Hops and Chinese beer

[wushijiao]

I was just drinking a beer and reading the news when I found that a chemical in hops might help fight disease. (To which, I thought, in the future I'll say, "I'm not plastered, I'm fighting cancer.")

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1282177

Has anyone thought of how Chinese beer is in relation to hops? It doesn't seem like Chinese beers are all that hoppy to me.

[笨笨德]

beer is good for you anyway, fear not!

so is smoking for that matter, here in taiwan you can smoke 長壽 (long life) cigarettes and extend your life at the same time

rather apt that your 'beer is good' post was your 666th

[wushijiao]

rather apt that your 'beer is good' post was your 666th

I noiced that as well! Better post another.

Anyway, I'm convinced that the first person to come to Shanghai and set up an American style micro-brewery, where beer snobs can slurridly debate the merits of hoppiness, will become a millionaire.

here in taiwan you can smoke 長壽 (long life) cigarettes

Wow. I don't even think that sort of advertising is legal in the Mainland. But, you are patriotic if you smoke though: 我爱我中华!　（我爱我癌症)!

[笨笨德]

the 長壽 packet doesnt really say that it extends your life it has the usual 'smoke this and you die' warning.

but thats what i tell my buddies when they come visit taiwan just after i show them some old d00d who has been munching on betel nut his whole life. 'look man, he is a vampire, blood dripping from his mouth, i told you people live forever here...'

[bokane]

Man, I would kill for a Sierra Nevada now. Kill.

(No matter that it's 10:40 in the morning.)

[geraldc]

If you're talking about hoppy beers like real ale, I think you'll have a hard time persuading the Chinese to drink them. The Germans taught the Chinese to brew lagers, and with those the less taste the better. Have you noticed how even with very expensive booze like XO cognac they'll mix it with tea etc. I think taste is less important the the price ( i.e. the higher the better). I don't think other beers go as well with food either.

[wushijiao]

Man, I would kill for a Sierra Nevada now. Kill.

You got it right. In my Googling for this post, I found that Sierra Nevada uses one of the highest levels of hops in the USA. Although, I wouldn't go that far. I would certainly bruise someone, or possibly maim for a Sierra Nevada right now.

If you're talking about hoppy beers like real ale, I think you'll have a hard time persuading the Chinese to drink them.

Sadly, I think you are right.

I don't think other beers go as well with food either.

I agree. Hot, spicy and greasy (Sichuan) or mellow and sublime (Zhejiang), both of those flavors go best with a light lager.

Still, I hope that sooner or later Chinese will catch on to good beer. Americans used to be famous for drinking horrible beer. But that changed in just a few years. In the US, the micro-brew revolution went hand in hand with the good, Arabica coffee revolution. For better or for worse, Starbucks is expanding like a hostile enemy force in China. It won't be long before some microbrews pop up, I hope.

[trevelyan]

Man, I would kill for a Sierra Nevada now. Kill.

Did people *have* to mention Sierra Nevada by name? Perhaps we can solve this issue by writing a note to the company petitioning for emergency relief.

It still blows my mind that the Chinese import Bud.

[bokane]

They manufacture Bud too - down in Wuhan, I think? I translated a couple of press releases for them; those suckers paid.

We should totally supplicate Sierra Nevada. I've got a friend coming over from the States in mid-December, and I was going to see if he could smuggle some in for me, drug-mule style. I'd had very fond memories of 哈啤小麦王, from my days in Harbin, as a perfumey, sharp-tasting beer, but as it turns out, I was wrong: it's piss too.

Totally rocked my world after a year of drinking plain old 哈啤, though.

[mr. fanglang]

Taipei has an authentic brew pub (right down to the huge gleaming beer vats behind the bar counter), and their beers are more than passable in my opinion, especially the pale ale and scottish ale with 7% alcohol content. Its called Jolly's brewpub on Qingcheng street near Nanjing E. Rd MRT station.

[wushijiao]

Democracy, now beer? When will the SOB's in Taiwan stop outdoing the folks back in the mainland? Actually, the last time I was in Harbin, they had a nice brew pub on the long street with the new mall (forgot the name).

I was going to see if he could smuggle some in for me, drug-mule

Hilarious! My brother, when he comes through China, will bring me a stash of good beer (plus the wine my dad makes, as an old wino/vintner).

哈啤小麦王

Just wondering: how fresh was the beer? I don't know much, but I do know Chinese beer doesn't travel well from place to place. When I went to the beer festival up in Harbin I was shocked at how good the beer was, then very disappointed when I drank Hapi down in Shanghai a few weeks later.