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A taste of Qingdao's beer culture

By Guo Yiming: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, September 7, 2016

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Tsingtao Beer, the iconic beverage from the coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong Province [Photo / China.org.cn]

Nestled along the Pacific Ocean, the coastal city of Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong Province boasts a mild and humid climate, alfresco eateries, fresh seafood, sandy beaches, German colonial legacies and a famous brewery.

Tsingtao Beer, the flagship beverage of this beach-lined city, has been around for over 100 years, ever since the Germans arrived and set up an Anglo-German brewery.

Although the ownership of the company has changed several times, the quality of the beverage has stayed the same. Nowadays, it is an everyday drink caroused by many locals.

"Most Qingdao locals are proud of the city's iconic drink and have a huge capacity," said an Uber driver surnamed Zhang who took the reporter to the famous Beer Street. "A local young man or woman can easily drink up 20 jin, or 10,000 ml (about 20 bottles) of beer at a dinner table."

While in the rest of the country people usually drink Tsingtao from a bottle, the most popular form in Qingdao is the "beer take-away", which basically means that beer is sold in plastic bags. The beer is both fresh and inexpensive. For less than 4 yuan, around 60 cents, one can buy a full plastic bag of original lager.

Tsingtao Beer is served in plastic bags. [Photo by Guo Yiming / China.org.cn]

As a local joke goes, one foreigner came to Qingdao and saw that many people were carrying golden liquid in plastic bags; he then asked, "what are the plastic bags filled with urine used for?"

People who have traveled to Qingdao will know that, in addition to drinking beer, the other favorite hobbies of local residents are eating clams and swimming.

However, in the eyes of health experts, this "troika" of Qingdao leisure is extremely unacceptable.

Studies have found out that eating seafood accompanied with beer can significantly increase the risk of gout, and that swimming and alcohol are a dangerous combination that may bring out serious safety concerns.

Qingdao reportedly has had the top ranking among all major Chinese cities for gout incidents for many years.

The locals, nevertheless, "do not care." Qingdaonese still seem to love every minute of drinking and eating that they take part in, and that, to some extent, makes the city what it is.