Sapporo Reserve - Sapporo Breweries Ltd.

Vdubb86

Illinois

2.8/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Served in a tulip glass

Thanks kyle for making me drink this...not really

This beer pours a pale golden color. The smell is puffed rice almost exclusively. The flavor is upsettingly rice filled. It's sticky sweet rice. Overall I really really don't find this to be preferential. Unadviseable if you truly like beer.

Serving type: can

07-03-2011 01:00:32 | More by Vdubb86

Stunner97

New Jersey

3.4/5  rDev +4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Appearance- very nice sharp appearance, golden yellow with high carbonation and beautiful thick bellowing head

Smell- corn grain and malt,

Taste- a nice sweet malty flavor dominates up front, there is nice hop dryness on the finish that keeps things nicely in check, a very tastey crisp lager that is on the maltier side for the style

Mouthfeel- nice crisp, heavier then most of the style

Drinkability/overall- I have to say overall this beer was better then what I expect having never really tried it before, its a solid lager with nice balance that would go very well with many foods and still have enough flavor to be decent on its own,

Serving type: can

06-23-2011 02:18:39 | More by Stunner97

WootThruDTurkey

Missouri

3/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I got this can at a St Louis store next to some other interesting imports. It was not bad. Smell was just ok, taste was malty but has a watery taste in their somewhere exposing it's cheapness. Overall I liked it for a good cheap drink with friends but its nothing special. The price was the point and this beer is right with other adjunct beers.

Serving type: can

05-29-2011 01:26:20 | More by WootThruDTurkey

Lemke10

Wisconsin

3.13/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I bought a Single 650mL can of this at Woodman's in Janesville, WI in early 2011.

Pours a very clear and pale yellow color. Barley malt is very evident in it's scent hinting that this might have a cheap beer taste. The taste is mild and rather malty. Rather simple and nothing all that special considering it's from Japan. Something new to try from a different country, but considering it's taste...you could go with Pabst Blue Ribbon and not be missing much.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2011 04:42:52 | More by Lemke10

cpolking

Iowa

3.1/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

This beer pours dark honey golden in color with half an inch of pure white foamy head that leaves light to medium lacing down the glass. The aroma is clean, grain, a bit of straw, some zesty hoppiness and a slight metallic tone. The taste is a wave of grainy malt followed by a bitter hoppiness. The mouthfeel is smooth, but finishes well-carbonated to the point of stinging the tongue. This beer is a simple, basic, lager that would best be had with some salty, tart or spicy food.

Serving type: can

05-13-2011 23:32:59 | More by cpolking

generallee

New York

3.9/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presentation: It was poured from a tall 22oz can into a mug. The can offers a very brief description but no freshness date or abv.

Appearance: The pour produces a tall white head over a deep golden body with excellent clarity. The head slowly fades and just keeps a small cap tight foam till the last sip. It also makes some cool lace pattern on the glass.

Smell: It has a raw grain with a straw and light floral like hop bouquet. Overall it's light, simple and very clean.

Taste: The flavor profile has the same clean grain and straw/floral hop mix with a dry biscuity finish. Its light to body is refreshing and well carbonated.

Notes: It's a good clean lager and an uplifting palate cleanser opposite my pineapple fried rice.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2011 00:26:19 | More by generallee

Beejay

Virginia

3.45/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Crystal clear and yellos. A nice white fluffy head on top. Looks appropriate for the style.

S: A light malt scent, perhaps a touch of rice as well. Very light, and crisp, no major flaws or off scents. Not a lot of bitterness.

T: Clean malt flavor with a touch of bitterness. Not a lot of hop flavor to go with the bitterness. Light and malty, clean. Very basic, but at least it tastes solidly made.

M: Medium light in body, tons of carbonation. Fairly clean, with just a touch of bitterness lingering.

D: Not my favorite style, but I think this is a good interpretation of it. Clean crisp without a lot of the typical 'bad' flavors associated with the style. It tastes well made, even if it is not my cup of tea.

Serving type: can

03-01-2011 02:02:26 | More by Beejay

Sachsenfreude

Germany

3.05/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

appearance; nice white head. Dissipates slowly to a thick film, leaving quality lacing. Clear, golden yellow body.

smell; very spicy and herbal hops. Some wet malts poke through with a hint of sweetness.

taste; rather tasteless. Some herbal hop bitterness in the finish but the malt flavors are largely neglected. A bit of mineral like malts show a brief presence in the aftertaste.

mouthfeel; on the heavier side of light bodied. Not watery but lacks some substance.

drinkability; nothing special, dinkable but not impressive.

Serving type: can

02-22-2011 22:50:01 | More by Sachsenfreude

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Slightly hazed pale yellow colored body with a bright white thicket of head dwindles slowly even chunky specks of lacing. Aroma has nice cereal notes, pale malts all grain served from a 22 ounce can. This thing is bad ass and sturdy much like the Sapporo Premium can but this one has all malt beer written on it. Nice full on malt profile light biscuit/hints of cracker with herbal grassy finishing hops much better than the average Japanese lager. Carbonation is sturdy body is light but not thin, I'm liking this stuff. Overall drinkability is solid a beer that would go well with a specialty sushi roll or by itself. Affordable on 3 bucks a can, definitely worth it for a 22 ounce portion.

