Beer style
Beers with Chinese Ingredients
本土风味精酿běntǔ fēngwèi jīngniàng
Tea, Sichuan pepper and osmanthus in the glass
- Category
- Craft beers with local ingredients
- Home region
- Craft breweries across China
Some of the most exciting Chinese craft beers are brewed with ingredients from the Chinese kitchen and garden: tea, Sichuan pepper, osmanthus flowers, jasmine, hawthorn and more. They are the clearest expression of a Chinese beer identity.
A pantry of flavours
Chinese craft brewers have turned to their own ingredients to stand out: oolong and jasmine tea, Sichuan peppercorn with its numbing tingle, sweet osmanthus flowers, hawthorn berries, ginger, red rice koji and local honey.
The pioneers
Beijing's first craft breweries led the way. Great Leap brewed with Sichuan peppercorns, honey from near the Great Wall and oolong tea from Fujian; Jing-A experimented with osmanthus, jasmine tea, hawthorn and red rice koji.
Why it matters
These beers show that Chinese brewing can be more than a copy of Western styles: they are building a beer identity that tastes of China.
How to taste them
Taste the beer first, then look for the ingredient: the tingle of Sichuan pepper on the tongue, the floral perfume of osmanthus or jasmine, the tannic dryness of tea, the sour fruit of hawthorn. In the best examples, the ingredient is a clear accent that does not overpower the beer.
What to look for
Labels often name the ingredient in both Chinese and English: 花椒 (Sichuan pepper), 桂花 (osmanthus), 茉莉 (jasmine), 乌龙 (oolong), 山楂 (hawthorn), 红曲 (red rice koji).
Producers
How to serve
Cool, in a tulip or wine glass that concentrates the aromas.
Food pairings
- Tea and flower beers with steamed fish and light Cantonese dishes; Sichuan pepper beers with spicy snacks and grilled meat.
Sources
- Craft beer in China: a brief and complete history — The China Project, 2020
- Craft beer is booming in Beijing — Paste Magazine
- Brewed in Beijing — William & Mary, 2016