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Beer gives B.C. drinkers ‘a real taste of China’
Entrepreneur introduces new lager in hopes of taking
a bite out of Tsingtao
By Bruce Constantineau
Vancouver Sun
Friday, March 21, 2008 Page: F3
It's a clean, smooth, refreshing lager brewed in China and produced in a tall
green bottle.
When given those clues, most Canadian beer drinkers will think Tsingtao - a
popular import available in B.C. for more than 30 years.
But Vancouver entrepreneur Shu Guo wants to change that thinking so the
Yanjing beer brand comes to mind before anything else.
Guo, the president of Hi-bridge Consulting Corp., has introduced Yanjing
beer to the B.C., Alberta and Manitoba markets and expects it will be
available in Ontario by May.
So why should beer drinkers choose the new offering over 170 imports
already available in B.C. liquor stores, including nine from Asia?
"Canadians know their beer and I really hope they will want to try the number
one beer in China," Guo said in an interview Thursday. "Canada is a multi-
cultural society so I think people here will be willing to try something new."
Yanjing, founded in Beijing in 1980, has about 85 per cent of the Beijing
beer market and roughly 11 per cent of the market for all of China - putting it
slightly behind Tsingtao.
Beijing Yanjing Beer Co. is the largest brewery in Asia, with about 20,000
employees and a 2.2-million-square-metre plant. It was founded 77 years
after Tsingtao, which began as a German-British brewery in 1903.
Guo said the wheat-free Yanjing lager uses natural mineral water, premium
Chinese rice, malt, hops and German yeast to create a product that's been
dubbed "Cheineken" to reflect its light taste.
"The Beijing market has 15 million people and they can't all be wrong [by
making Yanjing by far the city's top-selling beer]," she said. "It's a real taste
of China that Canadians and immigrants will want to enjoy."
Expect to see the Yanjing brand plastered all over Beijing this summer as the
beer is an official sponsor of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Yanjing was first introduced in a limited number of B.C. liquor stores about
six months ago and is currently available in about half of the province's 195
liquor outlets.
A six-pack sells for $10.50 and monthly sales in B.C. are around the $22,000
mark. That's expected to go higher as marketing efforts increase and the
brand is placed in more stores.
Guo doesn't drink alcohol herself but she has tried Yanjing beer so she can
describe the "clean, smooth, refreshing" taste to customers.
She's a former associate professor at Beijing University with three master's
degress - in business administration, business management and education.
She came to Canada seven years ago with hopes of teaching but soon
opted for a business career.
A friend suggested she get the Canadian distribution rights for Yanjing beer
and she started by bringing alcohol-free beer to Canada about two and a
half years ago.
She followed that up by selling the 4.5-per-cent-alcohol lager beer to Metro
Vancouver restaurants before obtaining a Liquor Distribution Branch listing.
"Nobody knew the beer was available in Canada until I advertised on the
Internet," Guo said. "After that, I had all kinds of calls from people who
wanted me to deliver it to them."
She said Tsingtao has had a 30-year head start in the B.C. market so
Yanjing won't steal market share overnight.
"We're new here so it will take some time to build a word of mouth and build
a market. But it's a very good beer and we think it will do very well in this
market over the long term."
Length: 577 words
Yanjing: A Beer to Share with Friends
Two of the best things about living poised at the edge of the Pacific Rim in Vancouver are
the natural setting, and the diversity – of place, people and taste. You can negotiate a
few snowy moguls on the North Shore in the morning, then lean back on a sun-lit ocean
side patio in the afternoon. What we love most is to choose from an array of cultural
activities and outdoor experiences, then to pick a fun place to socialize. There’s nothing
like topping the day off with a good meal in the company of good friends... highlighted by
a fine beer!
What a pleasure to have newly discovered a brew that is perfectly reflective of the West
Coast palate and lifestyle with its crystal clarity and super crisp freshness – Yanjing
Beer. Beijing Yanjing Brewery, the largest brewery in Asia, is the state beer of China and
a major official sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. Not surprisingly,
Yanjing is gaining a solid popular presence among discerning Canadian Lager lovers
with its clean flavour, pure quality, and healthful benefits.
When sharing a glass with friends lately, Yanjing poured out with a sparkling golden hue
producing a pleasant white head, gentle bubbles, and a light hoppy nose. On the palate,
a cold Yanjing balances crisp malt with a clean light finish alluding to the natural mineral
spring water. The quality of the pure sweet mountain water used greatly impacts the
delicious taste, as well as the premium Chinese rice. While Yanjing is the ancient name
for the city of Beijing, the brewing methods are nothing but the most impeccable and
modern using state of the art German Krones and Chinese technology. Great
recognition world-wide has included the international gold award at Brussels, and here
on our West Coast shore we find the result is a delectably smooth nutritionally superior
beer ideal for active Canadians.
While we relaxed after a day of snow-shoeing, Yanjing quenched our thirst with its bright
flavour, and superb paired with savoury appies ranging from zesty chicken wings to
edamame and prawns. As Asian culture is integral to Vancouver heritage, and with
Chinese New Year celebrations impending at the time we met, we envisioned the
aptness of Yanjing beer with lettuce wraps (a personal favourite), pot stickers, and
Peking duck. Whereever you go, from spicy Szechuan restaurants, to high end Dim Sum
in Vancouver, you can find Yanjing beer… We made plans to enjoy another memorable
day with friends complemented with our new winning choice, premiumYanjing beer!
Yanjing: To your health!
