Tsingtao - Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd.

Derranged

New York

3.2/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Had this at a Chinese-Japanese restaurant. 12 ounce bottle poured into a some sort of 12 oz glass.

A- Pale-clear yellow in color with a thick white head that disappeared quickly with no lacing.

S- Sweet malts with slight lemon zest and just a hint of some floral notes.

T- Surprisingly sweet. Sweet malts dominate, was grainy there was some very slight lemon and hop flavors as well. To me this seems like more of "all malt" beer, which would make it more of a Euro Pale Lager. I don't know if this should be classified as an American adjunct lager.

M- Thin, lots of carbonation.

O- Better than what I expected. Nothing special at all, its not a beer I would seek out or drink regularly. But its a decent option in a Chinese restaurant because Chinese restaurants normally do not have good beer selections. I would drink this again.

Serving type: bottle

08-07-2011 23:21:47 | More by Derranged

UCLABrewN84

California

3.33/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a crystal clear light yellow with a 1 inch bubbly head that settles to a thin film on the top of the beer. Thin broken rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted grain, corn flakes, and grassy/herbal aromas. Taste is of the toasted grains, corn flakes, and slight honey. This beer has a pretty average mouthfeel with a crisp and bubbly texture. Overall, this is my first beer from China and I think it's pretty good for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 22:21:34 | More by UCLABrewN84

brewskifan55

Mississippi

2.9/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass.

A: Very light head, disappears almost immediately; slight lacing to the glass. Light yellow color. (I agree with another reviewer: almost looks like urine)

S: Lemon, yeast, rice

T: Citrus-y with a nice backbite.

M: Light

O: Not bad, just leaves you wanting more. Light for a lager; would probably do well with heavier, spicy Asian food.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2011 16:04:14 | More by brewskifan55

zeledonia

Minnesota

2.15/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

This was one of the few options at a Vietnamese place I went to, so I decided to give it a shot. Bottled isn't dated. Does this stuff really come all the way from China?

Pours a very pale golden yellow, kinda like urine, with a tiny little white head that disappears in an instant. No lacing, not even any bubbles on the surface. Very little carbonation visible. Looks like water with a bit of food coloring.

Smells like, well, like a weak pale lager. I get almost nothing in the nose. A bit of hops and pale malt, but that's it.

Taste has a bit more to it. A bit of tingly hops, not strong enough to really call them bitter, but they do bring some flavor. Weak, light, and mostly flavorless.

Watery mouthfeel. There's a brief burst of carbonation as soon as it hits my mouth, but after that it's totally flat.

This is beer? I will say, it didn't actually taste bad. But it didn't taste good either. I'd rather drink water.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2011 22:09:32 | More by zeledonia

dbaker61

Ohio

2.65/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Served in a heavy pint mug at Old Jacks, Qingdao, China.

Appearance: Light yellow color. Crystal clear, with copious tiniy bubbles supporting about two fingers of foam, which had average retention. The head left crescents of lacing as the beer was quaffed.

Smell: Slight sweet smell of malt and other cereal grains, especially rice.

Taste: Typical of major brewer adjuct lagers. Very little bitterness, a small amount of sweetness, a little frathouse sourness.

Mouthfeel: Light in body, it has adequate carbonation. Leaves the palate with a hint of sweetness. Finishes dry.

Overall: Fine for sessioning, good for washing down snacks, but can't stand on it's own. Very comparable to the other world's large brewers, which is both its blessing and its curse. I will inevitably have it again, as I currently live here in the home of Tsingtao Beer, but if given a choice I would pick something with more flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

07-18-2011 07:51:10 | More by dbaker61

IPA35

Netherlands

3.08/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Third of my Asian lager giftbox.

This a reasonable lager, not very special but better than most of the competition in macro lager land. Has a nice sweetness (rice) to it that most lagers lack. Light biterness. Clean and refreshing. Not too grainy as some adjunct lagers. This fits into the Nastro Azzuro/Efes/Mythos class of lager, not the CMB/Corona class. Which means that it has that typical smell (probably skunk) instead of the all-grain scent of the latter catagory.

