beer in China

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.{{Cite web|last=Gershon|first=Livia|title=Remains of 9,000-Year-Old Beer Found in China|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/remains-9000-year-old-beer-found-china-180978563/|access-date=2021-09-12|website=Smithsonian Magazine|language=en}} Made with rice, honey, grape, and hawthorn fruits, this early beer seems to have been produced similarly to that of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.{{cite web|title=9,000-Year-Old Beer Re-Created From Chinese Recipe|publisher=National Geographic Society|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0718_050718_ancientbeer.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050722030635/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/07/0718_050718_ancientbeer.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 22, 2005}} 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.[http://wenku.baidu.com/link?url=4EmX3K9_XHM_vUmC8ds0kN7GxIFFWHOUA8Nj-0peg15Bd9bbosiuPZBMFp531X1h1GFB_5v9h7wlhPpkdoYMiLJe6nQLLfEyh5KNPwCqS3S Visiting Shenyang Snow Beer's Old Brewery] (in Chinese)

The emergence of craft beer in China started in the large metro areas including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/as-chinas-craft-beer-craze-takes-off-brewers-hatch-ambitious-plans/article30908331/|title=As China's craft beer craze takes off, brewers hatch ambitious plans|access-date=2016-09-04}} Once primarily of interest to expat drinkers, local consumer interest in premium brands and local and imported craft beers is currently on the rise.{{Cite news|title = China Embraces Craft Beers, and Brewing Giants Take Notice|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/16/business/dealbook/china-embraces-craft-beers-and-brewing-giants-take-notice.html|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 2016-01-15|access-date = 2016-01-20|issn = 0362-4331|first1 = Amie|last1 = Tsang|first2 = Cao|last2 = Li}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-11-18/china-getting-taste-craft-beers-not-craft-brewing|title=China is getting a taste for craft beers, but not for craft brewing|date=18 November 2014 |language=en-US|access-date=2016-09-04}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/07/forget-portland-china-might-just-be-the-new-epicenter-of-craft-beer/278077/|title=Forget Portland: China Might Just Be the New Epicenter of Craft Beer|last=McDonnell|first=Justin|website=The Atlantic |language=en-US|access-date=2016-09-04|date=2013-07-24}} However, Chinese government regulations have been cited as an obstacle facing new breweries or those wishing to expand bottling distribution.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sixthtone.com/news/chinas-craft-beer-revolution|title=China's Craft Beer Revolution|last=Tone|first=Sixth|date=2016-07-22|access-date=2016-09-04|archive-date=2017-02-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216165148/http://www.sixthtone.com/news/chinas-craft-beer-revolution|url-status=dead}}

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.{{cite web| title='No trouble brewing,' beer industry insists| publisher=China Daily| url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-07/14/content_460109.htm| access-date=2008-12-08}} This practice has now been made illegal.{{citation needed|date=May 2014}}

File:Bottle_and_glas_of_Chinese_Tsingtao_beer.jpg beer]]

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,{{Cite journal |doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000050 |pmc=2659709 |pmid=19320537 |title=The Alcohol Flushing Response: An Unrecognized Risk Factor for Esophageal Cancer from Alcohol Consumption |year=2009 |last1=Brooks |first1=Philip J. |last2=Enoch |first2=Mary-Anne |last3=Goldman |first3=David |last4=Li |first4=Ting-Kai |last5=Yokoyama |first5=Akira |journal=PLOS Medicine |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=e1000050 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal | pmc=6875758 | year=1995 | last1=Wall | first1=T. L. | last2=Ehlers | first2=C. L. | title=Genetic Influences Affecting Alcohol Use Among Asians | journal=Alcohol Health and Research World | volume=19 | issue=3 | pages=184–189 | pmid=31798054 }} China is deemed the world's largest beer market in terms of global consumption, followed by the United States and Brazil.{{Cite press release|title=Analyzing the $500 Billion Global Beer Industry 2019|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/analyzing-the-500-billion-global-beer-industry-2019-300916262.html|last=Markets|first=Research and|website=www.prnewswire.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-09}}{{Cite web|title=What's on tap for the global beer market? |publisher=J.P. Morgan|url=https://www.jpmorgan.com/global/research/beer-market|website=www.jpmorgan.com|language=EN|access-date=2020-05-09}}

