Taking the advice of Jeffrey, we sort of had something of a day off. Actually, we'd planned it already, but Jeff's a good guy and even sometimes has good advice. Yes, we've worked too hard and there is a chance of us getting grumpy with customers, each other and the staff. Unfortunatly we had to nip back to feed a couple of residents, we so much need a second chef. We then then ran away to a local Cantonese restaurant.Of course the beer menu was crap. Draft lager, as usual with no name or TsingTao. Now I'm trying to be more open minded with my beer appreciation. I've discovered Belgian beers and West Coast USA IPAs. It's all about horses for courses. Oriental beer with oriental food is good, surely. I decided to give it a chance.
No, sorry, it's still shit. I'd have loved to have got a good hoppy IPA to finish with. The TsingTao is just too sweet to wash away the MSG.
10 comments:
Yes, TsingTao is absolute toss. It's in the Michael Jackon 500 beers book, bizarrely.
Ah, TsingTao, that old chestnut. It's really not as bad as everyone makes out, and is actually one of the more distinctive macro lagers from that part of the world.
It's worth seeing the ire it evokes on Beer-Pages
I really find it undrinkable -- much worse than other bland restaurant lagers like, say, Cobra.
Served ice cold in a busy Hong Kong bar, it hits the spot, but then again it is up against absolute dross there.
I agree with Zak here. More distinctive than some, but its a while since I had it. Maybe they've altered it for the worse?
I think it has its place. In Hong Kong a pint of real bitter would probably make you feel sick, yet a slightly sweet, ice cold lager certainly hits the spot.
Obviously TsingTao isn't up to much but in China compared to the many, many, local copies such as the Moutain Tai Shan lager and there is suddenly a festival of flavour confronting your tastebuds.
And it goes with chilli frog too.
I agree with Bailey, although saying it's undrinkable is perhaps going a little too far. Funnily enough I also prefer Cobra, but then perhaps that's more to do with the fact that my favourite Indian restaurant stocks it.
I had lamb with ginger and spring onions. Really nice and a bit unusual to find lamb in oriental cuisine. Either way it didn't go with the food for me. As I hinted, too much MSG, I think, which always leaves an odd after taste.
I've not been to Hong Kong, yet.
I was told that there's something like 20 breweries producing Tsing Tao and that its flavour varies according to brewery. This backs up my experience that TT can be an acceptable lager with a reasonable hop profile - and it can be a diacetyl bomb of ricy rubbish.
Can't agree with you on Cobra. - It's brewed using rice.
Well Nick, although you might be right about the rice, I find Cobra has better hop flavours.
I suspect all these oriental lagers use rice to some extent. TsingTao, I suspect, also uses rice, which is what I'm comparing it with. Are we really surprised that oriental beer uses rice in it's production?
I'd still rather have an IPA with ginger, spring onions and MSG, were I to do a food/beer match.
Post a Comment