Click to read the original text for details To understand a city, just open a local beer. At night, at the outdoor food stalls, you hear the crisp "pop" of an ice-cold beer bottle cap being opened, the pale yellow beer frothing up with lively foam, clinking glasses with friends, and drinking it all in one go. This summer joy is brought to you by beer. However, over a hundred years ago in China, beer as an imported product was far less common than it is today. At that time, people described this pale yellow drink as "looking like horse urine and tasting like herbal medicine." △ Source: Pexels It wasn't until the 1980s, after China implemented the "Beer Special Project," that the beer industry began to rise. Within just a few years, there were over 800 beer enterprises nationwide, and almost every city had its own brewery. Beijing's Yanjing, Shanghai's Reeb, Fujian's Huiquan, Guilin's Liquan, Henan's金星 (Jinxing), Xinjiang's Wusu, Lanzhou's Yellow River, Shaanxi's Hans, Chongqing's Shancheng, Sichuan's Lanjian... Many local beer brands with unique characteristics occupied people's dining tables. So much so that some people say, to understand a city, just open a local beer. But as the beer industry landscape changed, large breweries began to merge with smaller ones, and the Chinese beer market was divided among five major beer giants: China Resources Snow, Tsingtao, Yanjing, Budweiser, and Carlsberg, which together hold over 90% of the market share. Now, Chinese people consume 42.96 billion liters of beer each year, with an average of about 30 liters per person annually. Beyond the five major beer giants, there are still some local beers that have won loyal fans with their quality and taste. 1 Northeast: A Bowl of Pulled Noodles, a Chicken Frame, and a Bottle of Old Snow The Northeast was the first place in China to come into contact with beer. In 1900, China's first brewery was born in Harbin. This brewery was founded by Russian merchant Ulublevsky and was renamed "Harbin Brewery" in 1950. At that time, Harbin Beer (abbreviated as "Hapi") was all the rage in Harbin, and people in other parts of the country drank less in a year than Harbin residents did in a day. △ Source: Pixabay As China's earliest beer brand, Harbin Beer initially had a strong flavor and a strong kick. However, after joining the Budweiser InBev group in 2008, Harbin Beer's taste became relatively lighter, known for its fresh and pure character. In the Northeast, people still prefer beers with high alcohol content and a strong aftereffect. "A bowl of pulled noodles, a chicken frame, and a bottle of Old Snow." This is the ordering phrase of a true Shenyang local. The "Old Snow" that Shenyang people refer to has a domineering nickname: "Stunning Donkey." This beer is characterized by its strong aftereffect, with a malt concentration of 12 degrees, earning it the title "Lethal 12 Degrees." Even Shenyang locals with a high tolerance for alcohol can barely stand after three or four bottles of Old Snow, let alone out-of-towners who can't hold their liquor. Therefore, the local saying goes: "Shenyang Old Snow with BBQ, out-of-towners all knocked out." △ On social media, netizens expressed their nostalgia for Old Snow. Source: Xiaohongshu APP In 1993, the Shenyang Brewery that produced Old Snow was acquired by China Resources Group, giving birth to China Resources Snow. Today, the Old Snow that Shenyang people favor is labeled as "Snow Aromatic Beer." In the Northeast, another beer with the "Lethal" nickname, similar to Old Snow, is Jiafeng Beer, a brand from Jiamusi, a new industrial city by the Songhua River in Heilongjiang Province, now under the umbrella of foreign beer giant Budweiser InBev. Jiafeng Beer also has a malt concentration of 12 degrees and is called "Lethal Jiafeng." What Jiamusi people are proud of is that in 1984, Jiafeng Beer won the "Gold Cup Award" in the National Light Industry Product Alcohol Quality Competition. Besides Shenyang's Old Snow and Jiamusi's Jiafeng, Dalian's Kailong, Tieling's Daocheng, and Dandong's Yalu River beers all make out-of-towners wary. 2 North China: Buy North Beer in the East, Buy Five Star in the West North China's beer brands also have a long history. In 1915, two brothers who traded in Vladivostok founded the "Shuanghesheng Five Star Beer and Soda Water Factory" in Beijing. "Shuanghesheng" means "two brothers prospering together," and "Five Star" symbolizes "five stars shining high." At its inception, the beer produced by this factory was mainly for export or for foreigners living in Beijing. In the late 1970s, as people became more financially comfortable, beer truly entered the lives of Beijing residents, and scenes of men, women, and children lining up with thermos bottles to buy draft beer became common. At that time, there were only two beer brands on the Beijing market: Shuanghesheng Five Star Beer and Beijing Beer. Both were inexpensive, around 40 cents per liter, and very popular. Since the two breweries were located on the east