Beer in China | |||||||
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Simplified Chinese | 中国啤酒 | ||||||
Traditional Chinese | 中國啤酒 | ||||||
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Beer in China has become increasingly popular in the 20th century,both local and imported brands. Most Chinese beers are pale lagers,such as Tsingtao.
Production and consumption of beer in China has occurred for around nine thousand years,with recent archaeological findings showing that Chinese villagers were brewing beer-type alcoholic drinks as far back as 7000 BC on small and individual scales. [1] Made with rice,honey,grape,and hawthorn fruits,this early beer seems to have been produced similarly to that of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. [2] Ancient Chinese beer was important in ancestral worship,funeral and other rituals of Xia,Shang and Zhou dynasties,and the beer was called as Lao Li (醪醴in oracle bone script). However,after the Han Dynasty,Chinese beer faded from prominence in favor of huangjiu,which remained the case for the next two millennia. Modern beer brewing was not introduced into China until the end of 19th century,when Polish people established a brewery in Harbin,with another three following (also in Harbin),set up by Germans,Czechoslovaks and Poles respectively. Japanese also established in 1934 in Mukden Manchurian Beer,which later became Shenyang Snow Beer and then acquired in 1994 by China Resources Enterprises. [3]
The emergence of craft beer in China started in the large metro areas including Beijing,Shanghai and Guangzhou. [4] Once primarily of interest to expat drinkers,local consumer interest in premium brands and local and imported craft beers is currently on the rise. [5] [6] [7] However,Chinese government regulations have been cited as an obstacle facing new breweries or those wishing to expand bottling distribution. [8]
Chinese beers often contain rice,sorghum and sometimes rye in addition to barley. Some beer is produced that uses bitter melon instead of hops as the bittering agent.
Chinese media reported in 2001 that as many as 95% of all Chinese beers contained formaldehyde,to prevent sedimentation in bottles and cans while in storage. [9] This practice has now been made illegal.[ citation needed ]
Despite the fact that estimates say between one-third to half of East Asian people,including Chinese people,have Asian flush syndrome,which influences the ability to process alcohol, [10] [11] China is deemed the world's largest beer market in terms of global consumption,followed by the United States and Brazil. [12] [13]
Snow Beer,produced by CR Snow is the best-selling beer in China,holding 21.7% market share, [14] having recently overtaken Tsingtao Beer,produced by Tsingtao Brewery,which is the brand most widely exported to other countries. Tsingtao Beer is brewed in the city of Qingdao (formerly spelled Tsingtao in EFEO Chinese transcription) which was a German base in the time of unequal treaties and late-colonial western influence in China. The Germans needed beer for their sailors,soldiers and traders,and production continued after they lost the city to the Japanese in World War I.
Apart from Tsingtao,other major Chinese brewing groups include China Pabst Blue Ribbon, [15] Yanjing,Sie-Tang Lio and Zhujiang Beer. Many major international brewers now have interests in,or joint ventures with,Chinese breweries,and popular international brands such as Carlsberg are now produced in China. This gives them access to the Chinese market while providing capital and expertise to help upgrade local brewing standards,albeit at the cost of variety.
Brewpubs are gaining popularity in China,primarily in major cities which have a resident western community,though there are a few exceptions in more remote locations like Bad Monkey Brewery in Dali Old Town,Yunnan. Shanghai Brewery,Boxing Cat Brewery,The BREW and Dr. Beer are some of the more prominent craft breweries in Shanghai. In Beijing,several craft breweries such as Great Leap Brewing,Jing-A Brewing,Panda Brew Pub,and Slow Boat Brewery have become staples in the local nightlife scene. Another popular brewpub is Kaiwei Beer House,a chain based in Wuhan. Craft beer festivals have been popularized since the early 2010s in Beijing and Shanghai. Two popular beer festivals in Shanghai,Shanghai International Beer Festival and Shanghai Beer Week,were both started in 2012.
In 2015 market share of imported beer reached 1.14% and volume increased by 58.9% to 538.5 million litres. [16]
Note:This is a partial list of China's major breweries. The vast majority of China's breweries serve only their local vicinity.
Hong Kong has a large brewery owned by San Miguel Corporation of the Philippines,as well as a microbrewery producing several beers for the local market.
There is a growing consumer inclination towards less strong beer in China as health conscious millennials are seeking wholesome and lower caloric options in their choice of beer,and consumers who want low alcohol and healthier drinks are noted to be mainly young women. [17] According to a study by market intelligence agency Mintel,China has the highest amount of product launches of low or zero alcohol beer (below 3.5 percent ABV) in the Asia Pacific region in 2016,and over one in four (29 percent) beers launched in China in that year,were of low or non alcoholic beers. Qingdao Beers launched the first non-alcoholic beer in China in 2012 with its product,'Qingdao 0.00',that is brewed from Czech hops and Australian barley. [18] [19]
Jonny Forsyth,a global drinks analyst of Mintel firm,stated "..(the) research indicates that Chinese consumers,in general,prefer less strong beer in terms of ABV,compared to the global market". Consumers in china tend to gravitate towards tried and trusted brands for their purchases in low or non alcoholic beers,with big companies like Heineken and Qingdao enjoying massive support from consumers based on sales and annual profits. [20]
There is a long history of alcoholic drinks in China. They include rice and grape wine, beer, whisky and various liquors including baijiu, the most-consumed distilled spirit in the world.
Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd. is China's second largest brewery, with about 15% of domestic market share and also accounts for half of China's national beer exports. It was founded in 1903 by German settlers in Tsingtau (Qingdao), Kiautschou Bay Leased Territory. In 2016, Tsingtao was the second most consumed beer globally and had reached 2.8% share of the global beer market, after its share of the world's beer market had been steadily growing by at least 0.1 percentage points every year since 2009. Tsingtao is currently the sixth largest brewery in the world. Its logo displays an image of Huilan Pavilion that stands on the end of Zhanqiao Pier, located on Qingdao's southern shore.
Carlsberg A/S is a Danish multinational brewer. Founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen, the company's headquarters is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since Jacobsen's death in 1887, the majority owner of the company has been the Carlsberg Foundation. The company's flagship brand is Carlsberg. Other brands include Tuborg, Kronenbourg, Somersby cider, Holsten, Neptun, Belgian Grimbergen, Fix, one of Greece's oldest brands and more than 500 local beers. The company employs around 41,000 people, primarily in Europe and Asia. Carlsberg is currently the 6th largest brewery in the world based on revenue.
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer, than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, new flavours, and varied brewing techniques.
Taiwan Beer is a brand of mass market beer brewed by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation (TTL). The brand is an icon of Taiwanese culture and is applied to the best-selling beer in the country.
San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong Ltd. (SMBHK) is a brewery based in Hong Kong and is a majority-owned subsidiary of San Miguel Brewing International Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of San Miguel Brewery, Inc. The company has two subsidiaries located in the Guangdong province of the People’s Republic of China. An affiliate company, San Miguel Baoding Brewery Company Limited, is based in Baoding, China.
The Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd. is a Japanese beverage holding company headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo.
Harbin Brewery is a Chinese brewery founded in 1900 in Harbin, China. As China's fourth largest brewery and its oldest one, it has a leading position in Northeast China and owns the Hapi beer brand.
Beer in Japan mostly comes from the country's four major breweries, Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and Suntory, which mainly produce pale lagers around 5% ABV. Beer is immensely popular, far ahead of sake consumption.
Beer, called maekju in Korean, was first introduced to Korea in the early 20th century. Seoul's first brewery opened in 1908. Two current major breweries date back to the 1930s. The third brewery established in Korea, Jinro Coors Brewery, was founded in the 1990s. It was later acquired by Oriental Breweries (OB). Hite Breweries's former name was Chosun Breweries, which was established in 1933. The company changed its name to Hite Breweries in 1998. OB Breweries established as Showa Kirin Breweries in 1933. The company changed its name to OB Breweries in 1995.
Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, is a state-owned manufacturer and distributor of cigarettes and alcohol, and also formerly a state-sanctioned alcohol beverage brewing and retailing monopoly, in Taiwan. Its most famous product is Taiwan Beer. Other products include wine, Japanese-style liqueurs, Chinese herb liqueurs, and various distilled spirits.
The Qingdao International Beer Festival is a yearly festival held in Qingdao in Shandong province, China. The event is jointly sponsored by national state ministries and the Qingdao Municipal Government.
Beer in the Philippines is mainly produced by two large breweries, San Miguel Corporation, which produces San Miguel Pale Pilsen, and Asia Brewery, the country's second-largest brewery. In addition there are a number of microbreweries across the nation.
Snow is a brand of lager beer from Shenyang, China. It is brewed by CR Snow, that was a joint venture between SABMiller and China Resources Enterprises. When Snow was first released in 1993 it was produced by three breweries. As of 2014, CRSB was the largest brewing company in China with over 90 breweries across the country, brewing more than 10 gigalitres of Snow every year.
Beer in Taiwan was dominated by monopoly products until 2002, when free trade became law in Taiwan. The main domestic brand remains Taiwan Beer, brewed by the publicly owned Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation that succeeded the government's monopoly bureau in 2002.
The history of beer in Hong Kong dates back to the mid-19th century. Currently the best selling beer is San Miguel, brewed by San Miguel Brewery Hong Kong. San Miguel had been brewed in Sham Tseng since 1948 and later moved to Yuen Long until 2007. The brewery was reopened in 2009.
Great Leap Brewing operates four brewpubs in Beijing, two in the Dongcheng District and two in the Chaoyang District. It makes and sells a wide range of beers at those locations, popular both within the city's Western expatriate community and younger Chinese drinkers interested in an alternative product.
Huangjiu is a type of Chinese alcoholic beverage most popular in the Jiangnan area. Huangjiu is brewed by mixing boiled grains including rice, glutinous rice or millet with qū as starter culture, followed by saccharification and fermentation at around 13–18 °C (55–64 °F) for fortnights. Its alcohol content is typically 8% to 20%.
Beer in Malaysia started in 1968, when two leading breweries of Guinness and Malayan Breweries merged to form a new company known as Guinness Anchor Berhad. Previously, the distribution of beer in Malaysia is mainly distributed by Malayan Breweries Limited which is centred in neighbouring Singapore. Carlsberg establish its first brewery outside Kuala Lumpur in 1970. By 2007, one local brewery began to establish their presence in the country although the demands for commercial beers are much higher than a new local brand. Most beers in the Malaysian markets are imported from neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam. In 2022, finally Malaysia had its very own craft beer brand known as PaperKite. PaperKite is also the first Malaysian craft beer brand to win the World Beer Awards in 2023.
The Jim and Dad's Brewing Company is a brewery in Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan.