Pasteurized (heat-treated) beer was the norm in those days.
While over 95% of beer in Japan is draft beer today, until the late 1970s, bottled and canned beer was largely pasteurized. Most restaurants would only serve beer out of casks or kegs in the summer, with pasteurized beer being served in winter. This was because consumers tended to view draft beer as a summer beverage, so it was not popular in the colder months.
Sterilized filtration system
Out of our conviction that the true flavor of beer is in the unpasteurized, draft variety, we have continued to develop bottled draft beer since 1957. Our engineering team experimented with using various filters at the breweries in order to remove the yeast after fermentation was complete. They devised a unique ceramic filter, a sterilized filtration system that removes the yeast without affecting the flavor of the beer.
Sapporo Bottled Draft changed how beer was consumed
Cask draft beer had been well regarded at Sapporo Lion and other beer halls. Customers looked for Sapporo when it came to draft beer. The company resolved to commit to production of draft beer, which had a competitive advantage on the market. In April 1977, bottled Sapporo draft beer went on sale nationwide. One key challenge for the sales team was overcoming the preconception that draft beer was a summer beverage. They focused on promoting the product as something delicious year-round. The year before Bottled Draft went on sale, draft beer accounted for 9% of revenue, but it grew to 13% after the product was released. In this way, Sapporo Bottled Draft would be the product to usher in a new era of authentic draft beer.
Sapporo wine emerges
The Katsunuma Winery is completed
The company resolved to enter the wine business in August of 1974. In December of the same year, it wholly acquired the Marukatsu Wine Co., Ltd. Marukatsu Wine was a small company established in 1962 and self-financed by grape farmers in Katsunuma-cho, Yamanashi Prefecture. In March of 1963, the company purchased 9,700 square meters of land in Katsunuma-cho for use as a winery. Construction began in February 1976, and wine production began in September of the same year. In January of 1977, Marukatsu Wine changed its name to Sapporo Wine, and the Katsunuma Winery was completed in April.
Sapporo Wine’s Polaire label goes on sale
In May of 1977, Sapporo Wine launched its Polaire mark. Polaire is French for the North Star. The name was befitting the company and its location. One unique aspect of Polaire production is that it uses beer brewing techniques; it was Japan’s first site to adopt a cooled winery system. Wine produced using this system enhances the fresh and delicate flavor imparted by fresh grapes and allows for producing authentic wine with a moderate acidity and crisp taste.