Yanjing Beer - Beijing Yanjing Beer Group Corporation

BlitzShadow

Pennsylvania

2.6/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 4

Clear bottle with silver foil wrapping (red and gold trim) around the cap and neck. Label tells me that it's "The Official State Beer of China". Per the back label, the "FINEST INGREDIENTS" include "BARLEY, GRAIN & HOPS". So does barley count as a grain? ;-b

Appearance: Pours light yellow - very pale and clear. Light head dissipates quickly to very minor lacing.

Smell: Moderate "grainy" scent. I believe I also detect some corn. Nothing impressive, but nothing "off" either.

Taste: The taste is lighter than I expected from the scent. Pilsner malt flavor with almost no hop bitterness. Adjuncts are present and contribute to the light flavor. The taste could easily pass for an American Macro Lager. The finish is very "wet" and clean.

Mouthfeel: Very light and watery. No fizz at all.

Drinkability: Not much in the way of flavor, but I can see this as a refreshing summer beer to drink while grilling with its watery feel and clean finish. (Just keep it out of the sun)

Overall: This is a clean and "watery" beer. I can't see it offending anybody at all, unless of course they are expecting some flavor.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2010 23:17:46 | More by BlitzShadow

vacax

California

4/5  rDev +56.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

600 mL green bottle. China's #1 selling beer, brewed with spring water for a crisp, refreshing taste. I was so taken by this stunning beer that I used it for my New Year's toast for 2010. First beer for a new year. Here's to another year of great craft beer.

Pours a vibrant golden color with a large thick white head. Retention is average and lacing is slightly above average. Very nice bubbles pop up in my glass and quite an attractive ring of fine bubbles present as I drink. This is looking pretty good for an adjunct lager. Aromas of dried apples, pet skunk, coconut. Interesting smell beyond the minutiae of skunks. Tastes intriguing actually, instead of metallic and grainy it is fruity, almost like a white grape juice or cider mixed with a splash of plastic flavor. Far less objectionable than many American adjunct lagers. Light and immensely bubbly and champagne like even.

This is still an adjunct lager, but it takes it in a somewhat new direction that I find quite interesting. I definitely recommend trying this. Of course no BA is going to adore a beer like this, but it is a departuire from the norm. Why not break up a tasting of rare and fine ales with some Yanjing? I can't stress this enough: it is brewed with spring water people.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2010 08:23:55 | More by vacax

kingcrowing

Vermont

2.33/5  rDev -9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

11.2oz bottle poured into a snifter.

Pours a very, very clear and light yellow with basically no head or anything. Nose is super light, basically nothing as well.

Taste is like off tasting water. There's not much going on here. Very bland a bit malty and no hops at all. Not a good beer at all, skip it.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2009 20:20:38 | More by kingcrowing

kegger22

Michigan

2.93/5  rDev +14.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Yanjing is a typically clear yellow with minimal head that quickly faded to nothing. It had that sweet, corn aroma and I got no skunk from it. There is one difference from the usual lager taste and that's a buttery flavor I tasted. Feel is light in body and carbonation. Drinkability is good. Nothing special here, decent lager to get credit for a Chinese beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2009 05:15:20 | More by kegger22

Brad007

Vermont

2.9/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a bright yellow color with hardly any head into my glass. Looks like it should for the style.

Aroma is full of skunked hops, corn and otherwise smells like an adjunct lager should smell. Average.

Taste is is full of sweet, skunky corn that's nearly overwhelming on the palate. Syrupy and unappealing. Tastes like they weren't really trying.

Mouthfeel is light and easy on the palate. Not much there to begin with so therefore, not much to expect.

Nothing special here. It works if you want something refreshing but quite average. Otherwise, it won't be long before the Chinese breweries flood the import market with this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2009 02:12:55 | More by Brad007

Beejay

Virginia

2.9/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pale gold in color. with a huge amount of head. Not a lot of carbonation in the glass, but it still looks like a fine beer.

S: Some malt, a little sweet, and a little skunk. As I have said before.. DAMN YOU GREEN GLASS!!!

T: Taste follows smell. sweet, a little watery.. not as much skunky flavor as other beers (peroni.. heineken...)

M: Light body, light flavor, maybe a little watery, and lacking in carbonation.

D: Overall something I could see a lot of people putting down on a hot summer day. But for me.. just trying one is enough.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2009 04:27:37 | More by Beejay

HalfFull

California

2.7/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 600ml. green bottle into a pint glass. Pours a light straw with a thin and fleeting whitish head.

Nose is grainy and a bit reaching. Not a lot going on beyond some lightly sweet barley notes. Touch of noble hops reveal themselves along with some adjuncts as the carbonation settles out, eventually yielding enough of a hop presence to keep things flowing.

Flavor is middle of the road, neither endearing nor deterring, just kind of there. Lightly sweet and viscous in a creamy sense, but reaching and a bit of a burden. Decent carbonation level helps things along a bit.

