Coming out of the incredible family of Taiwan Head Brewers that have brought us iconic beers that champion Taiwan throughout the seasons, Beer Belly Brewing is here to add more of a drinkable session beer to the mix. What Taiwan Head Brewers do so well is they marry typical Taiwanese flavours such as oolong tea, with their amazing beer recipes. This often can result in deep, intense, heavy, and complex flavours. As you and I both know, that is great! But is it what you want if the sun is glaring down on you and you’re at the beach ready to crack open a cold, refreshing can of beer? Probably not…
Up steps Beer Belly Brewing with some refreshing beer that remains delicious, but infinitely more approachable and regularly drinkable when compared to Taiwan Head Brewers. Beer Belly Brewing started making beer in 2018 but has exploded on the market in the last few months to half a year, weathering a tough time (as did many) due to COVID. They’ve come out of the other side fighting, and their beer truck is going great guns all around the island.
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Where can I find Beer Belly Brewing?
The Brewery
The brewery itself is located near Xianse Temple Station in Sanchong. I would really recommend you go on one of their brewery tour and tasting sessions. It was a lot of fun. However, it is estimated to be fully open to the public in the second season of 2023. You can follow their website, Facebook, or Instagram to get the most updated news, they do some small tours or other events as well.
Below are just a few of the pictures that we took throughout our tour and tasting session. Included in the price of admission for the tour, you’ll get as much beer as you would like from two choices at the bar, in addition to tasting 3 beers in the tasting session.
On the day that we did our brewery tour, we were lucky to be drinking bottle after bottle of the delicious American Taiwan Wheat, and the Jasmine session ale. Of the two, I would say that the session ale was the easier to drink, but the wheat beer had a nice pop of that citrusy wheaty flavour that I look for around this time of year. But, both being all-you-can-drink, I wasn’t there to snub either.
The reception bar area of Taiwan Head Brewery can easily accommodate a large group of people, so go with friends to make the experience even more fun.
The brewery tour itself is split into two key sections. One section focuses on the history of Taiwan Head Brewers, giving a comprehension background of the company and showcasing the plethora of awards that it has received.
I was personally fascinated by all of these different offerings that have been put out by Taiwan Head Brewers over the last few years. Some of the ones that I would love to try are the osmanthus oolong tea English pale ale, the peanut beer, and the Jinxuan tea ale. Although, almost all of them sound delicious, to be honest. Taro beer, though? I don’t quite know about that one…
The second part of the tour focuses on the process of beer making. I really enjoyed walking around and checking out this process, personally. I am a really big fan of the process of how things are made. The selection of the grains, hops, and water, then the process of moving from container to container as it is washed, processed, fermented, stored, and then ultimately bottled. It amazes me. I was also super excited to see a mango beer on the container, too!
State-of-the-art equipment, is here!
Beer Tasting
I was really excited to see that ‘The Lord of Creation’ was making an appearance at my beer tasting. I had heard a lot about it and was excited to finally get around to tasting it. I mean, with a name like that, surely it was going to be life-changing, right?
Which of these 3 Taiwan Head Brewers Beers sounds good to you? One thing is absolutely certain, none of these are in any way a session beer. These beers are one to savour and ponder about the complexity of the different flavours that you get from them. To translate that to you foodies out there, this is the difference between ordering a burger and getting a McDonald’s, compared to getting something like Butcher by Lanpengyou or Nagoya daitokoro. All are good, but some are considerably better than others…
One thing that strikes you immediately is the colour.
We started with the Yan Jing. This beer is a barrel-aged smoked plum strong ale (10%) that starts off with lots of drunken fruit flavours with a massive smack in the face of smokey longan, finishing with the sweetness of sticky syrup something like a deep immature date flavour. I also got flavours of overripe plums, too.
Next up came the Yang Chun. This beer is a wood-aged imperial plum stout (10%). Flavours that I got were dark candied fruit with a dark chocolate aftertaste. Interestingly, the guy leading the tour stated that he didn’t think it had a strong flavour of alcohol even though it is 10% – I disagree. I got a real hit of alcoholic aftertaste like chocolate liquor.
Finally, the big boy, The Lord of Creation. This beer is a bourbon barrel-aged barley wine (10.4%). Before even taking a sip (on the nose) I got a huge smell of bourbon whisky with lots of vanilla undertones coming through. I took a sip, and it was like my mouth had been smacked in the face with bourbon whisky, then wiped down with a vanilla pod encased with some overripe fruit.
The verdict?
Honestly, they were all a little bit too much for me. The overwhelming depth of flavour was difficult to get over. One thing that I really appreciate is the fact that I could discern the flavours that the lead taster was describing to us as we sipped our beer. However, a 10% beer is not something I would consider drinking in a pub or a bar, and nor is it something that I would go out of my way to try unless a friend had specifically recommended it to me. I tend to cap my consumption of beer at an alcohol limit of around 6%.
