Crafting Beer for China

Do you enjoy beer?

I don’t mean the stuff that was invented because it was safer to drink than water, I mean really good beer! Maybe, you’ve never experienced a beer with such complexity and balance that it should be savored like a fine wine. A beer that needs to “open up” a bit as it settles into the glass, and as you take your first sip you breathe in the aroma of hops and malt.

A beer that, like wine, to fully enjoy it you have to educate yourself a little (or rely on a knowledgeable server) if you are going to find the flavors that tingle your unique palate. If you haven’t yet, then you should, and know that you’re not alone. You can join hundreds of millions of Chinese who have yet to discover craft beer.

Like many places in the world, China has been brewing beer since the beginning of time. Well, at least far enough back to cause a debate. And like other places in the world, it served its purpose then fell out of favor for some other alcoholic beverage. But now China is back on beer, and is the largest beer consuming country on the planet.

Yes, it’s true, when you have a billion plus people you are the largest consumer of many things. But that also means it’s an exciting time for the craft brewers of China. However, only time will tell whether they can follow the same trend as other beer drinking countries like the US, Japan, and the numerous other countries.

China, it’s easy, just follow the trend!

In the U.S., the craft beer movement gained traction in 1979 after the deregulation of the beer industry. At that time there were less than 90 breweries in the States. It was slow but consistent growth at first, pushed forward by home brewing and brewpubs. By the 1990’s the craft brew makers had found a niche. At that time craft beer was hovering around one percent of the U.S. beer market share, but it was enough to cause the big beer boys to notice, and they have been buying up craft beer companies ever since.

Many life long drinkers of light American lagers like Budweiser, Coors, and Miller felt obligated to at least see what the fuss was about. Some, like me, never went back. Since that slow beginning, the craft beer niche has steadily gained market share, even as Americans consume less beer overall.

As of 2014, there are more than 3,000 U.S. breweries in operation, of which 99 percent are small and independent craft brewers as defined by the Brewers Association.

In 1994, as the U.S. craft beer industry gained momentum, it also crossed the Pacific into Asia, and specifically the beer-friendly country of Japan. Since then Japan has seen a similar trend as the U.S. They deregulated brewing, and saw a slow but steady rise in home brewing and brewpubs.

In 2013 Japanese craft breweries owned about 1% of the market.
Source: http://www.saporedicina.com/english/crafting-beer-for-china/