Feel is a bit watery and the finish is short.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2009 03:04:02 | More by HalfFull

popery

California

1.9/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Closer to water and cheaper-tasting than many American macros. I'm not entirely sure that this is the right entry. The bottle only says Yanjing Beer without any other identifying information. The appearance is drab and lifeless. It's a light yellow fizzy beer with a rapidly dissipating white head. The aroma is corny and sweet, perhaps a bit skunky. The flavor is similar. It's watery and lacks much flavor besides a sweet, flat malt character. There's a very light hop bitterness in the finish, but it really doesn't add much. In my opinion, this beer is on par with a mediocre American light macro. There's not much else to say about it.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2009 05:16:47 | More by popery

WesWes

New York

3.6/5  rDev +40.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer pours a pale gold color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing; decent head retention. The aroma is decent. It has a clean pilsner malt scent with little hop aroma. The taste is decent as well. It has a smooth pilsner and adjunct flavor that goes down real easy and finishes dry and clean. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a low bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a great session lager. It's simple and well brewed. Nice job.

Serving type: bottle

09-03-2009 21:49:34 | More by WesWes

manjanai

California

1.93/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Got this beer as a sample from my sale rep., didn't really know what to expect. First poured golden yellow almost golden chard. As far as the smell goes, it has that musky, skunky smell that I really don't like and it doesn't taste that much different from its smell. The body is really light with a good bit of carbonation. Overall, don't really care for this beer, but if you like it then great.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2009 07:54:31 | More by manjanai

yelterdow

New Jersey

1.9/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

Thanks to Jocelyn from Eurobrew for the sample. Served at fridge temperature in a traditional pilsner glass.

Appearance- Pours a pale to medium gold with a nice two finger head, lots of effervescence coming from the bottom. The crown is snow white, no doubt it's quite an appetizing looking beer.

Smell- The nose is bright with German hops, then a cereal-like and sweet adjunct nose completely takes over. there's more to it than that, though... more like spent, wet grains that have been standing for awhile and left to decay. It gets much worse as the beer comes to temperature.

Taste- A cloying sweetness becomes evident almost immediately, and whatever hops there are (which hit the nose first upon pouring this) have been forgotten... it's only the adjuncts and cheap ingredients that are left for the palate to withstand.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Weak, flabby, and flimsy in the mouth... the carbonation goes from subtle to watery in seconds. Paired with sushi or spicy Thai cuisine, I could see this beer being suggested ice cold straight from the bottle... but it was a disappointing experience trying to find anything remarkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2009 02:37:01 | More by yelterdow

Zorro

California

2.78/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Upgraded Bottle look. 600 ML Green Glass and green and white label with red letters. Offbeat bottle size.

Clear yellow colored beer with a very slight white head. Looks like China stole the plans to Budweiser.

Smells quite dry with a slight soda cracker malt scent. Small hop scent mostly grass and lemon, though it is faint.

Starts out dry with a mostly cracker flavor and lemony hop flavor. Tastes like a generic American Mass Market Lager, again, stole the plans for Bud Light.

Light mouthfeel.

Very drinkable beer, as in seltzer water drinkable. Pretty much Bud Light made in China in a pretty bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2009 00:02:28 | More by Zorro

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev +32%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a clear into a weizen glass.Has a golden color with 1/2 inch head. Mild, malty aroma. Taste is crisp and refreshing but not very flavorfull. Light but pleasent in the mouth. Very drinkable, especially in warm weather. Overall a slightly above average beer.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2009 21:46:45 | More by tone77

WakeandBake

Michigan

2.73/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A pale golden straw color body with a thin white head, light carbonation. Aroma is sweet , with a bit of hops coming through, a slight hint of skunk. Flavor is sweeter than expected and slightly metallic, a bit of floral hops , pretty bland really.Thin body with a rather flat mouthfeel for the style. Drinkable but nothing I will be buying again.

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2009 22:28:31 | More by WakeandBake

JamesS

Indiana

3.43/5  rDev +34%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Pours a decent yellow fizzy color with some good initial head (fine for an adjunct lager). Crisp clean scent, hints of rice in the sweetness. Clean taste, mostly malt, bit of sweet rice, no hop characteristics; at least there was no nasty skunkiness to it. Goes down very smoothly. Not bad over all for the style of beer.

Had at Bent Willeys, Morgantown.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2009 13:10:44 | More by JamesS

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev +34%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Yanjing beer, The Official State Beer of China.
No discernable freshness date.

A. Clear 12 oz bottle with foil top into a Miller Lite pint glass. Soapy bone white head with good retention.

S. Semi pleasant nose of bready malt, yeast notes and a nice sweet small grain rice aroma.

T. Crisp malt coupled with light husk notes and some clean fusel alcohal in there as well. Definate grain/rice touch to add some additional flavor. Hops are missing except maybe a slight bitter/tea like moment.

m. Very light and crisp with ample carbonation.

