*** I'm doing this post kinda out of chronological order. I hope you don't mind.
I've hit the same point in my conversations numerous times over the last week. When talking about our vacation, I'll mention QingDao, and get blank stares…… until I say the little phrase, "you know, QingDao, where the beer comes from." Which will, without fail, illicit an immediate look of recognition, "oooooh, yes, the beer, Tsingtao beer!" Without a doubt, the city of QingDao and it's beer are inseparable. So it's only natural, that along with "Wine Street" and "Cultural Street", there should be "Beer Street".
And yes, Beer Street is touristy, full of pubs and shops…. and of course the inevitable"public square".
Which I thought was kinda neat…….. and I really want one of these benches for my backyard. Why not the front? Well, I wouldn't want to give the neighbors the wrong image of me……. you understand, right?
I figure this place must be hopping in August, when QingDao hosts it's International Beer Festival, the largest of it's kind in Asia.
Beyond all the pubs beckoning you in, there actually is a location of Tsingtao Brewery on Beer Street.
I love the mural on the wall of the brewery which outlines the beer making process.
If you are so inclined, you can visit the Beer Museum (50 yuan), and get free beer at the end of your visit. You can find all things Tsingtao here….
I was really only after two things….. one of them was swag for my friends back home.
The other could be found in the cavernous beer garden.
After getting some "authentic" Tsingtao gear, from the source, I wanted to try the Tsingtao Dark Lager. The Missus and I shared a mug, it was fairly frothy, light-bodied for a dark beer, with mild coffee-chocolate hints.
This beer garden is also where the tours of the beer museum terminate, and you can get your free brew. And of course, folks are going to make sure they get their money's worth! I'd heard that there's no minimum drinking age in China, and this was confirmation…..
And that young lady sipping the brew looked all of 11-12 years old! You gotta love China…….