By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Why is there so much German beer in China?
Out of all the imported beer in China, I see German beer the most. How did this come to be?
I even go to one of my friends rural home town, and there they sell German beer, but no other imports to choose from.
It comes in a 500ml can, or a mini-keg, and there are no foreigners where she lives, we never see the locals drinking it either. It suits me just fine, but it just seems strange.
At least one beer company was started by Germans when they brought the railroad into China. I'm not sure why you see German imports, maybe because Germans started beer in China, they do make good beer. I see Corona on menus but have never had one, always out of stock.
rasklnik:
That's Harbin. Germans did not bring railroads to China. Tsingdao was German however, but that's another story. Beer in China has a interesting history.
GuilinRaf:
In Guilin they say it was the Flying Tigers who brought beer during the "Anti-Japanese War".
I have my doubts about this being "the" origin however....
TedDBayer:
I read something some where about Germans , railroad and they built the first beer distillery.
Most of the German beer I see here is made in China, under German license and protocols, besides quality standards. Like for example Heineken. In some foreign supermarkets, I have found German beer in cans, either in 11 oz size or 17.5, but they do cost upwards of 35 yuan each.
As to why is popular above other imports in China is maybe because they do make a darn good beer in my opinion.
The amount of misinformation on this thread is shocking.
rasklnik:
-Thumbs down? Let's see some real facts
1)Germany enjoys near supreme standing in beer culture. Between the purity laws, the Oktoberfest, the proximity to czech republic, and the lack of a strong German wine culture, German beer may be said to be the best, or among the best
2)Germany exports a great deal of beer. They consume the best and expost the rest.
3) Chinese are a simple consumer market, they believe that German is best, and so will pay extra for it. Even though many Czech beers are certainly as good as certain German beers, and Belge Beire is quite good as well, especially Trappist ales, the average Chinese is an uneducated beer consumer. He wouldn't know how to pour a Duvel.
HappyExPat:
I gave you a thumbs up to even things out. I would have sworn Heineken was from Germany, but I stand corrected. Will look closer at the label tomorrow, will go to market and buy one bottle just to satisfy mt curiosity. Alcohol spirits do have a huge import tax, here in China, over 100 % of cost. In order to make it more accesible to the masses, beers like Heineken, even Mexican Corona, are also manufactuted under licenses here in China. But still there is a gap, you can buy a large bottle of local Chinese beer at a restaurant for 6 Rmb, and a small bottle of Heineken or Corona will put you 25 Rmb back.
Not that it is really on topic, but I read that Heineken just bought the Tiger beer company. Tiger is a Singapore brand, but it is huge in China.
One of the main reasons why there is such an inlflux of German branded beers in China is that China & Germany made several lucrative trade agreements centered around them showing Qingdao how to make German quality beer.
And like other projects (high speed rail lines), once the Chinese were convinced they could do it on their own, they kicked the Germans out of the project and profit sharing.
GuilinRaf:
Kicking out people....
Reminds me of a girl I dated back in PR. Her dad was Spanish, and he had gone to Cuba to open a hotel. Worked hard at it for three years. Then, when it finally started to turn a profit, it got "Nationalized". He tried to fight it, and was eventually forced to leave the country.
Got to PR, married a local, and now is the happy owner of two "paradores". One in the mountains and one near the beach.