Leonora Grande, 2008
Entrepreneur introduces new lager in hopes of taking
a bite out of Tsingtao
By Bruce Constantineau
Vancouver Sun
Friday, March 21, 2008 Page: F3
It's a clean, smooth, refreshing lager brewed in China and produced in a tall
green bottle.
When given those clues, most Canadian beer drinkers will think Tsingtao - a
popular import available in B.C. for more than 30 years.
But Vancouver entrepreneur Shu Guo wants to change that thinking so the
Yanjing beer brand comes to mind before anything else.
Guo, the president of Hi-bridge Consulting Corp., has introduced Yanjing
beer to the B.C., Alberta and Manitoba markets and expects it will be
available in Ontario by May.
So why should beer drinkers choose the new offering over 170 imports
already available in B.C. liquor stores, including nine from Asia?
"Canadians know their beer and I really hope they will want to try the number
one beer in China," Guo said in an interview Thursday. "Canada is a multi-
cultural society so I think people here will be willing to try something new."
Yanjing, founded in Beijing in 1980, has about 85 per cent of the Beijing
beer market and roughly 11 per cent of the market for all of China - putting it
slightly behind Tsingtao.
Beijing Yanjing Beer Co. is the largest brewery in Asia, with about 20,000
employees and a 2.2-million-square-metre plant. It was founded 77 years
after Tsingtao, which began as a German-British brewery in 1903.
Guo said the wheat-free Yanjing lager uses natural mineral water, premium
Chinese rice, malt, hops and German yeast to create a product that's been
dubbed "Cheineken" to reflect its light taste.
"The Beijing market has 15 million people and they can't all be wrong [by
making Yanjing by far the city's top-selling beer]," she said. "It's a real taste
of China that Canadians and immigrants will want to enjoy."
Expect to see the Yanjing brand plastered all over Beijing this summer as the
beer is an official sponsor of the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Yanjing was first introduced in a limited number of B.C. liquor stores about
six months ago and is currently available in about half of the province's 195
liquor outlets.
A six-pack sells for $10.50 and monthly sales in B.C. are around the $22,000
mark. That's expected to go higher as marketing efforts increase and the
brand is placed in more stores.
Guo doesn't drink alcohol herself but she has tried Yanjing beer so she can
describe the "clean, smooth, refreshing" taste to customers.
She's a former associate professor at Beijing University with three master's
degress - in business administration, business management and education.
She came to Canada seven years ago with hopes of teaching but soon
opted for a business career.
A friend suggested she get the Canadian distribution rights for Yanjing beer
and she started by bringing alcohol-free beer to Canada about two and a
half years ago.
She followed that up by selling the 4.5-per-cent-alcohol lager beer to Metro
Vancouver restaurants before obtaining a Liquor Distribution Branch listing.
"Nobody knew the beer was available in Canada until I advertised on the
Internet," Guo said. "After that, I had all kinds of calls from people who
wanted me to deliver it to them."
She said Tsingtao has had a 30-year head start in the B.C. market so
Yanjing won't steal market share overnight.
"We're new here so it will take some time to build a word of mouth and build
a market. But it's a very good beer and we think it will do very well in this
market over the long term."
Length: 577 words
Yanjing: A Beer to Share with Friends
Two of the best things about living poised at the edge of the Pacific Rim in Vancouver are
the natural setting, and the diversity – of place, people and taste. You can negotiate a
few snowy moguls on the North Shore in the morning, then lean back on a sun-lit ocean
side patio in the afternoon. What we love most is to choose from an array of cultural
activities and outdoor experiences, then to pick a fun place to socialize. There’s nothing
like topping the day off with a good meal in the company of good friends... highlighted by
a fine beer!
What a pleasure to have newly discovered a brew that is perfectly reflective of the West
Coast palate and lifestyle with its crystal clarity and super crisp freshness – Yanjing
Beer. Beijing Yanjing Brewery, the largest brewery in Asia, is the state beer of China and
a major official sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. Not surprisingly,
Yanjing is gaining a solid popular presence among discerning Canadian Lager lovers
with its clean flavour, pure quality, and healthful benefits.
When sharing a glass with friends lately, Yanjing poured out with a sparkling golden hue
producing a pleasant white head, gentle bubbles, and a light hoppy nose. On the palate,
a cold Yanjing balances crisp malt with a clean light finish alluding to the natural mineral
spring water. The quality of the pure sweet mountain water used greatly impacts the
delicious taste, as well as the premium Chinese rice. While Yanjing is the ancient name
for the city of Beijing, the brewing methods are nothing but the most impeccable and
modern using state of the art German Krones and Chinese technology. Great
recognition world-wide has included the international gold award at Brussels, and here
on our West Coast shore we find the result is a delectably smooth nutritionally superior
beer ideal for active Canadians.
While we relaxed after a day of snow-shoeing, Yanjing quenched our thirst with its bright
flavour, and superb paired with savoury appies ranging from zesty chicken wings to
edamame and prawns. As Asian culture is integral to Vancouver heritage, and with
Chinese New Year celebrations impending at the time we met, we envisioned the
aptness of Yanjing beer with lettuce wraps (a personal favourite), pot stickers, and
Peking duck. Whereever you go, from spicy Szechuan restaurants, to high end Dim Sum
in Vancouver, you can find Yanjing beer… We made plans to enjoy another memorable
day with friends complemented with our new winning choice, premiumYanjing beer!
Yanjing: To your health!
Leonora Grande, 2008