Had this before at a Wok Restaurant and it pairs well with hot, spicy food.

EDIT:

Updated after drinking it from a 640ml bottle.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2011 19:30:10 | More by IPA35

ForWhatAlesYou

Minnesota

1.45/5  rDev -48%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Green bottle into a small nonic.

A: Ultra clear but nearly colorless. Not much of a fizzy white head.

S: Skunked. Horrid.

T: Skunkiness abounds but there is a slight sweet malt in there somehwere.

M: Thin and carbonated (like any American adjunct style crap).

D:Would like to review this one fresh but since I have no plans to visit China anytime soon, this will have to suffice. Is it fair to review an obviously skunked beer? YES. The Tsingtao company needs to get its act together and drop the green glass act that seems to fool only stupid yuppies in America trying to impress people with their imported swill.

Serving type: bottle

07-13-2011 21:13:21 | More by ForWhatAlesYou

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

1/5  rDev -64.2%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

First had: bottle in a gift set

Yeah, it's from China. But it's not much different from any other adjunct lager. Pours a pale, watery, golden-straw color with a puff of white head that fizzles down to nearly nothing. Aroma of weak grains and a passing touch of hops, with the classic green bottle skunk. Taste of watered-down grains and corn, funk and skunk, harsh and metallic. Light and watery mouthfeel, and definitely to be avoided at all costs.

Serving type: bottle

07-12-2011 21:51:39 | More by Rifugium

ManuelHerrera

California

2.75/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A gift from the Orient!

Well, not quite. But it's always worth trying the signature beer of a particular country. Served in a green bomber with a curious NBA logo on it and it's fair share of chinese characters.

Pour quite pale with a frothy white head and Coors-like carbonation. Smells of herb and cabbage, mildly skunky but not surprisingly so with the lager style and likely age of the beer itself.

Flavor is light, just a hint of hop sharpness cut by the carbonation of the beer. When served super cold, it's the simple lager style that can be refreshing it the hot months. Carbonated, cold, and in no way complex, it's great for after a run. Just know that you're not getting a beer that's going to challenge your palate.

Serving type: bottle

07-07-2011 03:54:13 | More by ManuelHerrera

lakersfan16

Alaska

1.18/5  rDev -57.7%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours a clear pale yellow with a very small white head. Aroma is very grainy with a very faint hoppy character. The body is extremely light and hardly any hops or malts are noticeable. Very skunky and watery. To be quite honest, one of the worst beers I’ve ever tried. This was a drain pour after the first couple of sips, I just could not bring myself to suffer any longer.

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2011 16:23:01 | More by lakersfan16

xylophonica

Australia

2.1/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 1 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

A - Clear vaguely yellow coloured drink - very little definition at all. Minimal head.

S - Burnt rice - actually smells a bit like Japanese rice tea. A touch of wheat and malt.

T - Lightly spicy & wheaty at first. Fairly mild malt hit with some sweeter honey overtones coming through.

M - Carbonation is ok without being notable.

O - Looks awful but it's not quite as bad as it looks... almost but not quite.

For the record I'm used to some fairly piss-poor Australian lagers but this is just so much worse. Just based on the colour alone I didn't want to drink it (yes it looked like urine). The smell was ok but it just let itself down in so many other areas. Easily the worst beer I've ever reviewed.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2011 11:00:37 | More by xylophonica

doktorhops

Australia

2.83/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Another Lager in my quest for supreme Lager happiness... and by chance it is a Chinese Lager, I believe Confucius said something about that. In any case I wanted to go Asian for a change, and considering Australia is next door to Asia I reckon it's about time I visited one of their brews.

Poured from a 640ml "tallie" into a 500ml Stein (using some unbelievable quantum physics!).

A: First thing that struck me was how pale and clear the body is, almost (dare I say it) a urine colour. The plain white head started out fizzy but dropped back to pretty much nothing which would suggest to me that the Chinese don't like good head (no pun intended).

S: Sharp, citric and grassy with a hint of rubber... yes rubber (I kid you not!). It does smell quite fresh but the aroma of rubber is slightly concerning.

