New challenges, new flavors
Over the course of 100 years, it’s not just the equipment and personnel that have changed: The taste of the beer has also been continually evolving.
“Classic” Taiwan Beer improved on Takasago by adding Taiwan’s penglai rice. On the one hand, the move was aimed at making the beer sweeter and less bitter. On the other, it was also meant to help local farmers by absorbing a surplus of domestically produced rice that was dragging down prices.
For 50 years, Classic Taiwan Beer, with its iconic can design of blue waves, was the beer with which Taiwanese were most familiar. In the 1990s, market liberalization opened Taiwan to European, American, Japanese and Southeast-Asian beers. In 2002, Taiwan entered the WTO and dismantled the government monopoly over tobacco and alcohol production. The Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Monopoly Bureau was turned into the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, which in the face of new competition began to introduce products with diverse flavors.
Back then there was a great demand for light, refreshing beers, so the company responded with its “Gold Medal” beer.
“Compared with Classic Taiwan Beer, Gold Medal has a higher maltose content, which gives it a smoother taste,” explains Aaron Lu, vice director of TTL’s beer division. “What’s more, it uses more penglai rice and aromatic hops, which makes for a fresh and clean aroma.” The new product won the favor of the public, replacing Classic Taiwan Beer as the company’s best seller.
Following the success of Gold Medal Taiwan Beer, the unpasteurized “18 Days Draft Beer” was the next product the company launched. As opposed to pasteurized beer, unpasteurized beer dispenses with the final step of heating to kill the yeast. Consequently, the beer retains the yeast’s nutritional value and has a fresh taste. But it also loses its freshness much quicker, so it requires refrigerated transport and must be returned if unsold after 18 days.
When Draft Taiwan Beer was marketed, it too met with rave reviews. The inspiration behind it was a beautiful accident. During brewery tours, visitors would be given a sip of freshly brewed beer that had not yet been pasteurized. They discovered that its flavor and mouthfeel, along with its smoothness going down the throat, were quite appealing and distinctive. The positive reactions pushed the company to launch it as a new product.
The Taipei Brewery complex features a Japanese-era brick building whose bricks are similar to those used in the Presidential Office Building and the former Monopoly Bureau building. (photo by Chuang Kung-ju)