A light lager brewed with Penglai rice and drunk ice-cold with night-market food. It has been brewed in Taipei since 1919 under Japanese rule as Takasago Beer, and stayed a state monopoly product until Taiwan’s market opened in 2002.
It is one brewery’s commercial lager, and brewing beer at home is licensed or restricted in much of the atlas’s readership.
What goes into it
- malted barley
- Penglai rice as adjunct
- hops
- lager yeast
- water
How it is made
Malt and local Penglai rice are mashed together, the wort boiled with hops, cooled and fermented cool with lager yeast, then cold-conditioned before filtering and packaging. The rice is what makes it light and dry, and it is the ingredient the brewery advertises.
How long it takes: three to four weeks from mash to can
How it is eaten
Ice cold from a can or a jug, with night-market food and seafood.
History
Brewed in Taipei since 1919 under Japanese rule as Takasago Beer, it stayed a state monopoly product until Taiwan’s market opened in 2002.
Frequently asked questions
What is Taiwan Beer?
Taiwan Beer is a wine & spirit from Taiwan: light lager brewed with Penglai rice, drunk ice-cold with night-market food. Brewed in Taipei since 1919 under Japanese rule as Takasago Beer, it stayed a state monopoly product until Taiwan’s market opened in 2002.
How is Taiwan Beer made?
Malt and local Penglai rice are mashed together, the wort boiled with hops, cooled and fermented cool with lager yeast, then cold-conditioned before filtering and packaging. The rice is what makes it light and dry, and it is the ingredient the brewery advertises. It takes three to four weeks from mash to can.
Can I make Taiwan Beer at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is one brewery’s commercial lager, and brewing beer at home is licensed or restricted in much of the atlas’s readership.
What goes into Taiwan Beer?
Malted barley, penglai rice as adjunct, hops, lager yeast, water.
How is Taiwan Beer eaten?
Ice cold from a can or a jug, with night-market food and seafood.
