Home Bar Review Maltheads in Sapporo, Hokkaido

Maltheads in Sapporo, Hokkaido

by Rob
2 comments

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

Maltheads : Location

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2 comments

Steve D. March 17, 2023 - 2:18 pm

I did not know you went to Hokkaido. If I had known, the bar I would have suggested is Bearfoot Bar in downtown Sapporo. I have never visited (I have yet to get to Sapporo.), but this bar is a sponsor of the Voices in Japan podcast to which I listen frequently. It likely would have made a positive impression on you. The podcast has Burke (20 years in Japan), Ben (15 years in Japan), and Matt (18 years in Japan).

Reply
Rob March 22, 2023 - 3:35 pm

Not really as they didn’t have any domestic craft beer on when I was in Hokkaido.

Reply

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