Shanghai beer festival highlights China’s growing taste for a quality brew
The 2018 Craft Beer of China Exhibition features lots of smaller breweries staking their claim in a rapidly changing market
“Panda Beer”, “Little General”, “Flying Fist IPA”, and “Mandarin Wheat” are among the offerings on tap at a craft beer exhibition this week in Shanghai dedicated to expanding the palette of Chinese consumers and promoting sales of high-end brews.
The 2018 Craft Beer of China Exhibition features breweries like Rasenburg Beer, Myth Monkey Brewing, Lazy Taps, Goose Island and Boxing Cat Brewery that are sharing tips on the latest technology and sales trends as Chinese shift from legacy brews to more experimental, refined and expensive flavours.
From taps at the expo flowed creative mixes of flavours and traditions, a swirling cocktail of Chinese ingredients, barley, hops and spices from around the world.
“After drinking it [craft beer], it feels much better than the domestic industry beer, and then you just can’t leave it,” said Yu Shiqi, a 40-year old craft beer consumer at the expo who dreams of brewing his own.
