E-Malt.com News article: USA: Chinese New Year with Asian beer

2006 may be the Year of the Dog, but when it comes to Asian beers, the Tiger's roar rules. New Yorkers across the city this Sunday have celebratd the Chinese New Year with dragons, dances, fireworks, traditional foods and, perhaps, Asian beers. Beer was popularized in Asia over a century ago with western colonization, and today beers are routinely exported back to whence they came, often to be coupled with Aisan cuisine, The New York Times reported.

There's many an Asian beer to be found in the city. The Chinese city of Tsing Tao (pronounced "ching dow") exports its eponymous beer Tsingtao. It is the most common beer in Asia and has a bland but refreshing taste with about as much -- or as little -- flavor as a Budweisr.

Also made in China, Chung Hua beer hails from Zheyang province. It is a crisp matly brew that remains light. The city of Shanhai, Thailand sends over its namesake in a pale, bubbly and incredibly hoppy libation. Also with an eponymous beer, Taiwan exports Taiwan Beer. It's a generic name for a thirst quenching lager that is anything but generic.

But if gross sales has anything to say about popularity, it's the Tiger that rules the Asian-American beer jungle. "My Asian patrons prefer Tiger because it goes well with most of the spicy dishes we serve," says Jiusong, a waiter at the Singapore Café on Mott Street in Flushing, Queens.

The well-heeled Republic of Singapore produces this dry pleasant lager that pairs perfectly with hot Chinese and zesty Malaysian specialties.

"Tiger is light on the palate. It combines both the richness of European brewing heritage and the mysticism of the East," says Henk de Bruin, Technical Manager of Asia Pacific Breweries in Singapore, makers of Tiger. "We use the finest natural ingredients like malt, hops, yeast and water coupled with the state-of-the-art brewing technology," he adds.

The Tiger brand was founded in 1930 in a partnership with Heinekin, and the brew has a character similar to the world famous Dutch favorite. Tiger has clinched numerous awards, including 30 international gold medals, and last fall the International Cool Brandleaders Council in the U.K. named it the "Cool Brandleader" -- hipsters take note. The competition included tends of thousands of beer brands.

Now, after the approach of the Lunar Year 4704, Tiger is blending the mystery and history of the Orient with a clear refreshing taste and a cutting edge awareness of what's coolest around the world and in New York City. Gung Hay Fat Choy.


31 January, 2006