China is the world's largest beer market, given its population. And in terms of per capita consumption, it's growing fast as well. But very few Chinese have heard of -- let alone tried "craft beer", which has been growing in popularity in Western markets. Today, we bring you a taste of just that, from Hong Kong.
Oh, this glass of yellow deliciousness, is trying to make its way into the Chinese market -- through Hong Kong. The "Beertopia" festival, now in its third year, was created to promote craft beer.
This year, the event is showing off more than 400 different brands from local micro breweries and guest breweries from Japan, Beijing and Denmark.
Jonathan So, the founder of "Beertopia," wants to boost the availability of craft beer in Hong Kong and eventually in the Chinese mainland.
"It’s small, and still pretty niche. Right now I think if you go to New York, where I started drinking craft beer and really discovered it, you’d go to any bar, anywhere in the city, and it seems like they’ll have some craft beer, whether it’s local beer available on tap. In Hong Kong, still I mean, the majority of the beer, and we have 400 beers here, but even then, a lot of these are available online - mostly. Then there’s a couple of companies that have done a pretty good job with, getting them into bars and restaurants, but I think they’re dominating it as opposed to everyone selling everywhere." So
According to enthusiasts, craft beers are the best suds you can get. The official definition? Beer made by breweries that produce a limited amount of beer that is characterized by unique flavours and special brewing techniques.
"Our goal is to always do some conventional classic beer styles and execute well on it, and at the same time, do a few innovative styles. The way we think about it innovation is that we like to take inspiration from somewhere outside the beer world. You mentioned the soba beer, the inspiration comes from a chilled bowl of cha soba noodles. We’re trying to recreate that experience in the beer world, where you have something refreshing, earthy and grainy. So we brewed the beer with buckwheat, or soba, and we infused it with a gentle infusion of matcha." Rohit Dugar, founder of Young Master Ales, said.
Dugar believes that Hong Kong could serve as a gateway for introducing craft beers to China, which is largely dominated by beer brewing giants such as Tsing Tao.
"I think Hong Kong can play a pivotal role in expanding craft beer in the region. It’s a great place, it’s a cosmopolitan city, there’s people from all over the world, different walks of life, so it can really be a centre from where we also serve China and be sort of a leading place and be in the world, be in the map and build a reputation for top-notch quality."Dugar said.
The idea of Hong Kong-made craft beer infiltrating into the Chinese mainland isn’t likely to have giant beer makers shaking in their boots, but the idea surely has beer lovers drooling for a new taste to their pint of happiness.