D. An easy drinking macro from the Republic of China that actually outdoes other major breweries American Adjunct Lagers. Not something I would really seek out, unless looking for a light beer to pair with seafood. This is excellent for that.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2009 21:03:31 | More by Stinkypuss

likethetaste

Virginia

1.88/5  rDev -26.6%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I got this beer in a variety pack from the World Market. Ok, this beer poured a very light yellow with a lot of carbonation. It had a very skunky taste. There was really not anything to like about this beer. There was something just off about this beer and I would not ever drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2008 00:04:37 | More by likethetaste

dstc

Florida

3.13/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a deep golden color with a nice foamy white head. Thin lacing.

Sweet and spicy aroma.

Sweet malts in the taste with a distinct flavor that I can't figure out. There may be some apple there but what is that taste?

Thin to medium mouthfeel and well carbonated.

Very easy to drink, light and sweet.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2008 01:29:04 | More by dstc

PatrickJR

North Carolina

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

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into nonic pint glass.

A - Bright, pale, completely clear yellow. Two fingers of white head rise and have some moderate retention considering style. A small amount of lacing is also visible.

S - There's an expected graininess, but behind that a scent I'm very unfamiliar with. Not sure how to describe it other than a cross between dirty water and animal stock. Very strange.

T - Very much in line with the nose. Flavorless grain provides most of the "taste" followed by the strange "dirty water" thing from the aroma. Old, dried, cheesey/mustard-like hop flavor wraps things up with a small, minerally bitterness and slight sweetness.

M - Though not on the crispness level of others of the style, I found the mouthfeel a little more unique than usual and more or less suited to the near-flavorless. Carbonation is moderate and the body is light but sturdy.

D - The bizarre flavors in this beer are a little off-putting...the best I can chalk it up to is old hops. Whatever the flavor, it's not terribly pleasant and not something you're going to want a lot of. Not the most horrible beer around though.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2008 08:43:20 | More by PatrickJR

BigJTrucker

Oregon

2.58/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a very VERY light yellow, thin white head that settles very quickly. Lots of champagne like bubbles. Aroma has notes of corn, and wet grain. Flavor is of rice with a light malt presence. Mouthfeel is very thin and moist, a bit of effervescence on the back end. Other than some strange aromas, and fairly standard flavor profile, this is an easily forgettable brew.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2008 07:10:48 | More by BigJTrucker

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

2.75/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Clear yellow with a white head, very little retention or lace.

S: Catty, perfume, floral, grass.

T: Taste is better than expected. Some floral, grassy & spicy hops flavour but the bitterness is barely perceptible. Thankfully there's not much sweetness. Hints of DMS.

M: Light to moderate body, moderate carbonation.

D: Drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2008 01:02:10 | More by Derek

jwc215

New Jersey

2.63/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours light golden with a thin white head that becomes a thin island of a vanishing patch. Typical "macro" look.

The smell is of cooked veggies, some husk and a light grain.

The taste is of sweet grainy malt, some husk. The little touch of non-descript hops fade, leaving this one sweet, but in a watery, subdued way. A slight touch of "wet cardboard" comes through in a watery finish.

Watery, not too fizzy, but rather weak, even for the style. An undesirable aftertaste shows up, but soon fades.

This is water with a hint of grain, overall. A very weak, mildly sweet beer. I can easily think of a better Chinese lager, and better "macros" I would choose over this.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2008 23:37:08 | More by jwc215

Drew966

Florida

3/5  rDev +17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Yanjing Beer pours a golden yellow with a thick white head from a clear twelve ounce bottle. The aroma is very mild, sweet malt and grain are noticeable. The flavor is very mild, sweet malt and corn are present. There isn't much to this one, it's certainly an acceptable substitute for a typical American macro. Nothing offensive, nothing outstanding, just average.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2008 00:12:04 | More by Drew966

iceviper22

Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a rather dark yellow with a very small fizzy white head that disappears quickly. Tons of carbonation bubbles all over the glass.

Smells similar to a typical American macro. Very little maltyness with a slight hint of bitter hoppy aromas. Nothing real exciting here.

The taste, or lack there of, was a surprise. From the smell I expected something that tasted similar to Bud or Miller. Instead, I only taste a very small amount of hops and apples for some reason.

Mouthfeel is very thin with lots and lots of carbonation, not too bad though.

Overall drinkability is okay. Just not much taste to make me want to drink another one.

Serving type: bottle

12-17-2007 00:39:03 | More by iceviper22

baos

Indiana

3.15/5  rDev +23%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle into my favorite Trappist glass

A: Golden yellow with a tiny head on the pour that vanishes pretty quickly.

S: Fresh grains tiny bit o' malt and maybe the tiniest hint of a hop in there.

T: Not really sweet like I though it would be. Actually is pretty nicely balanced. Fresh grains tiny bit o' malt and maybe the tiniest hint of a hop in there. Has a dry finish. This beer tastes a lot better than I thought it would. MMM commie beer!

M: Lots of carbonation there that almost takes the watery feel away. Its not so bad.

D: I think I could muster 5 or six of these over a 4 course Chinese meal. Or even a Thai meal thats Thai hot. This beer goes well with spicy food. Having pizza right now drowned in Sriracha sauce. MMMM

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2007 02:21:21 | More by baos