Taihu Brewing

Taihu Brewing (in Chinese, Tai Hu Jing Niang) started out in Taipei's Da'an district with Chuo Yin Shi, an unsigned tasting room that Taiwanese press describe as the island's first bar to pour only craft beer. Recent reports date the company to 2013, though some earlier coverage gives 2014. The name joins "Tai" from Taiwan with "hu", the Mandarin word for tiger, and the logo shows a tiger under hops inside a gourd. Peter Huang, one of the original founders, runs the business as general manager, and Winnie Hsu is head brewer. In 2016 Taihu set up its own brewery, Taihu Lab, in Xizhi, New Taipei. A larger production site nearby has been described as the biggest craft brewery in Taiwan. The brewery is known for using local ingredients such as tea, fruit and smoked Taiwanese plum, and for its strong, cocktail-inspired 9.99 range.

The beers

• Taihu IPA, IPA, 6.0%
• Taihu High Light Beer, light beer, 4.0%
• 9.99% Long Island Iced Beer, fruited ale, 9.99%

The draught list at the tasting rooms changes often, with seasonals, fruit beers, sours and collaborations alongside the core range. Canned Taihu beer is also widely sold in Taiwanese convenience stores.

Where to drink it

Taihu runs its own bars. In Taipei, they are the flagship Taihu Tasting Room in Da'an, with the Bodega cocktail bar in its basement; Taihu Driftwood in Ximending, the biggest tap wall; the stand-up Taihu Tasting Room in Xinyi; and the Taihu Gyoza Bar near Dongmen. In Taichung there is the Taihu Brewing taproom in the West District. The brewery also lists venues in Tainan and in Kagurazaka, Tokyo. Outside its own bars, TimeBeer in Raohe Street Night Market keeps Taihu on its draught list.