10 Most Popular Chinese Beers You Should Try
1. Tsingtao Beer 青岛啤酒
Birthplace: Qingdao, Shandong Brewery: Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd. Established: in 1903
Tsingtao Beer was jointly established by British and German businessmen in 1903, and it is the first brewery using European technologies and one of the earliest beer producers in China. After over 100 years’ development, it produces the best beer in China and has been listed on the world's top 500 brands. Tsingtao beer is clear yellow and tastes fresh and a little bitter. Its popular products include classic series, draft series, and stout series.
2. Snow Beer 雪花啤酒
Birthplace: Shenyang Brewery: China Resources Breweries Co., Ltd. Established: in 1993
It is named Snow Beer because of its rich and white snowy foam and flower-like aroma. It has been the best-selling Chinese beer brands for years. It is deeply loved by young people today for its fresh and refreshing taste. The popular products of Snow Beer include draft series, Brave the World Series, Opera Mark Series, refreshing series, and stout series. Among these products, the most popular one is the Brave the World Series.
3. Yanjing Beer 燕京啤酒
Birthplace: Beijing Brewery: Beijing Yanjing Beer Co., Ltd. Established: in 1980
Yanjing Beer focuses on Chinese people’s taste to make Chinese beers. Having been developed for about 40 years, it has become one of the largest breweries in China. The water used to make Yanjing Beer is from 300 meters underground mineral water in the Yanshan Mountains, which has never been polluted. With draft beer, fresh beer, original weissbier, alcohol free beer and other special-flavored beers, it is the representative of refreshing beers. Its original weissbier beer is quite popular in Europe, America, Belgium, the United States and other countries.
4. Harbin Beer 哈尔滨啤酒
Birthplace: Harbin, Heilongjiang Brewery: Harbin Beer Group Co., Ltd. Established: in 1900
Harbin Beer is the earliest beer manufacturer and beer brand in China. The Chinese craft beer has been popular throughout China. At present, it is sold nationwide only except Tibet. It is also exported to more than 30 countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, etc. Harbin Beer has always a pure and refreshing taste. The products include ice, wheat king, draft, weissbier and other series, and most of them taste cool and icy. Among these, the most popular one is the wheat king series, which has a higher alcohol content of 10% than other beer, thus you can taste a strong flavor of malt.
5. Pearl River Beer (Zhujiang Beer) 珠江啤酒
Birthplace: Guangzhou, Guangdong Brewery: Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery Co., Ltd. Established: in 1985
Pearl River Beer is one of best beers in China especially popular in south China. Although the taste of the traditional Pearl River beer is a little bitter, now it has produced a lot of refreshing beers. It has a number of products including draft beer, non-alcohol beer, traditional beer, refreshing beer, golden lager, etc. For beer lovers who are pursuing a fresh taste and refreshing feeling, Pearl River Non-Alcohol beer is the best choice.
6. Wusu Beer 乌苏啤酒
Birthplace: Wusu, Tacheng, Xinjiang Brewery: Xinjiang Wusu Beer Co., Ltd. Established: in 1986
Wusu Beer was born in Wusu at the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang in 1980s. Its headquarter was located in Wusu originally, then later moved to Urumqi. It has a very strong delayed effect and it is extremely easy to get drunk when you drink it. In this way, Wusu Beer is exaggeratedly called the deadly Wusu.
7. Kingway Beer 金威啤酒
Birthplace: Shenzhen, Guangdong Brewery: Shenzhen Jinwei Beer Co., Ltd. Established: in 1990
Kingway Beer now is a listed company in Hong Kong, and it has become one of the largest beer breweries in China. It owns the most advanced modern beer production technology and equipment in China even in the world. The products of Kingway include Old Kingway, Kingway Draft, Kingway Jinchun, Kingway 2008, Green Kingway and other series, mainly sold in Guangdong Province, and more than twenty provinces such as Tianjin, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, and so on. Its products are also sold overseas such as Southeast Asia, Canada and Panama.
8. Shancheng Beer 山城啤酒
Birthplace: Chongqing Brewery: Chongqing Brewery Co., Ltd. Established: in 1958
When talking about beer in China, Shancheng beer cannot be forgotten. Shancheng Beer is the sub-brand of Chongqing Beer Group, which has a high reputation and has always been listed as one of the best beers in China. The most popular products include Golden Shancheng, Old Shancheng, Shancheng 1958, Shancheng Refreshing beer, etc.
9. Kingstar Beer 金星啤酒
Birthplace: Zhengzhou, Henan Brewery: Jinxing Beer Group Co., Ltd. Established: in 1982
Kingstar Beer is a key enterprise in Henan Province and in the country, and has been listed as the top 4 Chinese beer enterprises for five consecutive years. As one of the most popular beers in China, it has 25 modern bottling production lines and a cans production line. The most popular series Kingstar and Landmark have more than 60 varieties, which are sold in more than 20 provinces. The representative ones include craft original beer, draft beer, new generation family and juice beer.
10. San Miguel Beer 生力啤酒
Birthplace: Guangzhou, Guangdong Brewery: San Miguel (Guangdong) Beer Co., Ltd. Established: in 1991
San Miguel Beer is originated from the Philippines and is one of the most famous beer brands in Asia. San Miguel Beer in China was established in Guangzhou in 1991 by Hong Kong San Miguel Beer Guangdong Company and Guangzhou Brewery. It has become a quite famous Chinese beer brand now. The products have won many international gold medals and is very popular among beer drinkers. San Miguel Light Beer, Guang’s Pineapple Beer, Double Happine Beer, and Blue Star Beer, are all worth trying.
Further Reading
Top 10 Chinese Alcohol Brands
Chinese Yellow Wine (Huangjiu) - One of the Oldest Wines in the World
Chinese Snake Wine - the Mysterious Ancient Chinese Remedy
Chinese Rice Wine (Mijiu) - Thousands of Years’ Old Brewage in China
Best Chinese Wines - Top 10 Brands for You to Choose