Beer Cheer 22 - Tsingtao
When buying groceries today, I nearly squealed when I saw sixers of Tsingtao in the beer aisle. Of course, I immediately placed one of the packages in my cart before finishing my shopping. I was sure I reviewed Tsingtao before, and was surprised to find I hadn't. Admittedly, I've enjoyed this Chinese beer many times.
Tsingtao beer has a history as interesting as that of 20th century China's. The parent brewery was originally owned by a joint European-Chinese endeavor, which was eventually supplanted by a government stake (following that Communist idealism - no private property, eh). By the 1990's. the brewery went private once again, with the beer becoming a dominant Chinese beer on the International market (I'm not a genius with this history crap, I did a Google search and dug some up with Wikipedia).
Tsingtao presents in a distinct bottle. The green bottle, emblazoned with molded Chinese characters and a glistening red, gold, and green label stands out from many beers. The brew smells mildly crisp and hints of a distinct brine. The salty, faintly olive-taste is the first sensation that this Asian beer provides, but this is tempered by a soft sake-like bite (though not as harsh as real deal sake). Following this, a dry saltiness returns only to fade into a dry, mellow, faintly almond-flavor. For being a mass-market beer, Tsingtao seems nicely complex, to me. I especially love its salty character - much like Peroni Nastro Azzurro, but a little more subtle. I have to admit bias, though. I've long been fascinated with Big China, so doubtlessly that curiosity plays into my liking this beer. The only downside is that the brew is a bit on the light side for proof. Hovering just above 3% alcohol content, Tsingtao is more like a sophisticated Smirnoff malt drink than a hearty beer. But then, this might be to the favor of this drink. Tsingtao is a pleasant, light, beer that's well worth the typical $6 to 7 (for six) street price. Recommended.
(For those keeping score, I rarely do not recommend a beer. Why? - Well, it's kinda hard to make a bad beer! BTW, check-out the huge mural on the side of Tsingtao Brewery, courtesy Wikipedia)
Any drink is good to me if it "can give... passion and happiness"! Just look at the cute smiling globe!
Tsingtao beer has a history as interesting as that of 20th century China's. The parent brewery was originally owned by a joint European-Chinese endeavor, which was eventually supplanted by a government stake (following that Communist idealism - no private property, eh). By the 1990's. the brewery went private once again, with the beer becoming a dominant Chinese beer on the International market (I'm not a genius with this history crap, I did a Google search and dug some up with Wikipedia).
Tsingtao presents in a distinct bottle. The green bottle, emblazoned with molded Chinese characters and a glistening red, gold, and green label stands out from many beers. The brew smells mildly crisp and hints of a distinct brine. The salty, faintly olive-taste is the first sensation that this Asian beer provides, but this is tempered by a soft sake-like bite (though not as harsh as real deal sake). Following this, a dry saltiness returns only to fade into a dry, mellow, faintly almond-flavor. For being a mass-market beer, Tsingtao seems nicely complex, to me. I especially love its salty character - much like Peroni Nastro Azzurro, but a little more subtle. I have to admit bias, though. I've long been fascinated with Big China, so doubtlessly that curiosity plays into my liking this beer. The only downside is that the brew is a bit on the light side for proof. Hovering just above 3% alcohol content, Tsingtao is more like a sophisticated Smirnoff malt drink than a hearty beer. But then, this might be to the favor of this drink. Tsingtao is a pleasant, light, beer that's well worth the typical $6 to 7 (for six) street price. Recommended.
(For those keeping score, I rarely do not recommend a beer. Why? - Well, it's kinda hard to make a bad beer! BTW, check-out the huge mural on the side of Tsingtao Brewery, courtesy Wikipedia)
Any drink is good to me if it "can give... passion and happiness"! Just look at the cute smiling globe!