The Beer Truck
Parked right outside Zhongshan MRT station where they put on those markets throughout the weekends, you will find the Beer Belly Brewing beer truck! The truck goes around the island, so make sure you check where they are before you go. It was very busy when I got there, which I was excited to see. As a new(ish) company, I support everything that Beer Belly Brewing are doing. They have noticed that Taiwan Head Brewers beers are not necessarily for everyone, so their aim is to bring slightly less complex beers to the masses, while still retaining delicious flavours.
The Beer at Beer Belly Brewing
I could’ve got one of each, easily. But I restrained myself and settled for 3… until I saw another one that caught my eye, and finally settled on 4, kind of…
You can choose two sizes of beer here, which I like a lot. But I would strongly encourage you to not waste your beer, and ask to try a beer first. Only if you’re really confident that you love it should you ever get 1L of beer. I would strongly encourage you to go for 700ml, instead.
Belgian Wit (5.5%)
I like wheat beer, so this was straight on my list. Wheat beer is an absolute classic summer staple as far as I am concerned. The wheaty flavours that come through with sweet orange in this Belgian Wit were just what I wanted as I stood in the sun of Zhongshan. I really enjoyed the smoothness of this wheat beer. I highly recommend this for summer.
American Pale Ale (5%)
This American Pale is your quintessential session ale. I could have had many of these and felt very happy for it. The hoppy nature of this beer with the buttery smooth finish with some caramel and molasses creeping in were all very welcome. I strongly recommend this beer to anyone looking for a solid and dependable session ale.
Beautiful Life IPA (6.7%)
This IPA came out with the typical dark flavours and heavy-hitting flavours that we have come to love and expect of an IPA. Rich flavours of burnt caramel came through for me, but as I drank more and more of it I was opened up to sweet and syrupy flavours and a punch in the taste buds with that extra alcohol on top. Coming in at 6.7%, this is not for the faint-hearted out there. If you’re thirsty, then get one of the American Pale Ales first, then migrate to this if the deep richness of an IPA is what you’re in search of.
Winter melon Lemonade Ale (5.5%)
I got talking to the bartender (and one of the founders of Beer Belly Brewing actually), and he told me that the winter melon lemonade ale is one of the most popular beers at Beer Belly. My personal guess is that the Chinese name of the beer reads like you’re ordering from a tea shop. So maybe the familiarity of the wording and the familiar winter melon and lemon flavours are what the unseasoned drinker goes for. But, did I like it?
I got Tainan winter melon tea immediately, with sweet melon and deep winter melon tea flavour predominantly coming through. There was a bit of lemon at the end, but it wasn’t overpowering. It wasn’t for my taste, to be honest. It tasted too much like I was at a tea shop in Tainan. But, if something fruity is what you’re looking for, then this could be the one for you.
Writing this really makes me feel that I should have one of each back in my hand again to enjoy. I’ll definitely be heading back to that beer truck sometime soon, that’s for sure!
At the truck, they also have cans on sale. One exciting thing is that you can also find these 3 flavours in selected 7-11’s, too! So you don’t need to wait for a weekend to get stuck into something by Beer Belly Brewing, go get something from 7-11 tonight. And if they aren’t stocked at the one you go down, I’m sure there’s another less than 200m down the road where you can find them!
In fact, here they are in 7-11 right here!
Blueberry Wheat Beer (5%)
They ran out of stock at the Beer Truck that day, so I picked up one of these the following week and treated myself to it on a weeknight – cheeky!
This blueberry beer is pretty sweet, with lots of blueberry flavour coming through. It’s a very fresh and fruity flavour throughout the drink. It’s not to my taste, to be honest, as I think it’s more on the sweet side that I would ideally like. But, if something sweeter and fruity is what you’re looking for, then it could be for you.
The bottom line
Is it worth it? Yes, I think what Beer Belly Brewing has going on is really good. They take care when it comes to their brewing methods and ingredients, and they pair it with something that is easily accessible to the general public. A strong recommendation coming out over here.
If you have to, pin down the best beer – Easy. The American Pale Ale. I will be going back for one of those very soon, that’s for sure!
What is the next one you want to try? I really liked the look of the Mark 1 Stout and I’d also be interested in the Pomelo Gose, too. I’m a big fan of a stout, but I couldn’t take it on a hot day after I have had some refreshing beers. I need to settle into a stout to properly enjoy it.
※Please do not drink if you’re a minor. Please do not drink and drive. Over-drinking is bad for your health.
※ This article is a collaborative article with Beer Belly Brewing.