Serving type: can

01-18-2011 02:12:13 | More by WVbeergeek

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Sapporo Reserve, poured from a 22 oz can into a pint glass. A small fizzy head forms and then recedes to a ring around the edges. A little bit of lace.

Smell: Not a particularly strong aroma, light grains and a hint of Saaz type hop.

Taste: More on the macro side, not surprisingly. Cracker like malt, a pretty good amount of earthy bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, crisp carbonation, almost drying.

Drinkability: A pretty typical import aiming at the mainstream U.S. market. I got this to accompany some sushi, but it did not compliment it particularly well. I was hoping this would be an amped up rice lager but its closer to an adjunct lager. I'd take Kirin or Asahi over this any day.

Serving type: can

12-15-2010 17:00:00 | More by Stinkypuss

Mora2000

Texas

3.53/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 ounce can.

The beer pours a yellow color with a white head. The aroma is grain, oranges, lemons and some metal. The majority of the aroma is taken up by the grain, but the citrus hides in the back and occasionally makes an appearance. The flavor is a mix of grassy hops, bready malt and grain. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Nothing exciting about the beer, but it is not bad.

Serving type: can

08-19-2010 04:04:36 | More by Mora2000

speter

New Jersey

3.43/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a clear golden straw color with a two-finger fluffy head. No lacing to speak of.

S: Malt, a hint of hops, and a yeast scent. Almost an apple-like overtone in the complex smell.

T: Very close to the scent. The front is malty and the hops make their appearance in the center. The finish is nicely bitter, but well-balanced. There is a slightly estery taste that is more ale than lager, but very nice nonetheless.

M: Fuller bodied than I would have expected from 5.2%. The carbonation was on the low side.

D: I was quite impressed with this beer. A definite step up from the typical import rice lagers.

Serving type: can

06-22-2010 23:02:20 | More by speter

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.43/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a typical clear golden yellow with a decent white head. Aroma is quite strong and malty, not complex but still inviting. Flavor is strong and malty, enjoyable if not complex. This is a good accompaniment to a meal rather than a "stand alone" beer. Texture is quite tingly and fizzy.

Serving type: can

06-08-2010 00:40:33 | More by Cyberkedi

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +25.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz can. Imported from Guelph, Canada.
Crystal clear, gold colour with a thin layer of fine white bubbles. Lacing was sticky and spotty, decent head retention. Soft malt aroma, a bit of hop spice, delicate fruity esters. Low bitterness, nice malty backbone, with lingering hops (floral and spicy). Medium bodied, off dry, moderate and slightly crisp carbonation. This is pretty solid and quite drinkable. I'm actually impressed with the recent Sapporo beers that I've had. Maybe I'm getting them fresher now - I guess Guelph isn't too far away.

Serving type: can

06-08-2010 00:30:53 | More by DrJay

eschbach

Arizona

3.8/5  rDev +16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Presentation: 22 oz can. The can is really cool looking. It looks really futuristic. And it feels really heavy duty. I can crush this can in my hand. It's like a beer can from the future almost.

Look. This is a damn good looking lager. It;s a dark golden color with a rich frothy head.

Smell: It smells like bitterness and malt. It has a strong smell.

Taste: This is a good tasting beer. It has a lot of flavor! It's nice and malty but there is also a strong hops flavor as well. It leaves a bitter aftertaste in the mouth.

Drink: It goes down very smoothly. It has a very dry feel.

Notes: I'm very impressed with this beer. It has good flavors and is very smooth.

Serving type: can

05-30-2010 07:33:31 | More by eschbach

JamisonM

Arizona

1.78/5  rDev -45.6%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

A: light gold color

S: an off grain smell WTF!!

T: bitter grain it sucks not refreshing horrible

M: light M med cabronation

D: crappy taste hard to drink

overall this beer is shit dont buy it!!! the beer is telling you its all barley malt and clearly its not all barley its adjunct crap!

Serving type: can

05-29-2010 00:14:38 | More by JamisonM

VWBuggirl

South Carolina

3.23/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This is a very light straw color with a thin foamy head that quickly disappeared.

The smell...well there wasn't much to smell, there was a hint of malts and sweetness.

The taste is fairly crisp and the malt is very present. It is fairly sweet with a hint of hoppiness.

This was ok. Not bad, but I won't pick it again.

Serving type: can

04-23-2010 05:40:45 | More by VWBuggirl

EgadBananas

Louisiana

3.33/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I got shoo'd out of a local pub one night at closing, still drinking my beer which was in a Sapporo pint. Naturally, I complied, leaving with the glass. I've had it for some time, and have yet to ever have a Sapporo beer. I figured it was about that time...

Pours a cloudy golden color... slightly in the vein of a wheat beer. Looked nice. For a lager, it was pleasant to behold.

Not a whole lot on the nose. Some grains mainly; nothing particular.

Was pleasantly flavorful. Had a rich grainy taste of malts with a slight bit of hop background...very slight, but did well to enough to balance things out. Not bat at all for a lager.

