Most convenience stores in China sell beer. The line-up of beers available is pretty homogeneous. Carlsberg, Tuborg, Budweiser, Tsingtao, Yanjing, Snow and whatever is local – Wusu in Xinjiang, Huanghe in Gansu and Xixia in Ningxia (though Wusu can be found outside of Xinjiang).
So when I popped into an “Everyday Chain” convenience store in Yinchuan, I wasn’t expecting to see a unique. I turned up two. One was a Xixia “Craft Beer” in a nice 1l can and one was a home brand “Everyday Pilsner Craft Beer”. I haven’t seen too many pilsners in China (if any). The really unique thing about this beer is that it is “Zero Sugar, Zero Fat”. It turns out a few convenience stores are turning out home brand beers that are contract brewed. Seven-11 and Today are doing the same thing, though Everyday Chain is the only one doing a Pilsner. 1300 outlets across China – that’s some distribution.
