The beer market is a fickle place. Like an old drinker, it's hooked on
tradition, likes its regular place at the bar and distrusts strangers.
This is partly thanks to the half-dozen global brewers
who control virtually everything we drink, and partly because beer
buyers are creatures of habit. British beer drinkers tend to be either
lager lovers or real ale men, and the two characters rarely want
anything to do with one another’s chosen tipples.
Make mine a Wifflewoffle
When it comes to Chinese beer, the biggest hurdle by far is a cultural
one. No matter how plastered they are, an Aussie can say "4X", and a
yank can say "Bud". There's nothing a beer drinker hates more than to
walk up to the bar and spend five minutes deciding what to drink. When
you order a beer, it must be ordered with confidence. You need a beer
and you need it now, and whether the barmaid is cute or surly, you have
to show her that you’re the kind of man who knows precisely what he
wants – whether it be a pint of Old Badger’s Wifflewoffle, or a Tenants
Extra with a top on it.
What you don’t want is to stride up to the bar and be flummoxed by the weird spelling on the pump.
“A um… err… a t-s… t-sing… tayo? T-sing… erm… fuck it, I’ll have a Carlsberg.”*
No. A beer drinker does not want to sound like a prat when he orders his libation.
Maybe that’s one reason why westerners still labour under the
misconception that Chinese beers can only be consumed with a Chinese
meal. Visit any Chinese restaurant in the west, and when you ask your
waiter what beers they have, you’ll probably get the condescending
choice of either Heineken or ‘Chinese beer”.
So while Tsingtao – China’s number one brew – is available around the
world, it is rarely found anywhere but in Chinese restaurants. Search
the Web for mentions of Tsingtao and you’ll find thousands of pages
describing how well it goes with noodles, dumplings or that mysterious
concoction known as General Tso’s chicken.
A nation of beer drinkers
If the statistics are anything to go by, foreign restaurants must
account for a tiny share of the mainland’s beer sales. According to the
China Daily, the country’s 513 breweries produced over seven billion
gallons of beer in 2004, making it the world’s biggest brewer for the
third year running.
That sounds like a fair old figure, until you realise that it breaks
down to 5.5 gallons a person for the entire country - or about 36 pints
each. Even allowing for the fact that women and children in China tend
not to drink much, they can’t have much left to share with the rest of
us.
But despite its less than stellar popularity, a hoppy mainland beverage
does go down splendidly with Chinese food. We’re talking about a
cuisine that could have been tailor-made to work with lager, whatever
your brew’s nationality.
While a few brews - like the fizzy Hong Kong San Miguel, Tsingtao stout
or beers from the British-influenced Hong Kong Brewery – go in for
stronger flavours, most Chinese beers are brewed in a German pilsner
style and make ideal accompaniments to the subtle seasonings of Chinese
coastal dishes. When you’re tucking into a nice steamed fish or
scallops with broccoli, the last thing you need is a sharp, gassy
Scottish lager.
People often talk about a rice flavour to Chinese beers, but I’ve never
really noticed it – rice, after all, is not the only grain used by
mainland brewers. The typical Chinese beer is mild-tasting, slightly
hoppy, low on nose, and has been brewed to ensure that even after
several bottles and an eight course meal, you still have a bit of space
left for a slice of cleansing melon at the end.
But miraculously, not only is Chinese beer superb with food, but you
can drink one on its own, in a pub (if you can find one in the western
hemisphere that serves them), or even with a non-Chinese meal. Hell,
you can even employ a cold Chinese beer to wash down a good curry. On
rare occasions, as with Tsingtao Dark Beer, a local brew may be totally
unsuited to seafood and the only conceivable accompaniment should be
rich side dishes, drenched in dark soy sauce, chilli or salty black
beans.
The Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery Company has even produced China’s first
alcopop. I’ve never tried Zhujiang Pineapple Beer, and doubt if I ever
will. But odds are this is not something you’d choose to wash down your
crispy duck.
Super premium four star
But it’s worth keeping in mind that while China is not known for its
range of beers, it has an awful lot of them; most produced by
loss-making state-owned breweries. And while some are up there with the
best international lagers, a few, it’s true, are just awful.
As competition has only recently arrived in the beer business, most
breweries still go in for the old national socialist naming
conventions. As a rule of thumb, Statebrewery Beer will be the label’s
bog-standard brew. Statebrewery Draft will be virtually
indistinguishable from Statebrewery Beer, but come in a trendier
bottle. Statebrewery Light will look like it’s had water added, and it
probably has. Top of the pile (and generally worth every fen) will
normally be Statebrewery Premium, unless you’re buying anything from
Beijing Yanjing, who have managed to conjure up a whole raft of extra
categories. Buying Beijing Yanjing is like choosing oil for your car –
everything is super premium, super premium plus, and super premium plus
double extra.
But however obscure or confusing the labels may be, travel in hope,
with a ready thirst and an open mind. And remember that with beer this
cheap, if your first choice turns out to be piss, you can always buy
another. And another…
* In case you're wondering, it should be pronounced like this. If you can't remember it, store it on your phone and call yourself up when the waiter arrives.
Key
 horrible. The brewers should buy their own bullets
 Piss poor brew. Deserves re-education through labour
 Drink to share hardship of workers and peasants
 The wisdom of the middle way
 Buying this will win you guanxi and attract women
 A Great Helmsman among beers
|
-
Beijing Yanjing Brewery Company
( 6 items )
Strangely unknown in the rest of the world, Yanjing Beer is the beer of
choice for the China patriot. The only major brewery to remain under
local ownership, Yanjing produces some of the best - and the worst -
beers in China.
-
Fujian YanJing Huiquan Brewery
( 3 items )
Fujian YanJing Huiquan Brewery is yet another name being subsumed
within the acquisitive Beijing Yanjing Brewery monster. Like their
owner, this Fujianese brand keeps pumping out new product - some
fine, and some that taste like sheep-dip.
-
Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery Group
( 3 items )
The Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery Group Company is South China's leading
brand, expecting to produce 1.5 million tons of beer in 2005. Judging
by their catalogue, that's about a ton for every beer they make;
ranging from the sublime to the shocking. Pineapple Beer? Pineapple?
Beer? You've got to be kidding.
-
Harbin Brewery
( 1 items )
The Harbin Brewery has been around since the Boxer rebellion. And
despite the bloody financial seige that saw them captured by Budweiser
parent Anheuser-Busch, they still produce some damn fine ales.
-
San Miguel
( 2 items )
San Miguel is one of the Philippines' major success stories. So what's
it doing in this list? Despite no longer brewing there, the name is a
staple in Hong Kong pubs. It may be foreign-owned, but San Lig is as
local as they come.
-
Shenzhen Kingway Brewery
( 3 items )
Indirecly controlled by the king of Singapore Harry Lee (through Asia Pacific Breweries), Shenzhen
Kingway is a relative newcomer on the Chinese beer scene. But with
siblings that include Singapore's Tiger and Anchor beers, Kingway's
pedigree has given it a talent for tasty brews.
-
Tsingtao Brewery
( 4 items )
By far and away China's biggest beer brand, Tsingtao Brewery was
established in 1903 to sate the thirsts of German colonials. These days
the company is part-owned by the horrible Anheuser-Busch, but despite that, it remains one of the topest tipples.
-
Zhuhai Kirin President Brewery
( 1 items )
Kirin does make some exceedingly fine ales. If only I could wake up in the morning and remember what they tasted like.
|
Chinese Beer Guide 
