Sapporo's sakura beer as fleeting as the blossoms
Gallery
Sakura Beer
Brand: Sapporo
Price: 189 yen
Place of purchase: Belx Supermarket
Rating:
The description
Sapporo Breweries has for some years released a limited-production beer, Sakura Beer. This year it was offered from late February 2023. Sapporo took over the Kyushu beer brewery dating from the Taisho era, inheriting this brew.
The good
Every year in spring, I keep my eye on spring brews, and this year as usual, Sapporo Breweries released in February 2023 this Sakura Beer. The brewing history goes back to a Taisho/Showa era brewery based in Kyushu, and sports a retro motif on the label. The beer harks back to a recipe from that original Taisho-era brewery. What you get today is a 5% beer brewed from barley, hops, and rice. It pours a bit darker than the typical Japanese lager and has lots of bubbles and a good frothy head of foam.
The not so good
So, does this retro beer recipe contrast with a modern lager? It's certainly more bubbly than a typical lager and has a very malty, sharp flavor. It's only mildly hoppy and has a very malty quality. It might remind you of some German pilsners. I quite like it. So, where can you find it? Most Yamaya shops, some supermarkets, and a few convenience stores may stock this beer. It's worth a try as it has a few distinctive features - it's highly carbonated and has an appealing malt flavor. So no complaints, though it is as ephemeral as the cherry blossoms on the label.
0 Comments