Maltheads in Sapporo, Hokkaido

Maltheads : The Bottom Line

It’s tough not to like Maltheads – the warm and welcoming atmosphere alongside friendly staff but there are better bars and places in the area in hindsight if your primary focus is drinking beer. While Maltheads does offer a decent selection of craft beer, most of it is in bottles that can be bought in other places across Sapporo and Hokkaido itself. If you do find yourself in the area, then make sure you bring some cash with you.

Maltheads : The Full Writeup

I had spent a fair amount of the day walking between places, and after stopping in at most of the bars I wanted to visit on my jaunt around Sapporo, Maltheads was the last place on my list to get to. I knew that it opened up relatively late but I really wanted to get here as I had read that they served Noboribetsu Brewery on a traditional beer engine and was one of the last places in Japan you could get it.

Maltheads opened in June 2013 and is located between Nishi-hatchome and Shiseikanshogakko-mae on the Sapporo tram network. It isn’t the easiest place to find though as you do have to walk around a bit to find the front door and go underground as well – not an easy thing to do when you have been drinking since 11am.

Maltheads : Atmosphere & Interior

As the name suggests, Maltheads is geared towards everything malty, with a strong leaning towards whiskies and beers. The bar has plenty of wood decorations which bely its exterior though the soft background jazz helps to soften the mood somewhat. It’s quite a small place too, with seats for no more than 10 people, all along the counter. Unfortunately, there is a table charge, which gets you some little snacks. The whole place is non-smoking though and there is also some free wifi in the area.

Maltheads : Beer & Tap Information

Though Maltheads does have some craft beer on the menu, it is predominantly based on the selling of bottles and cans off beer. There are two taps of beer on at Maltheads, though the only craft beer they have is usually the Kinoni Real Ale from Noboribetsu Brewery – and it’s one of the last places that sell the real ale version of this beer so I highly recommend that when you come here, you get at least a pint of the stuff, which is 1100 yen at the time of writing and that includes price.

There is a huge fridge behind the counter that has a variety of beers, and the menu very conveniently lists the styles and taste types for the drinker. There are plenty of different styles to choose from but there are very few special beers that you can not buy elsewhere. Unfortunately, none of the bottles can be bought to take away so you have to drink them before leaving. Prices range from 900 yen to 1400 yen at the time of writing.

Maltheads : Food Information

There was only some basic food on the menu, which was mostly snacks, and you’re not allowed to bring any of your own food in, so make sure you’ve eaten before coming here. The menu was mostly in Japanese, with just a smidgen of English on there.

Maltheads : Information

• Open: Daily 17:00 – 22:00 (L.O 21:30)
• Closed: N/A
• Happy hour: N/A
• Phone: 011-522-5152
• Homepage: https://maltheads.net/
• Social Media: Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Maltheads : Location