Sapporo

Japan's northern frontier got a brewery almost before it got towns. Sapporo is the pale premium lager first brewed in 1876 in Hokkaido's pioneer capital — a beer so tied to its origins that the city, the company, and the brand all share one name.

The red star on the label was the badge of the Kaitakushi, the government office that ran Hokkaido's settlement and founded the brewery as a state project; its first brewmaster had trained in Germany, and Meiji-era planners judged the island's cold climate usefully similar to Europe's beer country. The state sold the brewery on, the beer went national, and the star never left.

Sapporo Holdings now runs the brand from Tokyo, brewing around 8 million hectoliters a year, and Sapporo Premium has become the default Japanese beer across North America — often in that oversized silver steel can. In Japan, connoisseurs chase Sapporo Classic, a Hokkaido-only version the rest of the country quietly envies.

Brilliantly clear gold with tight, fine carbonation and a firm dry snap. Light grain sweetness up front — rice keeps the body lean — then a clean, faintly herbal hop bite and a fast finish that asks for another sip. Built for food: it cuts through tempura, ramen, and grilled anything without raising its voice.