T: Sweet! With an ever-present corn flavour that is not bad in this instance (it reminds me of eating juicy sweet corn straight from the can as a kid... yeah I was a weird kid). Apart from the sweet corn taste there is very little to it. The crispy/clean Lager flavour is a standard here.

M: The usual Lager carbonation is present, maybe not quite as big as other Lagers though. Overall texture is mildly creamy.

D: Easy to drink. The sweet corn adds a dimension to this beer that I'm not used to. It's not a bad thing but it did throw me off a little during my first taste. As far as Lagers go it's actually not bad. I can see why it's managed to appeal to the 3 odd billion people in China. The only major point against it for me is the weakness of flavour, yeah it's a Lager but it could still have a stronger balance of flavour without being ruined.

Food match: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say "Chinese food". Of course that probably means nothing to someone who is actually Chinese - "Chinese food" as seen by Western eyes is a mixed bag of what is a large and diverse cuisine no doubt, but you get what I mean.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2011 09:14:12 | More by doktorhops

Mdog

Minnesota

3.35/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pale yellow, ok head.

Smell: A little corn, sweet.

Taste: Mild corny sweetness, slick but somewhat substantial body for a macro lager.

Drinkability: Goes well with the Chinese cuisine here in Shanghai.

Beer #3 for reviewing here in China. Tsingtao is everywhere seemingly in China, it's not too bad, not too good, just something to go with the good food you're having.

Serving type: can

06-14-2011 10:34:16 | More by Mdog

WoodBrew

Illinois

2.33/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Sitting in the FC lounge in Hong Kong on my way to Singapore and I am trying the Tsingtao beer from a can. The appearance is fine....clear golden color with good carbonation that provides a minimal white head. The smell is dominated by grain. The taste is over powered with grain and comes off the pallete a bit bitter toward the end. The mouthfeel is like rubbing dry wheat on your tongue then washing the dust down with water.

Serving type: can

06-13-2011 10:33:27 | More by WoodBrew

evlu1441

Alberta (Canada)

3.2/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a very pale yellow colour. There's almost no head to speak of.

The smell is kind of skunky, but it also has a nice balanced malty thing going on.

It tastes pretty good. Quite sweet, but slightly roasty. It's a really refreshing drink with really fine carbonation.

I wouldn't hesitate to have another one of these!

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 03:09:16 | More by evlu1441

BeerLover99

New Jersey

2.55/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: pale yellow body, trace head, no lacing

S: sweet corn, grain, mild nutty

T: sweet grain, corn, mild dry english bitter-esque finish

M: light body, big carbonation, prickly tongue, dry/crisp

O: Well, I wasn't expecting a wonderful beer
this is just ok. Kind of weak english bitter meets
heineken light. Session beer to be sure.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE, GET ONLY IN A PINCH!

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 17:16:52 | More by BeerLover99

womencantsail

California

3.45/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A: The beer pours a pale straw color with lots of visible carbonation and a short lived white head.

S: Lots of corn and rice aromas to it, which isn't really surprising. A light/pale malt aroma and a little bit of flowers and grass. Minimal yeast and bread notes.

T: A light bready flavor with a surprising amount of malt flavor. Light bitterness and grassy notes with just a hint of skunk. Sweet grain, particularly from the adjuncts.

M: Light in body with a medium level of carbonation.

O: A light and easy to drink beer. Not really my favorite, but it goes well with a Chinese meal.

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2011 00:25:09 | More by womencantsail

CrazyMike

Alberta (Canada)

2.9/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pale straw yellow appearance with head that head that disappears almost immediately. Smell is mainly grain with some sweetness, very light overall.

Taste is sweet with a hint of grass, corn and grain. Picked up some spices, but the taste very light overall. Light bodied with little carbonation. The lack carbonation is the biggest downfall of this beer. Aftertaste is almost nonexistent, maybe some sweetness.

This beer is okay, like any other adjunct lager but more watery. It is easy to drink and could be good when eating spicy foods at Asian restaurants. Still, wouldn't go out of my way to get it at a store again.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2011 00:45:31 | More by CrazyMike

heygeebee

Australia

3.13/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours well, one finger head that doesnt hang around long.