Snow Beer, produced by CR Snow is the best-selling beer in China, holding 21.7% market share,{{cite news|last=Woo|first=Mars|title=China's Top Beer Makers Named|url=http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/1237/20130913/chinas-top-beer-makers-named.htm|access-date=7 March 2014|newspaper=China Topix|date=Sep 13, 2013}} 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,{{cite web|title=A blue-collar beer goes upmarket|publisher=Danwei|url=http://www.danwei.org/advertising_and_marketing/pabst_goes_upmarket.php|access-date=2011-08-27|archive-date=2012-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129052104/http://www.danwei.org/advertising_and_marketing/pabst_goes_upmarket.php|url-status=dead}} 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.

Beer is brewed in Hong Kong, which has a large brewery owned by San Miguel Corporation of the Philippines, as well as a microbrewery producing several beers for the local market.

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.{{cite news|title=China. The market share of imported beer reached 1.14% |url=http://journal.beer/2016/01/22/china-in-2015-the-interest-in-imported-beer-continues-unabated/|access-date=22 January 2016}}

Note: This is a partial list of China's major breweries. The vast majority of China's breweries serve only their local vicinity.

• Gleckes Beer (格力森啤酒)-北京格力森酒业有限公司
• Hangzhou Qiandaohu Beer Co., Ltd. (杭州千岛湖啤酒有限公司) - producer of Cheerday Beer
• Harbin Beer (哈尔滨啤酒)
• Reeb (力波啤酒)
• Snow beer (雪花啤酒)
• Tsingtao Beer (青岛啤酒)
• Yanjing Beer (燕京啤酒)
• Zhujiang Beer (珠江啤酒)
• China Pabst Blue Ribbon (蓝带啤酒)
• Wusu Beer (乌苏啤酒) Xinjiang
• Kingway Beer (金威啤酒)
• Lushan Beer(庐山啤酒)
• Shangri-La Beer(香格里拉啤酒)

There is a growing consumer inclination towards less strong beer in China as health conscious individuals 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.{{Cite web|title=Understanding drinking culture in China - Daxue Consulting|url=https://daxueconsulting.com/understand-drinking-culture-china/|website=daxueconsulting.com|access-date=2020-05-09}} 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.{{Cite web|title=The Booming Non-Alcoholic Beer Market in China|url=https://www.mersolluo.com/the-booming-non-alcoholic-beer-market-in-china/|date=2019-06-13|website=Mersol & Luo|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-09|archive-date=2020-07-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726164955/https://www.mersolluo.com/the-booming-non-alcoholic-beer-market-in-china/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=Qingdao Beer launches non-alcoholic beer _ China.org.cn|url=http://www.china.org.cn/travel/qingdao/2012-05/22/content_25441692.htm|website=www.china.org.cn|access-date=2020-05-09}}

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.{{Cite web|title=Low Or No Alcohol Beer On The Rise In China|url=https://apfoodonline.com/low-no-alcohol-beer-rise-china/|last=Industry|first=Asia Pacific Food|date=2017-09-21|website=Asia Pacific Food Industry|access-date=2020-05-09}}

{{Portal|Beer|China}}

• Beer and breweries by region
• Shangri-La Beer

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC539767/ Fermented beverages of pre- and proto-historic China]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20101123033435/http://glimpse.org/stories/view/how-to-drink-beer-in-china/ Beer-Drinking Etiquette in China (Archived copy)]
• [https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/23/479186257/5-000-year-old-chinese-beer-recipe-revealed 5,000-Year-Old Chinese Beer Recipe Revealed] National Public Radio

{{Chinese alcoholic beverages}}

{{Beers of the world}}

Category:Chinese alcoholic drinks

Category:Industry in China