Fact File: White House claim of beer victory doused by Sapporo brewer

The White House hastily claimed that Sapporo Breweries would shift beer production from Canada to the United States following news of increased tariffs. Their official Twitter account posted a photo of Sapporo cans with the headline "Made in America," implying the beer would be produced domestically. However, Sleeman Breweries, Sapporo's Canadian subsidiary, clarified that the proposed move was only for non-alcoholic beer, which constitutes less than 1% of their total Canadian production.

The brewery emphasized that the shift is not imminent or finalized. Sleeman stated that non-alcoholic drinks constitute around 0.5% of their total Canadian production. Following the media attention, Sleeman issued a statement denying any plans to relocate the entire Canadian production to the U.S. and reiterated its position in a subsequent statement.

Bloomberg News later updated its headline to "Sapporo moving 'some' production from Canada to the U.S.," clarifying that not all production would be shifted. The White House X account did not update its post to reflect the correction. The timing of the White House post coincided with President Trump signing executive orders to impose 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods, including non-alcoholic beer, effective September 29, 2026.