Tsingtao Brewery Museum
Tsingtao Brewery Museum
Qingdao is a port city in Eastern China mainly known for it’s famous Tsingtao beer. Tsingtao is the second largest producer in China, the 6th largest in the world. We were curious to see what the Tsingtao Brewery Museum had to offer. After having so much fun at the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam, we wanted to see how it compared.
Tickets
The museum is located at 56 Dengzhou Road, a lively street filled with restaurants with plenty of beer. But we didn’t have time for the beer street, and went straight for the museum. At the entrance, you can purchase your ticket, and there are several options available. We chose the regular ticket, which included access to parts A and B of the museum, one glass of unfiltered beer, one glass of draft beer, and a bag of peanuts, all for 60 yuan (8USD). There are also tickets with an optional light show, and several more beers to try.
Museum
The Museum is quite large, with several tall buildings housing many exhibits. There is a lovely courtyard area in the center with plenty of places to take cute pictures. As we set up our tripod a security guard came near us and we were nervous we would get in trouble, but he just wanted to welcome us to Qingdao and ask where we’re from. The wholesome interaction let us know we were in for a good time at the museum.
Starting in a small house decorated in antique furniture, the museum is laid out in chronological order. The brewery was founded in 1903 when German colonial forces occupied the city. Fittingly for the Germans, they set up a small brewery with a humble capacity of 2,000 tons a year. The brewery changed hands again during Japanese occupation, and finally was bought by the Chinese government in 1922, doubling it’s capacity.
After decades of turbulent state-run operation, Tsingtao became the primary brewery in the country, brewing over 100,000 tons of beer a year in 1986 and winning awards for highest quality on the international stage. Nowadays, Tsingtao is the 6th largest brewery in the world selling 7.5 million tons of beer annually, much of which is still brewed in Qingdao.
As you walk through the museum it takes you through the story of it’s international presence, bottling, factory, interactive games, and more. There are large display rooms showcasing the oldest equipment in the facility, which is still able to run thanks to reliable German engineering. Much like the Heineken Experience, there are massive interactive rooms with fake kettles and fermenters.
You can smell hops, stir pots, and play interactive minigames along your way. Of course, there’s plenty of history to learn about Tsingtao, brewing beer, Qingdao, and Chinese relation to beer consumption. There’s so much to see and do, even if you don’t want to drink any beer it’s a genuinely interesting museum with high quality displays.
Beer Tasting
One of the highlights of the Tsingtao Brewery Museum was the tasting room. I had never tried Tsingtao beer straight from the tap before, so I was genuinely excited. We started with the unfiltered beer. It tasted pretty standard at first, but the freshness made all the difference. Paired with a handful of beer peanuts, it hit the spot. Neither of us are big beer people, but we could really tell it was higher quality than a normal bottle of beer.
The real standout though was the seasonal beer. Usually the second beer is the Pure Draft, but occasionally they will have seasonal fruit flavored beer. We can’t read Chinese so we weren’t sure what was on draft, but we’re pretty sure it was their seasonal strawberry beer. It had a super sweet finish that we both loved. Neither of us are beer connoisseurs, and we don’t drink a wide range of styles, but this one stood out in the best way. It was smooth, easy to drink, and something we’d definitely order again.
Just when we thought we were done, we we saw a counter with beer-flavored ice cream because why not? It turned out to be surprisingly good, with a crunchy wafer bottom, a macaron on top, colorful sprinkles, and just the lightest hint of beer. It wasn’t sweet like your typical ice cream, but that made it all the more interesting. A little weird, very fun, and totally worth trying.
Tsingtao Brewery Museum 1903 Bakery
Next to the exit of the bar is the Tsingtao Brewery Museum 1903 Bakery. The bakery wasn’t opened in 1903, that just refers to the founding of the company. This bakery offer bread made with fresh beer yeast, as well as ice cream. They had a ton of weird bread options but we decided to try the garlic bread, since it was the one that grabbed our attention.
I was a bit nervous to try it, as most of the garlic bread I’ve had in East Asia tends to be sweet and often includes sugar on top. But when we took a bite, it had a nice crunch without being so hard that it would hurt your gums. It was slightly savory and thankfully, not sweet. It was a refreshing change from the kind of bread I usually settle for when traveling in the region. If you get a ticket option that includes a lot of beer, this is a good way to sober up with delicious bread.
Badaguan Scenic Area
If you have some time after visiting the Tsingtao Brewery Museum, take a ten-minute taxi ride to the Badaguan area. Badaguan is a large, scenic district known for having some of the most unique architecture in Qingdao. The area spans about 70 acres and includes beaches, international villas, and beautiful coastal views.
We walked through a small section of the many roads and found it fascinating to see Western European-style houses in China. There are over 200 European-style villas here, most of which were built in the early 1900s. From this area we could see we were close to the Qingdao TV Tower, which looked super cool through the trees. The wisteria were in full bloom, and we regretted only having a few hours to explore because I’m sure you could spend a full day here.
Although it is a real neighborhood, the scenic area is really set up for tourism. While walking we came across vendors in cute little carts everywhere. Many of the houses are restaurants, shops, or museums. If we had a bit more time we surely would have enjoyed an afternoon snack from one of them.
Qingdao Second Beach
We decided to spend the rest of our time at Qingdao Second Beach. Since our visit was last minute, we didn’t do much research on the city and were genuinely surprised by how stunning the coastal scenery was. Many people were walking around, taking photos, or spending time with friends and family. We took the opportunity to sit down and simply enjoy the surroundings.
The element of surprise really worked in our favor, since we had no expectations going in. With walking paths along the coast for miles, plenty of pavilions and benches, and several gorgeous beaches, we wished we had a few days to get to know this unique city. The beach was a little quiet because it was still spring, but wow, what a great view. You can sit for hours and watch the deep blue water crash as ships wander in and out of the picturesque harbor.
Final Thoughts
Qingdao had that perfect mix of quirky and scenic that makes a place stick with you. It’s not the kind of destination you plan an entire trip around, but it’s one you’ll be glad you added in. Whether you’re sipping beer at the source or stumbling onto a peaceful beach, there’s something genuinely memorable here. Sometimes the places you know the least about end up being the ones you talk about the most.
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