Tsingtao: History in a Bottle
Written: Sep 22 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Soft and aromatic
Cons: ,
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| samadust's Full Review: Tsingtao Brewing Co Pale Lager |
Tsingtao beer is the #1 consumer brand product exported from China. It is produced from a Chinese brewery that was settled by Germans in 1903, in the Shantung province. Not only is it exported to over 60 nations worldwide but it accounts for over 90% of China's total beer exportation.
Tsingtao city is found on the south coast of Shantung peninsula. It was originally a small fishing village yet flourished upon a small junk trade between the 17th and 20th centuries. In 1897, Germany forced themselves into occupation and coerced China into signing a 99-year lease on the area. Within a few years the area was industrialized and a city was built with modern European structure and later when Japan declared war on Germany one of its main objectives was to secure control of the Shantung Peninsula. Japan occupied the province until 1922 when it was once again made part of China.
By the early 40's, Tsingtao had come under major industrialization, and became a center for locomotives, cotton mills, chemicals, textiles, dyestuff, manufacturing and....beer.
Tsingtao beer is known for matching well with any Chinese meal. It is brewed using spring water from the Laoshan mountains which are known for aquatic purity. It has received awards from the Chef's of America culinary association and two years in a row from World Beer Champions.
With all of Tsingtao's enormous success, they have been recently outraged with their loss of popularity in the most economically important city in China, Hong Kong. They blame this on the old Hong Kong distributor and lack of good advertising. They have recently changed distributors and hope to dampen the sales of their biggest competition, Heineken and Carlsberg. They are planning on re-launching their product in a manner that will appeal to a younger crowd.
Supposedly, Asahi Brewery of Japan, has set up a joint venture with Tsingtao, investing 10 billion yen to build a brewery with the capacity to produce 100,000 tons of beer, namely their newest brand Asahi Super Dry (see my review).
Tsingtao's beer composition, which is produced by bottom fermentation, is usually golden with a fairly low amount of carbonation. It has a dense, white layer of foam on top when poured from the bottle. It is soft and flavorful with the aroma of hops and malt. It can be thought to be too bitter by some but soft and refreshing to others.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
samadust
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Member: Douglas Flowe
Location: USA
Reviews written: 182
Trusted by: 94 members
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