I went to Taiwan around Thanksgiving time and had a great time there. The 7Elevens and FamilyMarts is a wonderland of foods and drinks not found here in the US. See earlier post on tea eggs. In particular, beers and snacks. Since the weather is pretty hot and humid, beers are perfect. This post will feature some of the more interesting beers / light alcohol “alcopop” drinks.
As you can see first haul is mostly regular beers. First 3 Japanese imports. A Kirin lager named Bar Beer I believe is made for the Taiwan market, Suntory Premium Malt is for the Japanese domestic market. More familiar to Americans, Orion. The Taiwan Beer Classic isn’t as good as the Taiwan Beer Gold Medal. And lastly the first flavored beer. Taiwan beer with honey. That was spectacular and a revelation. Who’d thought beer with honey flavoring would be a good thing? I have to try it out at home at some point. Not sure if regular honey would dissolve in cold beer.
So I went full flavor beer the next 7Eleven visit. The honey beer, plus pineapple and mango. Like a Radler or Shandy, but instead of Sprite or lemonade, fruit juices (at least fruit flavorings). Could not stop drinking it especially when spending a sunny humid day outside. Also a Tsingtao in a blue can that is brewed in Taiwan, it tastes noticeably different than the regular Tsingtao.
Even more adventurous, we will concentrate on the alcohol here. Ok, not so much actual beer, but flavored shochu. Think of wine fruit sparklers. Pink Suntory can is white peach, then red tea, ignore 2 cans of Br Brown coffee. The green gold can is the Kirin 5% chardonnay, tastes like grape juice. Then the Taiwan mango again. The whit can is the Suntory white sour that’s tastes like it is mixed with Yakut or Calpis, a Japanese yogurt soft drink. The last is the Taiwan beer grape, it wasn’t very good.
Favorites have to be the Taiwan Honey and Mango. Kirin Chardonnay and the Suntory shochus had a little bit of an artificial aftertaste, but great while drinking it.
