Chinatown Brew
Written: Apr 06 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It's a pretty good lager
Cons: wish brewers would abandon green bottles
The Bottom Line: Really a three and a half star. It's good to pair with a good Chinese dinner
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| fuche_bu's Full Review: Tsingtao Brewing Co Pale Lager |
This is one of those beers that I have consumed multiple times without ever having purchased a six pack. When I dine at Chinese restaurants, I often find myself ordering a bottle of Tsing Tao to go with the meal. It just seems like the right thing to do. (I also tend to only drink Singha in Thai restaurants or Red Stripe in Jamaican/Carribean restaurants). I don't think I ever purchased or consumed this beer outside a Chinese restaurant.
A recent visit to the Imperial Inn in Phily's Chinatown was my most recent experience with the beer. It occurred to me that maybe I should consider writing a review of the beer for those that may not have ever tried it. This does lead to a break from my normal routine of writing my beer reviews while actually drinking the beer. I had a memo pad in my backpack so I decided to take down a few notes while waiting for my hot and sour soup.
Tsingtao is roughly based on the German Pils style. I learned from Michael Jackson that Germany briefly had a port in the Tsingtao region of China during the Colonial era. The Tsingtao Brewery Co. Qingdao was originally founded in 1903. The brewery is Chinese owned but the German influence remains.
I was happy when the waiter brought me a proper pilsner glass for the pour. It may seem trivial to a non-beerdrinker but the glass is important. Pouring into a glass allows the beer to breathe. A proper glass for the given style also affords optimal enjoyment of the brew. Perhaps the use of proper glasses should be a future review.
When I poured the beer, I noticed a light golden hue. It has more color than the standard domestic mainstream beer. There was a slight modest nose. It had that fresh mown scent similar to Heineken. It does seem that there are countless beers from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe that ought to have the Heineken trademark stamped on their label.
But, in fairness, this beer has a little more character than a lot of these other beers. It has a nice hop presence that allows for a touch a bitterness. It's not going to make anyone forget Pilsner Urquell but it does work well in this situation. It pairs well with the spicy cuisine. It's body is on the light side but still has a nice malt character. It has a pleasant flavor and is a good situational beer. The taste is what a more basic beer drinker might refer to as smooth. I will continue to occasionally consume this beer when I dine in Chinese restaurants. I also suspect that I will not be rushing out to my local beerstore to purchase a couple cases of this beer either.
I have read that Tsingtao also makes a black beer that has more character and body than this beer. I have never tried it and am uncertain if it is even available in the United States. Perhaps some progressive Chinese restauranteur will have the vision to import it into the States. Until then, the pilsner style Tsingtao will be the beer of choice when I eat Chinese food.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
fuche_bu
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Member: George Schaefer
Location: West Bristol, PA
Reviews written: 1103
Trusted by: 326 members
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Busy at work and missing a lot of epinions fun.
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