Aromas of, well, not too much, some sweetness but not a lot else.

Served with Yum Cha, it drinks quite well. Flavours somewhat typical of an adjunct lager but almost some extra sweetness coming thru, almost like a lemonade-shandy taste.

Quite drinkable in this context, but not otherwise

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2011 11:58:05 | More by heygeebee

FickleBeast

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle.

Pours clear yellow/gold with a half finger of foam. Aroma is abhorrent. Cabbage, cooked corn, and skunkiness. First sip is better than it smells, thankfully. Finishes pretty dry with minimal sweetness. Not much flavor whatsoever. Honestly not as bad as I expected.

Serving type: bottle

04-01-2011 23:59:28 | More by FickleBeast

jsprain1

Minnesota

2.38/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A- A tremendously aggressive pour yields a dark straw, with a one finger head that goes away quickly, leaving no lacing.
S- Smell is somewhat skunked, some musty grain, DMS aromas. Standard for lower end adjunct lagers.
T- The taste does not have nearly as much offensive notes as the aroma. Slightly skunked, but mostly just grainy sweetness.
M- Light body, aggressive carbonation. Somewhat tonic-y.
O- A standard import adjunct. Nothing exciting but it goes down easily enough.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 05:05:02 | More by jsprain1

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.08/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

We pour a crystal clear brew of light, pale yellow. It does not hold a head, but has an active film of bubbles around the edge of the liquid, and skirting across it. There is no haze or sediment noted. Carbonation appears to be actively medium. As we sniff, the aroma crashes in with heavily adjuncty grain, highlighted by white sugar, raw corn, and something a bit fishy or oceany. There is also the slightest lime aroma. The sip begins with bittering and souring malts. They are drying, and border on floury, but are not as adjuncty as one might expect. The middle moves forward accordingly with more grains, which here have subdued the bitterness a bit. The finish is mildly clean and citrusy. The aftertaste breathes with standard malts, and really nothing else but a lingering bitterness. The body is light and the carbonation is medium. Each sip leans towards puckering the mouth, but eventually leaves it wet, cooled, and surprisingly satiated. The abv is within range and the beer drinks with the ease of any mild beer.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was its simplicity, and how light and clean it is. This style can be overly metallic or adjuncty, but here we found the product to finish fairly smoothly, and without too much extraneous junk.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2011 03:08:45 | More by TheBrewo

flyingpig

United Kingdom (Scotland)

2.63/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This was a pretty avg. looking beer what was quite clear and pale. It smelt & tasted exactly as you'd expect from a pale lager with grain & corn dominating both categories and scoring about average in each. It was light on the palate, smooth enough & crisp but there is much better beers out there costing less.

More at:
abarwithnoname.wordpress.com

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2011 16:23:03 | More by flyingpig

Everydayoff

Thailand

2.98/5  rDev +6.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured 640ml bottle into a pint glass with best before end stamped on cap.

A:
Pale golden yellow hue with small and short life white head that left with no lacing after rapidly recede, medium visible carbonation.

S:
The smell is rather faint. That is sweet malted barley with floral hop and grain.

T:
Dominate by grain and sweet malted barley which is also slight bready. Hop bitterness is soft.

M:
The body is light to medium with semi-smooth mouthfeel.

O:
Okay beer but just average and simple maybe next time I'll match this with Chinese's food would be better.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2011 09:42:15 | More by Everydayoff

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

2.85/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Single bottle picked up from the LCBO, a leftover from a nearly empty sixpack. Lovely looking bottle, I have to say.

Poured into a lager glass. Very pale golden, looks a great deal like a dry white wine sitting in the glass. Despite a careful pour there's not much to the head, no lacing either.

Nose is sweet, with notes of apple, corn and floral hops.

Nothing offensive here, just an easy drinking lager. Sweet the whole way through, a little bit of apple and crispness to the finish. Bland, but it's alright.

Thin bodied, crisp carbonation, very refreshing. The water used in the brewing is quite nice.

Not as bad as I will admit I thought this would be. Adjunct, sure, but nothing to really ruin things. Drinks like a soda.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2011 03:08:53 | More by JohnnyBarman