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Pairing beer with Chinese food? Now we’re talking! Sure, people usually gush about wine pairings, but beer is the underdog hero of food pairings. Think of this guide as your cheat sheet to becoming a beer-pairing legend. You’ll learn how to match every bite with the perfect sip, and before you know it, you’ll be impressing your mates, making them wonder if you moonlight as a sommelier (but, you know, the beer version).
Beer Pairings for Popular Chinese Dishes
So, what is the best beer with Chinese food? Below are recommendations for some of the most popular Chinese dishes so you can impress yourself (and your mates) with spot-on beer pairings that complement every meal like a seasoned pro.
In a hurry? Here’s the speed-date version of beer pairings for your favourite Chinese dishes:
- Dim Sum (dumplings, spring rolls): Pair these delicate bites with light, crisp beers like Tsingtao, Asahi Super Dry, or Stella Artois to keep things refreshing and balanced.
- Sweet and Sour Pork: Match the dish’s bold, tangy flavours with amber ales or pale ales like London Pride by Fuller’s. Want a wildcard? Try a fruit-forward IPA for a tropical twist.
- Spicy Sichuan Food (mapo tofu, kung pao chicken): Tame the heat with wheat beers such as Hoegaarden or Weihenstephaner. If you’re after hops but don’t want to turn up the spice, go for a session IPA like Founders All Day IPA.
- Peking Duck: The rich, crispy flavours of Peking duck pair wonderfully with brown ales or dark lagers like Newcastle Brown Ale or Harbin Dark. For extra punch, opt for a porter or stout.
Dim Sum Pairings
A light, crisp beer is your best bet for Dim Sum, such as dumplings, spring rolls, and pork buns. Pale lagers and pilsners are the perfect partners here, as they’re clean, refreshing, and work wonders when it comes to cleansing the palate between bites.
One of the top picks for this is Tsingtao, one of China’s most famous beers. If you’re looking to mix things up, Asahi Super Dry or Stella Artois are excellent choices that offer a similar balance of refreshment and subtlety.
Sweet and Sour Pork Pairings
Sweet and sour pork is like the diva of Chinese dishes. It’s bold, tangy, and unapologetically dramatic. It also has that sweet glaze doing a dance-off with the sauce, and your beer needs to keep up with this high-energy performance. With their mild malt sweetness and just a touch of bitterness are up to the test, amber ales and pale ales.
Try an English pale ale like London Pride by Fuller’s. It brings a subtle malt backbone and a crisp, clean finish. Feeling adventurous? A fruit-forward IPA could be your wildcard, with tropical notes that play off the dish’s sweet and sour vibes.
Spicy Sichuan Food Pairings
Sichuan cuisine is not here to play—it’s all about that intense, mouth-numbing heat. Dishes like mapo tofu, kung pao chicken, and hot pot can leave you sweating like you just ran a marathon, but don’t worry, we’ve got the perfect beer to cool things down. You’ll need something that’s both refreshing and soothing, and that’s where wheat beers come in. Their fruity, slightly sweet notes act like a cooling balm while the bubbles refresh your palate after each fiery bite.
One solid choice is Hoegaarden, a Belgian-style wheat beer with hints of orange peel and coriander that complement spicy dishes like a dream. Its smooth mouthfeel and light sweetness help tame the burn of Sichuan peppers without putting out the flavour altogether. If you’re looking for something similar, a Hefeweizen like Weihenstephaner brings those same fruity vibes, offering a much-needed break from the heat while enhancing the dish’s complex flavours.
For those who love a bit of hop action but don’t want to add fuel to the fire, a session IPA could be your new best friend. With lower alcohol content and bright hop flavours, beers like Founders All Day IPA add a touch of bitterness to balance the heat without turning your meal into a five-alarm emergency.
Peking Duck Pairings
Peking duck is like royalty in Chinese cuisine. It’s rich, savoury, and just a hint of sweetness, all wrapped up in that gloriously crispy skin. It’s the kind of dish that demands a beer with just as much character, and that’s where dark beers step in. With their malt sweetness and roasted flavours, a brown ale or dark lager is the perfect companion, complementing the caramelised skin and succulent meat like they were made for each other.
Take Newcastle Brown Ale, for example. It brings a smooth, slightly sweet profile with caramel and toffee notes that only enhance the richness of the duck. If you want to keep things local, try a Chinese dark lager like Harbin Dark, which offers roasted malt flavours that hit the sweet and savoury notes of Peking duck just right.
And for those who prefer their beer with a bit more punch, a porter or stout could be just the ticket. These more robust styles add an extra layer of complexity to your meal, though they’re probably best for those who love the intense, bold flavours these beers bring to the table.
Spotlight on Popular Chinese Beers
China has a thriving beer culture, and some of its brews have gone from local favourites to global stars. While Chinese cuisine offers a dizzying array of flavours, these beers are the reliable sidekicks, always ready to complement a meal with their refreshing and easy-drinking nature.
- Tsingtao 4.8% (Tsingtao Brewery): The crown jewel of Chinese beers. This light, crisp lager with a hint of maltiness is like the perfect dinner guest—pleasant, easy-going.
- Snow Beer 4.0% (China Resources Snow Breweries): The best-selling beer in the world by volume, though it’s managed to fly under the radar outside of China. This pale lager has a mild, slightly sweet finish.
- Harbin Lager 4.8% (Harbin Brewery): One of the oldest beer brands in China, Harbin Lager brings a malty, slightly sweet profile that’s as smooth as it gets.
- Yanjing Beer 4.5% (Beijing Yanjing Brewery): This pale lager is crisp, clean, and refreshingly bitter in all the right ways.
These beers showcase the diversity of China’s brewing industry and are the perfect gateway into Chinese beer culture, whether enjoying them solo or pairing them with your favourite dishes.
The Most Popular Beer in the World is a Chinese Beer
It might surprise you, but the most popular beer in the world isn’t a flashy craft brew or a well-known Western brand. It’s Snow Beer, a Chinese lager that quietly dominates the global beer market.
Despite its low profile outside of China, Snow Beer sells in staggering quantities, thanks to its massive popularity within China’s borders. In fact, China Resources Snow Breweries can thank their hometown fans for making this pale lager the world’s top-selling beer by volume.
So, what’s the secret to its success? First, over a billion people live in China. But also, Snow Beer’s light, mild, and refreshing taste appeals to just about everyone, and its affordability doesn’t hurt either. Whether you’re grabbing it with some street food or enjoying it at a banquet, it’s a staple on Chinese tables.
While Snow Beer may not have the international fame of, say, Tsingtao, the numbers don’t lie—it’s a heavyweight champ in the beer world. As of 2024, Snow Beer holds the title of the best-selling beer in the world, thanks to its immense popularity in China, where it outsells any other brand. It has maintained this top spot for several years, with annual sales consistently surpassing 100 million hectolitres, far outpacing competitors like Budweiser and Corona.
Summary
When pairing beer with Chinese food, there’s something for every dish. Light, crisp lagers like Tsingtao or Asahi Super Dry are perfect for delicate dim sum dishes. For bold flavours like sweet and sour pork, an amber ale or pale ale (try London Pride) brings balance. Tackling fiery Sichuan cuisine? Cool down with a wheat beer like Hoegaarden or a session IPA if you feel brave. And for the grand finale—Peking duck—rich brown ales or dark lagers like Newcastle Brown Ale are your best bet. Whatever you’re eating, there’s a perfect brew to match!
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