It had a fuller mouthfeel than most lagers, which was a pleasant surprise. It had some dept...not fantastic, but for the style, it had some good body.

This is good for the style, and a completely capable brew. I wouldn't mind being confined to this for a night....could be heaps worse.

Serving type: can

04-23-2010 00:59:10 | More by EgadBananas

MrHassellYaHurd

Louisiana

3.48/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours into a pint glass a fairly clear, slightly pale yellow. Thick fizzy white head shrinks to a couple millimeters within the first thirty seconds of pour. Lots of visible carbonation.

Faint spicy hop scents, clean malts, and a slight steamed vegetable like aroma make up the majority of the nose. A hint of an alcohol smell upon closer inspection.

Again, very little hop flavour here, but it IS there. Slightly spicy and reminiscent of Noble variety hops. A real grainy texture with clean malts, the beer is just a little sweet but mostly very crisp and very dry. It's a lot better than I thought it would be judging by scent alone. Prickly carbonation is a little rough, but overall a decently drinkable beer.

Serving type: can

04-13-2010 01:23:39 | More by MrHassellYaHurd

rednrag

Oklahoma

3.83/5  rDev +17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The Japanese have a way of taking another country's product, dissecting it, and usually improving on it.
i.e.,Ibanez,(Gibson)Caterpillar(Komatsu)Toyota(GM).
Now this is all open for debate, but Sapporo has taken Lowenbrau, likely, and if not made it better, at least copycatted it to a reasonable perfection.
Well done, land of the rising sun.

Serving type: can

04-10-2010 04:26:49 | More by rednrag

Halcyondays

California

3.75/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. bomber can,

A: Pours a deep golden colour, with a light white head, leaving some spots of lace.

S: Bready lager malt, very German smelling, no real hop character.

T: Cracked wheat bread, quite grainy and husky initially. Then the beer gets sweet for a little while mid-palate, while finishing with a rather strong earthy bite of noble hops. Well balanced. A lot more in the German pils range than a Euro lager.

M: Crisp, with some nice biting carbonation. Light/medium bodied.

D: This is very solid stuff from Sapporo. One of the best beers to be had in the Euro lager category.

Serving type: can

04-07-2010 02:33:56 | More by Halcyondays

sbe1

New York

3.68/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A tasty and well done malt liquor.

Appearance: a very clear brassy gold color with a foamy, think, creamy, beautiful white head that settles down to foamy lace on the glass.

Smell: Very clean, light malt scent and a hint of alcohol and metal.

Taste: Crisp dry citrus-y hops with a sweetish malt middle and a clean dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, clean, refreshing, mild but complimentary carbonation approaching medium body.

Drinkability: excellent, a decent session beer for a malt liquor.

Serving type: can

03-27-2010 02:07:56 | More by sbe1

kflorence

California

3.4/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured from a can into a pilsner glass. Color was a copper yellow with a good amount of thick, creamy head. Carbonation looks about right, overall it looked appealing.

S: Not much smell when poured. Very faint malt and some cloying sweetness that grew stronger while it sat in the glass. Not displeasing, but pretty faint.

T: Not bad at all. A bit creamy, definite malt presence, but it's not overwhelming. Overall on the sweet side, not overly so, though.

M: An above average mouthfeel. Very smooth with some body offered. Carbonation is just right and it feels slightly syrupy on the tongue. Creamy and refreshing.

D: I could drink this all night. Very easy to drink, pleasant tasting and not overly carbonated. I think this is my favorite Japanese brew so far (even if it is brewed in Canada -- tricky "import" advertising!)

Serving type: can

03-21-2010 04:08:53 | More by kflorence

Andreji

Colombia

3.35/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sapporo reserve I tried at a japanese restaurant around union square, as one of their two japanese alternatives on the menu.

While i believe the other option (the asahi) was interesting, sapporo reserve seemed just too middle-of-the-road for my current tastes.

Straw pale pour with a light bright white head, dissipated fairly quick and with almost no lacing. smell is of dry, grainy malts, slightly metallic. not too shabby, not amazing.

Taste is slightly sweet-malted with an equally coppery taste, no big surprises, very mild but well balanced hoppy finish. medium bodied, medium carbonated, medium medium average.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2010 18:58:20 | More by Andreji

BeerFMAndy

Wisconsin

3.13/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz can poured into a pilsner glass. 2808 on bottom. Date? No visible date or info.

A - A tall pour creates a three-finger, cloud-white head with fantastic retention and thick webbing all over the glass. The color is a hazy pale yellow straw. If the color were more clear this would look perfect.

S - Crisp and dry malt with a light husky nose. A mild scent of rice appears and is followed by a light hop addition. Pretty plain though.

T - Rather smooth and malty with a lingering sweetness. The huskiness is low but the rice flavor is still there. Hops on the finish aid in the rather crispness of it while adding a touch of flavor.

M - Smooth and soft in texture and medium-light in body, it has a crisp finish to it from high carbonation.

D - Not a bad beer. A few small tweaks here and there could be made, but it's fairly well-balanced and pretty drinkable. It wont be poured out, I'll put it that way.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2010 03:10:37 | More by BeerFMAndy