An interesting fact about Chinese beers is that they’re mostly named after the places in which they were first produced. The following discusses five of the most sold by voume beers in China.
Tsingtao Beer
Tsingtao is the Budweiser of China. Just like Budweiser, it is a made with domestic rice and barley as mash. The Tsingtao Brewery first produced this beer in 1903, and since then this lager has found its way into the international market. Ironically, Anheuser-Busch has a 27% stake in Tsingtao. The original source of the water used in the first Tsingtao beer is the Laoshan Spring though it’s debatable if all Tsingtao beers today are made with 100% Laoshan Spring water. Although the original brewery in Tsingtao still operates, other plants around China have begun making Tsingtao as well. If you’re into the Bud Selects and regular Budweisers, you’ll enjoy a Tsingtao.
Harbin Beer
Another beer with over a century of history is the Harbin Beer. A Russian individual originally established the brewery as Ulubulevskij Brewery (named after himself) to provide workers laboring on the Trans-Manchurian Railway Project with alcohol. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the brewery found its name changed from Gulunia to Harbin Brewery Factory to Quilin as it exchanged hands from the Russians to the Czech and back to the Russians. Then in 1950, the brewery was finally renamed Harbin Brewery upon its return to the Chinese government. For a while, in the early part following the millennium, Anheuser-Busch and SABMiller were battling for Harbin though Anheuser-Busch triumphed in the end. Unlike some other beers, Harbin adds corn to its mixture of European and Chinese hops, two-row malt, and German yeast. This beer tastes somewhat bland.
Zhujiang Beer
Those that enjoy a stronger pilsner beer might enjoy Zhujiang Beer, which is one of the three top-sellers in China. This beer is known as the Southern Beer of China, probably due to its manufacturing being in the southern province of Canton. The Guangzhou (the largest city in Canton) Zhujiang Beer Group Company Ltd. was instituted in 1985 with InBev’s accommodations. Zhujiang is made from Czech hops, Canadian barley malt, German yeast, Chinese rice, and spring water piped from the source to the brewery. It doesn’t have much of an aroma, is golden in appearance, and has a malty taste. Zhujiang has higher alcohol content than Tsingtao.
Yanjing Beer
Another topseller in China is Yanjing Beer. The Beijing Yanjing Beer Group Corporation started this brew in 1980, and since then has become a larger conglomerate of different companies producing soft drinks as well. This pilsner has a slightly more grainy taste than Tsingtao and higher alcohol content. It has a smooth mild taste that is flavorful.
Snow Beer
In 2007, Snow Beer became partly owned by SABMiller in a joint venture with China Resources Group. SABMiller has made it its goal to extensively bring Snow Beer to the international market. In fact, the company has been successful in achieving its goal as volumes of Snow Beer are mirroring that of Budweiser. When you first open this beer, there’s a decent hoppy aroma. It’s a lighter beer though when compared to Zhujiang or Tsingtao, pales in taste. Its color is light yellow and definitely not as pretty as that of Zhujiang. The taste and acidity of the beer relegates this beer to being another average. mass-marketed concoction.
Sources:
http://www.yanjingbeer.com/
http://www.tsingtaobeer.com/
http://www.zhujiangbeer.ca/
http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE52U60B20090331
