“Pi Jiao” is the name of beer in Chinese. This term perfectly describes all local brewing: despite the fact that the European template is taken as the basis, oriental features have changed the production technology beyond recognition.
Historical information
The Chinese themselves claim that the history of their country’s brewing is at least 9000 years old, although archaeological research proves only 7000 years. Be that as it may, it is obvious that the term “beer” in this case does not mean a barley drink with hops familiar to Europeans, but a local analogue – mash mainly from rice, honey, grapes and hawthorn. In those days, foamy, actively fermenting mash from any raw material was called Lao Li and was used mainly for religious purposes without distillation (distillation).
Features
Real beer made from malt, hops and brewer’s yeast appeared in China only in the XNUMXth century, but foreigners produced the drink: Russians, Poles, Czechs, Germans. Over time, the enterprises passed into the hands of local owners and Chinese beer acquired national distinctive features:
- Low fortress. Regardless of the manufacturer, the strength of Chinese beer rarely exceeds 3-4 degrees, and some brands can even be lower. European tasters agree that such alcohol is drunk like lemonade and it is difficult to get drunk from it. But here it is necessary to take into account the genetic predisposition of Asians to rapid intoxication and alcoholism, therefore, for Eastern connoisseurs, a low concentration of alcohol in beer is considered the norm and even desirable.
- Specific sweet taste. It is due to the fact that in addition to the standard ingredients, the composition includes rice malt. In addition, some companies add very unusual ingredients to the recipe: sorghum, bitter melon or algae.
- Weak foaminess: the “cap” settles in literally 5-15 seconds. This is a feature of rice malt and third-party ingredients in the composition.
Inaccurate information on labels. Chinese manufacturers allow themselves to freely interpret the main parameters, so do not be surprised if the declared density seriously diverges from the real one.
Chinese beer is very popular in the Celestial Empire itself (residents drink more than 52 billion liters a year, which is a quarter of world consumption), but the best producers of the country are confidently gaining prestige on the international market, especially in Asia.
Of course, the taste of a Russian or a European beer from China has little in common with the usual lagers and stouts, but these varieties cannot be judged by their classic characteristics: density, strength and bitterness. If you initially perceive brands from China as a separate type of alcohol and do not expect a rich malt aroma from them, everything falls into place.
Popular brands of Chinese beer
Tsingtao (Qingdao) is the former undisputed No. 1 brand in the country, now it has lost ground a bit. It has been produced since 1903 in the city of Qingdao of the same name. The manufacturer tries to cover the widest possible target audience, so it brews a variety of varieties, from non-alcoholic to stouts. The taste is characterized by a characteristic sourness, a little burnt malt is felt.
Yanjing (Yangzhin) – the eternal competitor of Qingdao, has been produced in Beijing since 1980. The taste is much more specific: the composition may contain seaweed and other unusual ingredients. The strength of Yanjing beer does not exceed 4,5 degrees, the brand almost does not resemble European beer.
Snow is a young but promising brand. Appeared in 1993 in the city of Shenyang. For ten years, he pushed out large corporations and came out on top, having won 5% of the volume of the world beer market. The taste is balanced, malty, but still sweet, with hints of rice. Due to the high content of carbon dioxide, Snow beer prickles the tongue and feels icy. Considered more of a feminine beer drink.
Harbin (Harbin) – one of the most exported brands, appeared in 1900, but until 1945, Poles, Czechs and Japanese alternately owned production. The rating of the company’s assortment is ambiguous, some varieties are described by tasters as “tasteless”, while others (those that are stronger) are remembered for their floral aftertaste and mild aroma.
Other Chinese beer brands: Sie-Tang Lio, Hapi, Blue Ribbon, Huiquan, Zhujiang, Kingway, Pearlriver, Sedrin, Kingstar. In addition, there are representative offices of European breweries in the country: Budweiser, Heineken, Carlsberg and others, as well as small craft breweries.
How to drink Chinese beer
Chinese beer is combined only with local dishes (preferably spicy), our traditional snacks (croutons, chicken wings, croutons, chips, squid rings, boiled and fried sausages) are not suitable.
At home feasts, the Chinese serve well-chilled, almost ice-cold beer in small 150 ml glasses, and in an expensive restaurant they can also pour it into a beautiful glass. According to local traditions, it is not necessary to clink glasses, it is enough to lightly tap the bottom of the glass on the table.