Recently, I visited Beijing Yanjing Brewery Co.,Ltd. after two decades and was surprised to discover its many new products. I sampled six beers and was amazed by their quality—unbeknownst to me as a Beijing local, Yanjing Brewery offers such delightful brews!
The brewery provided me with six beer samples for tasting and feedback. I shared them with three of my students working in Beijing—two born post-1985 (one in banking, another in finance) and one post-1990 (employed at a listed company). All are mid-level managers with frequent social gatherings.
After organizing colleagues to taste the beers, they shared detailed reviews. All three had tried Yanjing U8 before, with the banker aware of but never tasting Yanjing V10 White Beer. The other two hadn’t encountered the remaining five varieties.
Their consensus: - **Yanjing U8**: Light-flavored, occasionally consumed at gatherings. - **Yanjing V10 White Beer**: Rich, high purity, and stronger alcohol content—liked by all. - **Vanilla Stout**: Notes of coffee and chocolate, slightly bitter—popular, especially among younger drinkers. - **Lion King Raspberry Wheat Beer**: Authentic taste with sweet-sour notes—favored, particularly by women. - **Lion King West Coast IPA**: Fruity aroma with mild bitterness—the banker’s top pick. - **Lion King White Beer**: Strong malt flavor, refreshing profile.
Despite Yanjing’s competitive new offerings, local awareness remains low. A Shenzhen-based student noted Tsingtao Brewery Company Limited’s availability there, unlike Yanjing.
Financials (Jan–Sep): - **Tsingtao**: Revenue ¥29.3B (+1.41% YoY), net profit ¥5.2B (+5.7% YoY). - **Yanjing**: Revenue ¥13.4B (+4.57% YoY), net profit ¥1.6B (+33.59% YoY).
With over a century of history, Tsingtao enjoys global recognition. Yanjing’s gap lies not in product quality—its beers are market-competitive and cost-effective—but in brand visibility. As a state-owned enterprise and major local taxpayer, Yanjing could benefit from government-led promotion efforts.
As a Beijing resident, I highly recommend trying Yanjing beers!
