The other day, we had lunch in a local restaurant in Beijing, when I saw an unknown beer on the menu: Weijixiong Craft Beer. I had to try it, obviously. The name alone is peculiar, because it resembles Beijixiong, polar beer.

It came in a can, indeed with a polar beer on the front, also indicating that is a beer with Russian flavour. Russian foods and drinks are popular in China, so that information sells.

On back you can read the ingredients:

Barley malt, wheat malt, yeast, water

So it used fewer cereals than Xibei’s craft beer that I reported on earlier, but at least it is a whole malt beer, rather than the average Chinese pilsner, that is brewed with a high ratio of unmalted grains.

Weijixiong is produced in Shandong. Another information channel claims that the production is supervised by Paulaner.

I goes well with Chinese food and it offers an attractive alternative that a restaurant can put on the menu next to the ‘safe’ choices like Yanjing or Qingdao.

Peter Peverelli is active in and with China since 1975 and regularly travels to the remotest corners of that vast nation. He is a co-author of a major book introducing the cultural drivers behind China’s economic success. Peter has been involved with the Chinese food and beverage industries since 1985.