Chinese products often imitate and build upon those in the West, and Tsingtao improves upon the American adjunct lager — beer made with rice or corn as the primary fermenting grains — by making a lighter, cereal-like version of Corona Extra with a little fizz and spice to keep it interesting.

Although adjunct beers often have a squash-like taste of fermentation that reminds me of a locker room after a field trip to Taco Bell, Tsingtao goes down clean and burns clean. This along will make you reach for one of these over a Budweiser Light or other random nonsense.

However, like most Chinese products, it improves on the fringes and misses the core goal: this beer, like most American adjunct beers, is boring because it is still too sweet and too generic. You can enjoy this all day long, but when the day is over, you forget and move on to something else.

Tags: american adjunct beer, beer, tsingtao