Tasting Note
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
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 beer---from Eastern to Western
The Yanjing lager beer is the largest brewer in China today, employing more
than 20.000 people. Imported in Canada by the Hi-Bridge Consulting in
Vancouver (www.yanjingcanada.com), it is now available in BC, the Yukon,
Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba. It will be soon in Newfoundland as well. It
comes in bottles as well as 500ml cans.
The color is close to 18 carat gold with a white head that settles quickly.
It has good carbonation with abundant large bubbles; its aroma is complex:
flowery on the one hand, exuding discreet scents of vanilla that are
counteracted with hints of tobacco from the hops. It is a full bodied beer with
a great mouth feel, offering structure with flavors that range from citrus to
peach and apricot; it has a silky smoothness with a crisp light finish that
appeals to both sexes during all 4 seasons. It leaves us with a clean, crisp
finish with a lingering soft bitterness.
Like all lagers, it is bottom fermented and has won a Gold Medal in Brussels.
The Yanjing brewery is located in Beijing and has been the official sponsor
of the summer Olympics in Beijing, thus coming a long way since it was
started in 1980 by Chinese interests, which claims “real taste of China”.
To match this excellent beer Chef Louis has come up with a sautéed beef
with sate, fresh apples in a creamy sauce served with white rice.
Preparation time: 12 minutes; - Cooking time: 10 minutes
Four servings require:
650 gram of beef tenderloin
1 onion
2 tablespoons of sate
2 tablespoons of salted butter
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 fresh apples
1 cup of beef bouillon cold
6 tablespoons of thick cream
1/2 teaspoon of corn starch
Cut the meat in cubes of 1 inch and set aside.
Chop the onion as thinly as possible
Add the butter in a skillet at low heat
Place the chopped onions inside, along with the sate.
Mix for 5 minutes, and then increase the heat to medium level, adding the
meat.
Mix well, continuously turning the meat cubes on all sides.
Remove after 8 minutes from the heat
add the corn starch in the beef bouillon and mix thoroughly
Add the cream into the bouillon and pour into the skillet
Place the skillet at medium to high heat, reduce until the sauce has the
desired consistency.
Remove the skillet from the heat peel the apples cut the in 4 quarters and
remove the venter
Chop the apples in smaller cubes.
Put the rice in the serving dishes, pour the content of the skillet on top and
add the apples.
Serve immediately.
Ingredients for 4 persons
Preparation time: 15 minutes.- Cooking time 1hr 45 minutes
800 gram of pork roast from the ribs
1/2 a teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 a cup of chicken bouillon
1/2 a cup of Yanjing beer
3 dried apricots, 6 dried plums 4 dried peaches
1 carrot cut in 3 x 1 inch chunks
1 onion cut in 4 quarters
1 bay leaf
1 celery branch 4 inches long
1/2 a cup of canola oil
2 tablespoons of butter
Pre-heat the oven at 300 F
Pour the canola oil into a skillet under high heat and sear all sections until a
golden crust show all over the meat.
In a Pyrex roasting pan, place the butter, bay leaf, carrots, onion and the
dried peaches, prunes and apricot
Practice a deep incision lengthwise on the meat and place it in the roast pan ,
and into the oven after basing it with the liquid.
Pour the beer and the bouillon on top of the incision making sure the
apricots , the prunes and the peaches are fully covered by the liquid, lest
they burn, turning black.
Every 20 minutes, base the roast with the liquid. and cook for 90 minutes.
Increase the heat of the oven at 350F for 15 minutes
Remove the roast pan from the oven and stuff the carrots and the onions
inside the incision.
Cut out 4 portions of meat placing the dried fruit around it, and serve with
asparagus and French fries.
By: Louis Richer
Executive Chef & Beer Taster
T: 1-403-355-5958
1002, 535-13th Ave. SW
Calgary, AB T2R 0K5
2009/06/02
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 beer---from Eastern to Western
The Yanjing lager beer is the largest brewer in China today, employing more
than 20.000 people. Imported in Canada by the Hi-Bridge Consulting in
Vancouver (www.yanjingcanada.com), it is now available in BC, the Yukon,
Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba. It will be soon in Newfoundland as well. It
comes in bottles as well as 500ml cans.
The color is close to 18 carat gold with a white head that settles quickly.
It has good carbonation with abundant large bubbles; its aroma is complex:
flowery on the one hand, exuding discreet scents of vanilla that are
counteracted with hints of tobacco from the hops. It is a full bodied beer with
a great mouth feel, offering structure with flavors that range from citrus to
peach and apricot; it has a silky smoothness with a crisp light finish that
appeals to both sexes during all 4 seasons. It leaves us with a clean, crisp
finish with a lingering soft bitterness.
Like all lagers, it is bottom fermented and has won a Gold Medal in Brussels.
The Yanjing brewery is located in Beijing and has been the official sponsor
of the summer Olympics in Beijing, thus coming a long way since it was
started in 1980 by Chinese interests, which claims “real taste of China”.
To match this excellent beer Chef Louis has come up with a sautéed beef
with sate, fresh apples in a creamy sauce served with white rice.
Preparation time: 12 minutes; - Cooking time: 10 minutes
Four servings require:
650 gram of beef tenderloin
1 onion
2 tablespoons of sate
2 tablespoons of salted butter
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 fresh apples
1 cup of beef bouillon cold
6 tablespoons of thick cream
1/2 teaspoon of corn starch
Cut the meat in cubes of 1 inch and set aside.
Chop the onion as thinly as possible
Add the butter in a skillet at low heat
Place the chopped onions inside, along with the sate.
Mix for 5 minutes, and then increase the heat to medium level, adding the
meat.
Mix well, continuously turning the meat cubes on all sides.
Remove after 8 minutes from the heat
add the corn starch in the beef bouillon and mix thoroughly
Add the cream into the bouillon and pour into the skillet
Place the skillet at medium to high heat, reduce until the sauce has the
desired consistency.
Remove the skillet from the heat peel the apples cut the in 4 quarters and
remove the venter
Chop the apples in smaller cubes.
Put the rice in the serving dishes, pour the content of the skillet on top and
add the apples.
Serve immediately.
Ingredients for 4 persons
Preparation time: 15 minutes.- Cooking time 1hr 45 minutes
800 gram of pork roast from the ribs
1/2 a teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 a cup of chicken bouillon
1/2 a cup of Yanjing beer
3 dried apricots, 6 dried plums 4 dried peaches
1 carrot cut in 3 x 1 inch chunks
1 onion cut in 4 quarters
1 bay leaf
1 celery branch 4 inches long
1/2 a cup of canola oil
2 tablespoons of butter
Pre-heat the oven at 300 F
Pour the canola oil into a skillet under high heat and sear all sections until a
golden crust show all over the meat.
In a Pyrex roasting pan, place the butter, bay leaf, carrots, onion and the
dried peaches, prunes and apricot
Practice a deep incision lengthwise on the meat and place it in the roast pan ,
and into the oven after basing it with the liquid.
Pour the beer and the bouillon on top of the incision making sure the
apricots , the prunes and the peaches are fully covered by the liquid, lest
they burn, turning black.
Every 20 minutes, base the roast with the liquid. and cook for 90 minutes.
Increase the heat of the oven at 350F for 15 minutes
Remove the roast pan from the oven and stuff the carrots and the onions
inside the incision.
Cut out 4 portions of meat placing the dried fruit around it, and serve with
asparagus and French fries.
By: Louis Richer
Executive Chef & Beer Taster
T: 1-403-355-5958
1002, 535-13th Ave. SW
Calgary, AB T2R 0K5
2009/06/02
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
