Tsingtao Beer

TsingTao Beer

TsingTao Beer was founded in Qingdao China by Germans in 1903. Qingdao had been a German colony since 1898, when the Chinese government was forced to grant Germany a 99-year lease. The Chinese government had been pressured to grant German control of the city after two German missionaries were murdered in the region. Qingdao became Germany's largest military force in the region, garrisoning 4,000 troops and hosting a navel base. The original brewery sat across the street from a park where German soldiers were quartered. In the early 20th century beer was not a popular drink in China, but the demand of the German population made opening TsingTao Beer brewery a necessary.

In September of 1914 the Germans garrison in Qingdao was attacked by a Japanese invasion involving 23,000 men. The German garrison was able to hold back the Japanese attack for 2 months, but eventually lost control. In January of 1915 the Chinese entered an agreement with Japan that would eventually revert back control of Qingdao. The Germans were gone, but they had left a brewery that would eventually grow into a symbol of Chinese pride.

Following WWII and the Chinese civil war, TsingTao Brewery became a state owned enterprise. As beer consumption became more popular among the Chinese, TsingTao with its government backed advantage, became the official beer of China. It was also made China's official export beer when China began to rapidly open its markets to import and export. Eighty percent of beer exported out of China bears the TsingTao label. It is the best selling and most well known Asian beer in the United States. TsingTao brand is also sold in more than 40 countries around the world.