweries Ltd (Sapporo Holdings), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

What strength is Sapporo Premium Beer in the UK?

Sapporo Premium Beer is 5.0% ABV in the UK.

What does the Sapporo Premium Beer label say about where it is brewed?

The UK label text on record reads: "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".

See also

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

Every beer sold as Japan

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.

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