Mao Beer Please! (Travel/Food)

When one thinks of China and the Chinese, it usually evokes thoughts of burnt oil scented egg rolls, greasy fried rice, a random vegetable and meat dish drowning in a small lake of coagulating brown sauce and some poor delivery man sweating profusely as he busts his rump to hurry over your chicken lo mein just so you can palm him $20 for a $19.50 tab and fire off a “Thanks! Keep the change!” to impress that fiery little minx you picked up at the local truck stop.

No one typically thinks of China and booze. Oh, maybe the random TsingTao six pack shoved way in the back of some small deli refrigerator, behind a Rolling Rock or a Blatz Black Label. Or, perhaps a Harbin, recently acquired by that recently acquired maker of all things beer, Anheuser Busch. But in all honesty, no one associates China, that sweet little jewel of smog and human rights, with beer or wine. Until now.

With her rolling hills and wide expanses of peasant farms, China has been a maker of all things alcoholic since 206 BC, way back in the festive Han Dynasty. Wines were made primarily for the Emperor and religious ceremonies, at least until the modern crackdowns on religion began.

And with centuries to perfect the art, she is slowly gaining a worldwide renown as a maker of quality beer and wines.

Originally known for two distinct styles of wines, “blindingly high alcohol content” or “diabetes inducing corn syrup,” the desire to make Western acceptable wines has led to Chinese vineyards adopting methods to fine tune their wine making and put out some outstanding products that are easily on par with some of the mid range French and American wineries.

Two of the larger wineries, Dynasty and Huadong, produce very respectable Chardonnays, Rieslings and Cabernets. Another wine purveyor, China Silk Brand, also produces some notable wines, labeling some with snappy names like Dragon’s Kiss Riesling and Emperor’s Delight Rose. And here we thought the Fat Bastard label from France was an eye catcher.

On the other side of the alcoholic coin, beer has become to the Chinese what it is to the Americans: a national beverage to be enjoyed after a hard days work in the fields. It is the second most consumed beverage behind a certain soft drink and is on pace to make a move into solid footing at first place, along with outpatient rehab centers and AA meeting sites on every corner.

Rice, as a staple in Asia, is an oft used base in many of their beers. There is Yanking, a clean, rich brew, devoid of the heavy hops flavor that many of its American brethren are known for. The national beer, Zhujiang, is another rich brew, distinctly lacking the malty aftertaste that afflicts some of the others.

Not to be outdone by wines sporting fanciful names, Cheeryday Brand beer is sure to do justice to its name after 4 or 5 of these delightfully light brews corrupt your liver, and hopefully, that will be the only organ corrupted.

As of 2001, almost 95 percent of all Chinese beers had formaldehyde in them to prevent sedimentation. Thankfully, this has been outlawed by the government. It sure gives new meaning to pickling your liver, though.

So while many of you are apt to hunker deep into your recliners with a firm grip on your favorite bottle of American beer or fine crystal glass of Sonoma Cabernet, ratcheting up the grunts and cheers as the Americans take to the playing field, let’s not forget that, with each flaccid pancake of egg foo young sinking helplessly into an ominous puddle of congealing brown sauce, there are alternatives that will not only go better with your steaming pile of delivered happiness, but may breach your palate’s horizons and let you taste what one billion Chinese have come to enjoy.

And hell, how could 1.3 billion Chinese be wrong?

Chinese beer, some of which can be found in your local Asian stores:
Sunlik: light and smooth, not very available in USA
Tsingtao: all over US like a cheap suit. Stronger, light hops
Sedrin: musky, short but identifiable aftertaste
Westlake Beer: crisp, clean, no lingering after taste
Yanjing: rich, deep malty flavor, mild hops- Official State Beer

Wine:
Huadong: makers of Chardonnay, Reisling, Cabernet and some varietals
Dynasty: same varieties
China Silk Brand: catchy names on its rose, Riesling, and other wines

–Tim Connors, RED Editorial Staff