Former FT in China
- 2016-07-15
I didn't know about clear or coloured bottle quality. I don' have any grupes aboit Chinese beer versus other world beers of the same types. Your Snowbeer is a good price for an okay beer. I like the Tsingtao tang but if I could get Snow at that price I would drink it- you must live in tje sticks.
Yep, it's usually the case that a Chinese brewery's higher quality beer is bottled in clear bottles. You will pay 4 RMB and more for such beers.
I'm in Hohhot. The reason I got the beer so cheap is that I bought in bulk from a wholesale market. I had to buy 30 X 9-packs from the wholesaler to pay so little for a beer that sells at 3 RMB/bottle.
Some info about Qingdao beer. The American brewing giant Anhauser something chose not to market any US brand here. Reason being that Chinese consumers are brand loyal. Said giant has bought into the Qingdao Brewery Co very heavily. Qingdao beer is good, but I prefer Harbin Beer. However, if the price is right, my preferences will go out the window!
Former FT in China
- 2016-07-15
As for your comment about French wine, having spent many-a-year downunder, I can assure you that even cheap Aussie wine tastes better than average French wine. Occasionally my local RT Mart has some cheap Aussie red for about RMB15 per bottle, so I clean them out, lol.
My problem is that I'm unwilling to spend more than 5rmb on a bottle of wine when I can buy 3 bottles of Snow beer for that. Actually, in China, beer is much cheaper than wine. I'm not a wine drinker, so I can give it a miss. Yes, Aussie wines do have a good name worldwide. The German Liebfraumilch brand of wine was ok back in Blighty, but in China all wines are too expensive imo.
Anyway, it's YOUR hard-earned, so spend it to maximize YOUR enjoyment, which YOU are clearly doing!
PhD teacher
- 2016-07-15
I didn't know about clear or coloured bottle quality. I don' have any grupes aboit Chinese beer versus other world beers of the same types. Your Snowbeer is a good price for an okay beer. I like the Tsingtao tang but if I could get Snow at that price I would drink it- you must live in tje sticks.
paul fox
- 2016-07-15
I buy this cheap Chinese red stuff. It's 12% and tastes OK. (Either that or I'm just used to it, lol). RMB12.50 per bottle or RMB9.90 when it's on special. I buy this stuff by the case!
As for your comment about French wine, having spent many-a-year downunder, I can assure you that even cheap Aussie wine tastes better than average French wine. Occasionally my local RT Mart has some cheap Aussie red for about RMB15 per bottle, so I clean them out, lol.
Former FT in China
- 2016-07-15
Tsingtao is more than one beer. The best tasting Tsingtao I get is from the village; it come in 600ml bottles instead of 500 and is the cheapest at 3 yuan. i shouldn't really say the best as that is different for all of us.
Of course, that's the case! Goes for Snow Beer and Harbin Beer too.
There's no point us arguing about the merits or demerits of Chinese beer. What you haven't mentioned is that whenever the Chinese beer is in a clear bottle, it's a better brew. Of course, it'll cost more. However, it'll be cheaper and better than similarly-priced foreign imports, as a rule.
I'm on Snow Beer at 1.7 RMB/big bottle presently. Clearly, pricewise, it's gonna be damned hard for anyone to convince me to shell out the likes of 12 rmb/can of imported ale.
As for wines, I was NEVER a winedrinker back home, so I'm missing nowt here in China in that respect.
Odd Bob Job
- 2016-07-15
The rule of thumb is when deciding which unknown plonk to select is to go for the one that says above 13.5 percent. That Great Wall you can get 12.5 percent (don't touch 12 percent one) I can get 12.5 one for 28yuan and it is not too bad. What i am saying is the high alcohol ones rarely taste totally awful. I know you can get Great Wall 13 percent at a price but it is still plonk.
Tsingtao is more than one beer. The best tasting Tsingtao I get is from the village; it come in 600ml bottles instead of 500 and is the cheapest at 3 yuan. i shouldn't really say the best as that is different for all of us.
Wines in China can be bought cheaply in some circumstances. But they usually are 'bottled..LOL!' in Jilin in a container that is made of plastic and looks like a mini veg oil container. That 'wine' is really crap!
The bottled wines here are too expensive. Great Wall is one of the better local wines, but it falls way short of the quality of an average French plonk back in Blighty.
However, it's not all bad news. You can buy a 1.5 litre bottle of champagne, complete with 'wired down' plastic top, for around 36 RMB. That champagne tastes good. It's bottled in Shandong. However, beware of 'apple champagne', also bottled in Shandong, at the same price as the grape champagne. The apple champagne is merely cider, and is therefore way overpriced here!
My advice, if you're a wine addict, China ain't for you. The only way you will be able to pay for your addiction is by working like a dog teaching rich kids WELL at a training center!
Diametrically different for lager addicts here, that's great!