The 8 Best Chinese Beers
Don’t know Chinese beer brands? Well, you need to try!
China has a strong drinking culture that has lasted centuries. From the creation of jiu (酒) within the first millennium CE, the Middle Kingdom has cultivated a long history with alcohol. There are hundreds of beer brands within China, but there are just 10 that you NEED to try.
Brands of beer within China are typically light lagers, as many want to drink high quantities of beer while eating, at the club, or singing karaoke. Due to this Chinese beers are some of the lightest in the world.
With China’s immense population, their drinks, specifically beers, help propel them to the most popular brands worldwide. Yet, few know about these brands outside of China.
As an expat living in China who fancies a beer or two, I’ve taken the liberty of compiling China’s top beer brands and where you can find them in the United States.
These beers may not be the top-shelf IPAs some of you are used to, but it's a chance to take a dip in another country’s drinking culture.
Ten Chinese Beers You Need To Try
1. Snow Beer 雪花啤酒
Snow is not only the most popular beer in China, but it’s also the most popular beer in the entire world! Based in Beijing, Snow was created as early as 1993! The brand propelled itself to the top by investing and partnering with other beer supergiants, including Heineken, Busch, and Budweiser.
Within China, Snow is one of the cheapest options on the market (.43 cents for a small boy!), making it a popular item for those who want to drink without breaking their wallet.
Snow is one of the most complex beers on this list to find. You can typically find it at your local Asian supermarket, yet this isn’t guaranteed as Snow doesn’t have distributors in the United States. You can also find it online on Taobao.
2. Tsingtao Beer 青岛啤酒
Easily my favorite Chinese beer, Tsingtao is synonymous with a good time. In my experience, it is even more popular than Snow due to its quality, taste, and variety (also because I live where it’s made). I’ve already written an entire post about its incredible 118-year history!
Founded in Qingdao by German settlers in 1898, they instilled their typically-expected touch for crafting great beers. Once the Japanese officially captured Qingdao on November 7th, 1914, the brewery changed hands. The owners changed throughout the following decades, but the quality stayed the same.
Tsingtao is China's #2 biggest brewery and the #5 most popular beer brand globally. They have a ton of options of flavors, with over 15 different kinds of beer ranging from lagers to stouts and IPAs.
You can find Tsingtao on websites including Bevmo, Total Wine, and any local Asian supermarket.
3. Yanjing Beer 燕京啤酒
Yanjing brewery is the third largest in China, behind Snow and Tsingtao. The brand originated in 1980 in Beijing when Geng Chao wanted to create his beer venture.
One of the world's most extensive beer production operations, Yanjing has become the official state-sponsored beer in Beijing. Any event or restaurant within China’s capital will host many Yanjing options.
Yanjing beer is also a light lager that is exceedingly easy to drink. Their taste and low price have solidified Yanjing as one of China’s top beers throughout the past forty years.
You can find Yanjing beer on websites including Total Wine, Drizly, and BeerMenus.
4. Harbin Beer 哈尔滨啤酒
Harbin brewery, located in, you guessed it, Harbin is the oldest brewery in China. Polish settler Jan Wroblewski founded the brand just before the 20th century. Like Snow, Harbin is incredibly cheap to drink.
The brand is now under the Anheuser-Busch umbrella, propelling its popularity and availability worldwide. Harbin beer boasts a pale lager flavor that combines European and Chinese ingredients to create a taste that captures the best of both worlds.
You can find Harbin beer online and in stores, including Bevmo, GotoLiquorStore, and InstaCart.
5. Wusu Beer 乌苏啤酒
A beer that many of my friends frequent, Wusu Beer is the most popular beer to originate from Xinjiang. Its red packaging is iconic compared to the typical greens on Chinese beers.
Also a light lager, Wusu differentiates itself from the competition with a surprisingly strong flavor which is excellent for mixing with soju. Like many other beers listed, Wusu has a perfect price point.
Yet depending on where you are, it may take more work to find. Since I’m on the opposite side of China, Wusu is only available in supermarkets and corner stores. No restaurant Wusu nights for me, sadly.
Sadly, Wusu is another beer that is hard to procure within the United States. Local Asian markets may have it, but purchasing through Taobao may be the only way.
6. China Pabst Blue Ribbon
Wait, PBR? Like, the PBR? Yes, China Blue Ribbon (CBR) has connected with the cult-followed Pabst Blue Ribbon to produce their style of PBR within China.
Unlike in the United States, CBR is a luxury beer within China and one of the most expensive beers you can buy without breaking into the IPA sphere (which I plan to write about in the coming week!).
Is CBR worth scouring through the shelves of standard PBR? No, not really. This little factoid was too interesting not to share.
7. Laoshan Beer 崂山啤酒
Another beer from Qingdao, Laoshan, is a subsidiary of Tsingtao beer. Much lighter on the flavors, Laoshan beer boasts one of my favorite beers in general! Typically I’m an IPA guy, but the picture above is a lemony lager that is super refreshing!
What differentiates Laoshan beer from Tsingtao is the use of Laoshan Mountain’s actual spring water. For the last 100 years, they’ve been sourcing real spring water straight from their backyard. Not only is the spring water a twist on Tsingtao, but Laoshan offers a higher alcohol percentage than most on this list.
Laoshan is decently hard to find, but you can source it from online websites, including FairpriceSG and Buy-Foods.
An Astounding Amount of Chinese Brand IPAs
Although I’m not going into specifics now, I will write a post covering several different IPAs found in China this week.
There are too many outstanding IPAs, warranting a list of their own. IPAs have grown in popularity within China over the past five or six years, just like in the United States. I’m an IPA guy, so I’ve been wading through the masses to find the best.
Make sure you follow me on Medium to stay up to date, especially to find the best Chinese IPA.
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