Yanjing Gets Crafty with New Line of Beers

Yanjing, Beijing’s hometown brew, has gone all craft with the release of eight new beers in a range of tastes and styles, four of which get launched this evening on Tmall.

Gone are the days when Yanjing came in two varieties: cold and room temperature. Nowadays the brand comes in a dizzying array of varieties (pineapple beer anyone?) and their latest in a line of eight new products attempts to capitalize on the trendy flavors and graphics that are more familiar to the craft brew scene (as opposed to a boring state-owned enterprise).

With Shunyi as its HQ, Yanjing has relatively quickly risen to prominence in the beer world. While it doesn’t have the international recognition of Tsingtao, it’s not too shabby in terms of sales, with market research firm Technavio ranking it the 8th largest brewery in the world (to Tsingtao’s #6).

Plus, Tsingtao has a 77-year head start – Tsingtao was born in 1903, as opposed to 1980 for Yanjing – so shall we say it’s only a matter of time?

The first four of the brewery’s takes on craft beer came out in October, with four types: Session IPA (4.1% abv), Amber Ale (3.7%), Pilsner (3.7%) and Stout (5.2%).

They haven’t made much of a showing so far (perhaps due to being released just before Covid-19), but four newer brews formally launched tonight on their Tmall flagship store may just up the game, with some more daring flavors such as ginger, orange peel and raspberry tossed in.

Each are for sale from RMB 9 to RMB 16 per bottle, sold in cases of 12. Here's a quick look at the four new brews:

Strong Ale (7% abv, RMB 192 for a case of 330ml, 12 bottles), is just what it says on the package: strong, with double the alcohol content of some of their mainstream brands;

Ginger Saison (4.5%, RMB 144 for a case of 330ml, 12 bottles), adds in some local flavor with a touch of ginger;

Raspberry Weisse (3.3%, RMB 156 for a case of 330ml, 12 bottles) is an obvious take on what some beer drinkers might call the "girly" flavors, but any fruit lover is welcome to pour this one down the hatch;

Witbier (4.1%, RMB 108 for a case of 330ml 12 bottles), takes on another local flavor, candied orange peel (陈皮), for a refreshing taste and aroma that is refreshingly Beijing.

We haven't had a chance to try any of them, so get in on that action and let us know what you think.

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Images: Yanjing Flagship Store