TSINGTAO ~ TSINGTAO BREWERY 

青岛啤酒股份有限公司

Tsing Tao is China’s second largest brewery. It was founded in 1903 by German occupiers and settlers. It is a Euro lager. Sampled from a green bottle, the beer poured a very clear light golden yellow with a small white head, that had little retention. Mild malt, slight earthiness and rice and grains met skunk on the nose. The taste, which is very mild, included a tiny bit of graininess and some funky skunk. The finish was crisp, mouthfeel watery and carbonation was prickly. I am not a fan of the style, which I find less than mediocre but I suppose that a non-skunky bottle would pair well with some Chinese food.

4.7% from Qingdao, Shandong, China

GUINNESS DRAUGHT ~ GUINNESS

The first time I ever had Guinness (a very long time ago) I did not like it and avoided stouts for many years. It wasn’t until I had Dieu de Ciel!’s Aphrodisiaque that a new appreciation of the style began to develop. Sampled from a tin with a widget, (imported from Ireland) on a hot afternoon, the beer poured a dark brown-black, with a classic pillowy creamy beige head. The nose was quite mild with roasted barley/lightly charred toast, perhaps a little coffee, and a touch of malt. The taste was much lighter than I had remembered and followed the nose closely (mostly roasted malted barley and light hop bitterness). The beer is smooth and creamy, thanks to the nitro, but I still found it thin and watery. One of the best-known beers in the world – certainly not unpleasant, but doesn’t knock my socks off either.
4.2% from Dublin, Ireland

GROLSCH ~ GROLSCH 

BIERBROUWERJI N.V.

I drank these lots when I was younger but haven’t had one in years. I always loved the corked bottles – I even remember when they were porcelain- but this one was sampled from a tin. Sampled from a tin, the beer poured a clear golden straw colour with a moderate off white head. There was no lacing but lots of visible carbonation. Its smell was subtle, containing grainy malts, cereal and hay. The taste was light and contained notes of bread and cereal with a touch of caramel malt. A hint of lemon appears before light grassy hops rap things up. It has a crisp dry finish and a slight bitterness that lingers. The carbonation is moderate and the body is light. I would have this over an American or Canadian Macro any day, but overall, nothing to write home about.  Grolsch was founded in 1615 in Greoenlo. It was bought out by the deGroen family in 1895 – they held a large stake in the company until 2007. It now belongs to SABMiller Group.

5% from Enschede, Netherlands

LEFFE BLONDE ~ INBEV BELGIUM

MACRO BELGIAN ~ Leffe Blonde, a Belgian Pale Ale, is probably the second most mass-produced and exported beer from Belgian, though far less advertised. Although it is advertised as an Abbey beer, multinational Anheuser Busch brews it in massive qualities. Sampled from a bottle this beer poured a filtered golden yellow with a thick white head. The head was lasting and left a ring of suds and lacing as it disappeared. Streaming carbonation animated the glass. The aroma had notes of Belgian yeasts, fruit (orchard fruit), spice (clove and coriander) and malts. The flavour had notes of lemon citrus, lots of yeast, spice, toasted malts and a hint of banana. The beer had a medium body and a slightly creamy texture. For a mass produced beer this is not bad at all, in fact much nicer than North American mass-produced brews.
6.6% from Dinant, Belgium or Leuven, Belgium

Caveat Emptor: Abbey beers aren’t always what the name would suggest. Though Leffe did have an Abbey (established in the 12th Century) and the priests did brew beer their, the monastery and Abbey had long disappeared. Priests returned to Leffe at the turn of the twentieth century and made a deal with a commercial brewery, where they would be paid royalties. That brewery was than bought out by larger companies. Leffe is brewed now in the massive Stella Artois brewery. There are several “Abbey beers” that have you believe that they have closer ties to God, than they actually do.