Chris Fuchs, a reporter in New York who spent a year in Taipei, does this story in the newspapers today on how Taiwan Beer is slowly making inroads in NYC area with hipsters and other with-it people who are now turning out and up to drink, you guessed, it TAIWAN BEER there. Read the story first. Can Taiwan Beer conquer America? Is it really that good? Is the can really that art-deco cool?
I like it. A solid lager, nothing special, but not bad at all.
I think it would be great if it became hip to drink Taipi in the USA.
Here we go again with all our opinions on Taiwan beer 
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Well I think it’s as close to cat’s piss in a can as you can get with free metallic flavouring included 
, but it’s okay on a hot day and for the price. The Taiwan gold medal from a can or bottle is far better, and the Taiwan 18 days blows them all out of the water. That actually tastes like real beer.
Hipsters showing their hip by drinking something that nobody knows about yet, except for 22 million people in Taiwan :discodance: .
But if it leads people to know a little bit more about Taiwan, that’s good.
The Taiwan beer in the big brown bottles with the yellow label (the original back in the day ) was really pretty good. IT had that bit of skunk that other beer dont quite replicate.
Mouldy rice with added ethanol? 
With some old socks thrown in for extra fermentation no doubt 
Won’t be surprised. The hipsters like Pabst Blue Ribbon now they say.
Isnt that from milwaukee ? Most beer around here is about a buck a bottle in a six pack. You get a bit of a break with a 12 pack. Pabst is like 8 bucks for a 12 pack at the supermarket round here. Strangely its , like you say, hip to drink that again.
Rolling Rock is selling for same. 7.99 for a 12 pack. Its the company that owns Corona.
I think its OK only. NO big shakes.
And its from Milwaukee
[quote=“tommy525”]
Rolling Rock is selling for same. 7.99 for a 12 pack. Its the company that owns Corona.
I think its OK only. NO big shakes.
And its from Milwaukee[/quote]
Took a look, I know it was always brewed by an independent in PA. BUt I see was bought out by Anheiser-Busch some years ago. Who knows where now I guess. Still pretty decent light lager. I have to try a Pabst one day Haven’t had one since we got cases for 7.99 or whatever when we were kids
3,000 bars in New York, 45,000 eating establishments where many serve beer.
12 locations serving Taiwan Beer is hardly making an inroads. There are probably Taiwanese in the neighborhood requesting the beer.
99.9999 percent of New York has no clue about Taiwan Beer.
Writing a story like this is feel good Taiwan propaganda.
You just don’t understand inroads culture.
Yes, pabst is very popular with hipsters and college kids.
Is it just the original Taiwan Beer that made it to New York? If so that kind of sucks, if they really wanted to make an impact they should have sent over some of the better tasting specialty Taiwan Beers (such as the already mentioned 18 day).
I have to admit, though, that I hope it doesn’t get too popular in the US. Part of the excitement and pleasure of traveling (at least for me) is the food, beer, etc that is only available locally. When i go back to the US, I am going to drink an Alpha King, and boy is it going to taste good and make me appreciate home.
When i come back to Taiwan, I am going to get a bubble tea from the local street market, and it’s going to taste great and make me appreciate being back in Taiwan.
The idea of all countries, over time, ending up with the same fashion, same stores, same food, same beer, same architecture, etc. sounds terrible and boring.
But, that is just me.
True that, just like all over the USA, you are going to find the very same stores. And companies like McDonalds and Starbucks are conquering the world.
Used to love taking the ferry from the (appropriately named) Ferry Building over to Larkspur Landing. One of the best values around at about 6 bucks round trip. Now its bout 12 round trip but still awesome. 35 mins on a catamaran high speed boat or 45 mins on the slower regular ferry across SF Bay. Great views, no make that AWESOME views for one of the worlds best and cheapest cruises.
And there really is nothing much to do at Larkspur landing, although they have a pub , a gym , even a movie house IIRC. But what I like to do is to go to this very special cafe where , not only is the ambiance awesome, it was special in that the place had all sorts of mugs on display. It had its own charm.
And yes, after a few years it became a STARBUCKS !
Not that Starbucks is bad, but that old cafe with its own charm was way way better.
That used to be my “excuse” to take the ferry. But since they doubled the price to 12 and the cafe is no more, I’d not done the voyage for awhile.
A small example of how the world is losing its individual charm, one Starbucks at a time.
Shit drinks are successfully marketed all the time. That Carlsberg cider in Taiwan at the moment (Summersby?) for example. Red Bull or Jagermeister.
I doubt this one will work because the beer is just totally shite. You never know, though.
I think its only meant for local Taiwanese living in NYC. My aunt is Taiwanese and living in NYC. She buys HeySong sarsaparilla a lot. I like that and can get it here at 99 Ranch. But id rather they also sell the HeySong 7Up copy, which is better then 7UP in my view. But they dont. We only get Apple Sidra (which is good) and HeySong Saraparilla at 99 Ranch markets.
This beer is meant for expatriate Taiwanese. We get it at 99 Ranch here in the bay area as well. I dont think its meant to conquer any new taste buds.
Was looking for the 18 Day last night but no luck–yet.
Taiwan Beer was once labelled CHINA BEER for USA market, see link above
craftdivision.wordpress.com/2012 … n-chicago/
chicago rollout for Taiwan Beer, photo in link
Chicagoist’s Beer of the Week: Taiwan Beer
''A few of us met up last Sunday to watch the Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown on the city’s South side. As the festivites marking the Year of the Dragon wound down, we headed off toward the “new” part of Chinatown, seeking coffee or tea, a respite for the cold day. Walking through Chinatown Square, a hot cup of coffee in hand, we stumbled across China Place Liquor City. Although well-stocked with Chinese liquors and more sake than you can shake a stick at, there is a lot of of beer in the back. And if you can elbow past the Miller Lites and Budwisers, Tsing Tao and Sapporo cans, you’ll find plastic-wrapped six-packs of Taiwan Beer.
Brewed in Taipei by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, this local standout is, ironically, a holdover from the days of Japan’s rule over Taiwan. Founded in 1901, TTL held a monoploy over the production and sale of all tobacco, liquor, salt, opium and camphor sold on the island. When Chiang Kai-shek led his nationalists to Taipei to form their government-in-exile they preserved the monopoly system for alcohol and tobacco, assigning beer production in 1945 to the Taiwan Provincial Monopoly Bureau, which adopted the name Taiwan Beer the following year. In 1960 locally grown Ponlai rice was added to the fermentation process, giving the lager a distinctive local flavor
Unlike other Asian exports, light and forgettable, Taiwan Beer has a pure, clean taste, with a quick, fluffy head and a crisp flavor that compliments spicy foods. The Ponlai rice adds a dry maltiness to this clean-tasting lager. Sure, it’s not as complex as a local microbrew, and it lacks the fullness of a Central European import like Stiegel or Urquell. But that’s OK - Taiwan Beer tastes good, and you can drink a few of them in a single sitting. That’s not a bad thing; sometimes beer should be enjoyed as something you drink for the sake of drinking beer.
Nobody will accuse TTL of blazing any trails with their brews, but that’s what’s made Asia great - a dedication to being good enough, every time. Taiwan Beer remains the island’s number-one selling beer and one of the most recognized brands in the island nation’s business world. And like so much of what Asia exports to the West, it’s not bad.