'Third-category beer' becomes beer: Sapporo reclassifies two brands

Sapporo Breweries, one of Japan’s major brewers, has announced that its popular low-price brands Sapporo GOLD STAR and Sapporo Mugi to Hop will change tax category from “new genre” to “beer”. The change coincides with the liquor tax reform of October 2026, and the canned products went on sale across Japan on 20 October. The inexpensive beer-style drinks known in Japan as “third-category beer” have now officially joined the ranks of beer.

The tax system that created “third-category beer”

Japan’s liquor tax has long divided beer-type drinks into fine categories according to malt content and ingredients. Drinks with little malt, or made with ingredients that do not fit the definition of beer, were classed as “happoshu” (low-malt sparkling drinks), and those in an even lower tax bracket as “new genre”. They were sold at lower prices than beer. GOLD STAR and Mugi to Hop were, until now, new-genre products. With the tax reform unifying the tax rate on beer-type drinks, Sapporo has reviewed how both brands are made and turned them into products that meet the standards for beer. The company’s policy is to line up its beers in three price tiers, “premium”, “mainstream” and “economy”, and these two brands will form the core of the economy tier.

What has changed in the brewing

For GOLD STAR, Sapporo has updated its own brewing method, aiming for a crisp mouthfeel and a clean finish with few off-flavours. A distinctive feature is the use of German aroma hops in part of the recipe. For Mugi to Hop, the proportion of malt has been raised, and part of the malt is a blend of European and North American malts, which the company says strengthens the body and richness expected of a beer. Both have an alcohol content of 5% and are sold in 350ml and 500ml cans. Mugi to Hop is also available in 10-litre and 20-litre kegs for the on-trade, which went on sale earlier, on 13 October.

Why European readers may find this interesting

The Japanese beers available in Europe are mainly premium lagers, but within Japan the tax system has long had a major influence on price and style. This change shows that, once the difference in tax rates disappears, brewers have begun to compete on “taste as beer” rather than on cheapness. If you come across a Japanese canned beer, look at the product-type notice on the Japanese label: wording such as “beer” or “happoshu” tells you which category the drink was made under. It is also interesting for readers familiar with pilsner that European ingredients underpin everyday Japanese beer, as with GOLD STAR and its German hops.