rico567
Well-Known Member
I'm initiating this thread after a few weeks touring China, starting in Shanghai and finishing here, at the Raffles Beijing Hotel, just a few blocks down Chang'an St. from Tienanmen Square. The bird flies this afternoon, and earlier this afternoon, 13.5 hours later, we'll be in Chicago (think International Date Line).
The beer scene in China was surprising, in one way. American-style fizzy pale lagers are available and consumed widely; the Chinese consider beer an everyday beverage, to be consumed alongside water, Coke, and wine. We drank maybe a half-dozen brands when we were here, my personal favorite being the common Beijing brew, Yanjing. The Chinese premier brand, Tsingtao, is better than the Budweiser that is sold here....but that's not much of an index for comparison.
I've seen Guinness in bottles on a few menus, but the most unusual thing I've had here so far is a bottle of Erdinger Black, which I assume is an import. Given the enormous range of Chinese food and the one-dimensional beer supply, this country of 1.3 billion is crying out for someone to pioneer a craft / micro brewing industry. A dish as elegant as Peking duck or as robust as small cabbages and mushrooms -let alone the fiery joys of a Qongjing hot pot- cries out for a wider choice of beers. I think it's a sleeping volcano, waiting to erupt.
Chinese wine is.....somewhat hopeful. The cabernet we were served the other night was reminiscent of grapes, but with a pronounced overtone of automobile lacquer. The bottle of "rice wine" I bought in Hubei province was actually distilled from glutinous sorghum, ran bout 39%, or about the same as most booze sold in the States, and tasted like a combination of paint thinner and turpentine.
The beer scene in China was surprising, in one way. American-style fizzy pale lagers are available and consumed widely; the Chinese consider beer an everyday beverage, to be consumed alongside water, Coke, and wine. We drank maybe a half-dozen brands when we were here, my personal favorite being the common Beijing brew, Yanjing. The Chinese premier brand, Tsingtao, is better than the Budweiser that is sold here....but that's not much of an index for comparison.
I've seen Guinness in bottles on a few menus, but the most unusual thing I've had here so far is a bottle of Erdinger Black, which I assume is an import. Given the enormous range of Chinese food and the one-dimensional beer supply, this country of 1.3 billion is crying out for someone to pioneer a craft / micro brewing industry. A dish as elegant as Peking duck or as robust as small cabbages and mushrooms -let alone the fiery joys of a Qongjing hot pot- cries out for a wider choice of beers. I think it's a sleeping volcano, waiting to erupt.
Chinese wine is.....somewhat hopeful. The cabernet we were served the other night was reminiscent of grapes, but with a pronounced overtone of automobile lacquer. The bottle of "rice wine" I bought in Hubei province was actually distilled from glutinous sorghum, ran bout 39%, or about the same as most booze sold in the States, and tasted like a combination of paint thinner and turpentine.
damn American export taxes!