and west sides of Beijing, the saying "Buy North Beer in the east, buy Five Star in the west" came about. △ Early logo of Yanjing Beer. Screenshot from Yanjing Beer official website. Yanjing Beer was born relatively late; it was a product of the Shunyi County (now Shunyi District) Brewery on the outskirts of Beijing in 1980. In that era of the "one city, one beer" development strategy, Yanjing Beer is one of the few breweries that has survived and grown, and is now one of the five major players in the domestic beer industry. Shuanghesheng Five Star Beer, on the other hand, was acquired by Tsingtao Beer in 2000 and gradually faded from the market, remaining only in the memories of the older generation. Compared to other regions, North China's beer production and variety are not particularly large—accounting for about 10% of the national total. The most common comment about the beer in this region is that it's "light." The only exception is Jinshibai Beer from Inner Mongolia, which might be a private treasure of the hearty men of Inner Mongolia. Many out-of-towners' review the next day is: "Whoever drinks it is dazed." 3 Northwest: Big Bites of Meat, Big Gulps of Beer In recent years, while "light beers" with low alcohol and little foam dominate the market, Wusu Beer from Xinjiang has gained popularity due to its many "unusual" characteristics. Wusu is a county town at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang. In the 1980s, this small town established its own brewery, named "Wusu Beer." For a long time, people in other provinces rarely had the chance to drink Wusu Beer. In 2016, after becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of the foreign beer giant Carlsberg, Wusu Beer stepped out of Xinjiang and became a "dark horse" in the beer market. Wusu Beer has a well-known title—"Lethal Big Wusu"—because it has a strong aftereffect, with a malt concentration of up to 11% and a higher alcohol content of 4%; it also has a larger capacity than regular beers, at 620 ml per bottle. △ Netizens share their experience of drinking Wusu Beer on social media. Source: Xiaohongshu APP What's most special is that Wusu Beer has a refreshing entrance, always giving people the illusion that they can have another bottle, and it can be said to "intoxicate without notice." Before Wusu Beer became famous, Yellow River Beer—a brand from Lanzhou, Gansu—once held the halo of "Beer King of the Northwest," enjoying great popularity in Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia. In Lanzhou, Yellow River Beer and lamb skewers are the perfect match. When night falls and the heat of the day subsides, inviting three or five friends to sit by the Yellow River, eating sizzling lamb skewers, washing them down with a gulp of ice-cold Yellow River draft beer, and listening to the sound of the river—this is one of the happiest moments for Lanzhou locals. △ Grilled lamb skewers. Source: Pixabay Beer and grilled meat are not exclusive to Lanzhou. In Yinchuan, red willow skewers of grilled lamb paired with the local Xixia Beer, accompanied by the sound of "gulp, gulp, gulp," as the beer goes down, this is the boldness of Northwest people when drinking beer, echoing the advertising slogan "Northwest men drink Xixia." 4 East China: Drink Beer and Eat Clams, the Local Standard East China is the crown of China's beer industry, with over 30% of the country's beer produced in this region each year. If Shandong is the jewel in the crown, then Qingdao is the sparkle of that jewel. △ Source: Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd. 2021 Annual Report Born in 1903, Tsingtao Beer has long become synonymous with the city of Qingdao. Every summer, "drinking beer, eating clams, and swimming in the sea" is the local standard. Qingdao people love to drink draft beer, which is different from the beer bought in supermarkets. It is not pasteurized through traditional high-temperature sterilization, so it has a fresh taste and rich nutrition, but a short shelf life. In Qingdao, whether in supermarkets or beer houses, wherever there is a beer keg, there is a stack of plastic bags next to it. Pull out a plastic bag, fill it with a few pounds of beer to take home—this special way of packaging beer is still a delight for Qingdao people. Plastic bag beer has also become one of "Qingdao's oddities." △ Source: Tuchong Creative Particular Qingdao people even choose their beer by the factory, as they can accurately distinguish the subtle differences in taste between different factories. This is something out-of-towners find hard to do. There are four breweries in Qingdao city: No. 1, No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5. A popular local saying goes: "No. 1 is authentic, No. 2 makes you dizzy, No. 4 is smooth, No. 5 is friendly." Besides Tsingtao Beer, locals often buy the local brand Laote Beer, saying, "Laote Beer is brewed with Laoshan spring water, and it has a better wheat aroma." Oddly enough, as an economic hub in East China, Shanghai does not