Since the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, the Chiba brewery of Sapporo was closed. Now the Japanese brewer “estarted to produce beer, though not 100% in operation,” a Sapporo spokesperson said. “Still, the automatic warehouse is under repair and thus it will take some more time till the shipping recovers completely.”
The plant in Chiba was closed mainly because there was no electricity. The Sapporo factory in Sendai was out of action as a result of major damage and power cuts. The two plants together account for 40 per cent of the beer output from the company.
Despite its name, Sapporo beer is no longer brewed in Sapporo, though the company does run a brewery in Hokkaido. Sapporo is also brewed in Sendai, Chiba, Shizuoka, and New Kyushu. The brewery in Chiba was opened in 1988.