have a beer brand that matches its reputation. But in the memories of locals, there is definitely a shadow of Reeb Beer (REEB, which is "beer" spelled backwards). In 2001, Reeb Beer's advertising song "Reasons to Like Shanghai" swept the nation, with lyrics like a love letter: "Shanghai is where I grew up, carrying all my feelings, the first toast, the first love, in the eternal innocent days..." △ "Reasons to Like Shanghai" swept the nation. Source: Pixabay In Shanghai, this song was the accompaniment to Reeb Beer, but now Reeb Beer has gradually faded from people's sight, and coffee now occupies the streets of Shanghai. Nanchang Beer, also in East China, is not well-known. The brewery was established in 1958 and has now been acquired by Budweiser. This beer is mainly refreshing, perhaps to balance the locals' taste buds that are often hit with spicy flavors. 5 South China: Fruit Beer, "Suitable for the Whole Family" In the beer world, compared to century-old brands like Harbin Beer and Tsingtao Beer, Zhujiang Beer has not been around for long. It was born in 1985, a few years later than Yanjing Beer. Currently, Zhujiang Beer has several series under its umbrella, including Zhujiang Pure Draft, Zhujiang Beer (the classic version, known as Old Zhujiang), Zhujiang 0 Degree, and Xuebao Beer. △ Zhujiang Beer products. Source: Screenshot from Zhujiang Beer official website. Among them, Old Zhujiang, with its classic "big green bottle" body, carries the love-hate feelings of Guangdong people. The love is because it's cheap and has a unique bitter taste with a sweet aftertaste; the hate is because its malt concentration reaches 12 degrees, and it goes to your head quickly. But people just like this flaw. For a long time, Zhujiang Beer relied on the local market and continued to grow, becoming a well-known beer brand in China today. Besides Zhujiang Beer, in the childhood memories of old Guangzhou residents, "Guang's Pineapple Beer" holds a place. This beverage, which began in the 1970s, retains the mellow malt aroma of beer while also having the fragrance of pineapple. Some old Guangzhou residents recall that after the reform and opening up, young people in Guangzhou liked to drink beer, and women also followed the trend. Pineapple beer, with its low alcohol content and refreshing taste, was a good choice. △ Source: Pixabay "Guang's Pineapple Beer, suitable for the whole family," this advertising slogan once echoed through the streets and alleys of Guangzhou. However, later, Guang's Pineapple Beer fell into a slump, but in recent years, with the revival of domestic products, it has reappeared in people's sight. 6 Southwest: Hotpot with Beer, an Explosion of Taste Buds The taste of beer in Chongqing and Sichuan is generally similar, mainly refreshing, with generally low alcohol and malt concentrations. The formation of this taste system should be related to the local preference for hotpot. Fresh beef tripe is dipped in the boiling red oil, then quickly cooled in a garlic and sesame oil dip, and then coated with a dry seasoning of green peppercorns and chili powder. With this stimulation to the taste buds, taking a sip of refreshing beer brings the mouth back to calm, ready for the next explosion of flavor. △ Tempting hotpot. Source: Pixabay At the end of the last century, Lanjian Beer occupied nearly 85% of the market share in Sichuan and Chongqing, with considerable sales in Yunnan and Guizhou. At that time, there was a saying in the Chinese beer industry: "North Yanjing, South Zhujiang, East Tsingtao, West Lanjian." But in the wave of capital mergers and acquisitions, in 2007, Lanjian sold all its shares to China Resources Snow. Since then, Lanjian disappeared in the Southwest, replaced by Snow. In Guizhou, Moutai, known for its liquor, also produced beer, but it was later acquired by China Resources Snow. Yunnan's Dali Beer, Fenghuaxueyue, and Lancang River are quite famous locally, and their common feature is good water. Especially the water near Cangshan Mountain in Dali, most of which flows into breweries. However, these breweries have also been acquired by large companies, but some names have been retained. Don't think there is no beer on the Tibetan Plateau. On the contrary, Tibetan beer holds a unique position in China's beer field, and that is Lhasa Beer, which was born in 1988. Because Lhasa Beer contains highland barley, its taste is very unique. △ Highland barley. Source: Pixabay In recent years, several new beer enterprises have been established in Tibet, such as Nyingchi Beer, which started production in 2018, and Reba Highland Barley Beer, founded in 2017. Looking back at the century-long history of China's beer industry, some local beers have been acquired and merged, becoming common memories of people's hometowns; a few lucky ones have retained their names and still accompany people at the dining table. This summer, with a bottle of beer, recalling old stories of your hometown is not a bad thing. Source: Duchenji Studio (ID: DUCHENGJIPLUS)