Beer Testing - Round 2

With Harbin Beer winning the inaugural challenge, next we put it up against another Blue Diamond Beer.

Defending Champ

Name: Harbin Beer

Origin: Harbin, China

Alcohol: 3.6%

Price: USD0.40/can USD0.11/100mL

Challenger

Name: Blue Diamond

Origin: Beijing, China

Alcohol: 3.7%

Price: USD0.34/can USD0.10/100mL

Tasting notes:

This Blue Diamond is slightly different than the previous one in that this one is not "Refine". So we were expecting it to come out a little tougher, perhaps a little rougher around the edges, and with a bit more bite. However, it was just as unremarkable. Its slogan is "For all seasons and all people." Now, that's a nice lofty goal, but in my experience, whenever you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody. This was no exception. It got a 5/10.

So with a score of 5.5/10, Harbin Beer managed to edge out the Blue Diamond to defend it's title.

Beer Testing - Round 1

If you've spent any amount of time with me at all, you will know 2 things about me:

1. I like beer.

2. I like trying new things.

Well, the math is simple. You put 1 + 2 together, and it equals: I like trying new beer.

However, it's always been difficult to really keep track of what beers I've tried and what each one tasted like. So I've decided to start keeping an informal record of all the beers I've been able to sample.

I figure I will make it a head to head elimination competition to see what will ultimately become my favourite beer. Now, I know right off the bat, there are some problems with this, as you might ask, "How can you compare an ale to a lager? Or a malt liquor to a wheat beer?" Well, admittedly, you can't really. But to keep things simple, this rating system is based purely on my personal tastes and really it comes down to the question, "Would I drink it again if I had a choice?"

I should state up front, my preference is for light, easy drinking ales, that go down smooth and have minimal aftertaste. I will try to start with the cheapest beers and work my way up. I will also try to have guest judges alongside me when possible, in order to average out the scores.

Maybe later as I get more beers into the competition, I will figure out a way to categorize. But for now, it's just straight up, no holds barred, one on one action, kind of like UFC in the old days, when you'd have a sumo wrestler vs. a boxer.

So with all that said, here are the first 2 contenders:

1.

Name: Blue Diamond Refine Beer

Origin: Beijing, China

Alcohol: 3.7%

Price: USD0.41/can USD0.12/100mL

2.

Name: Harbin Beer

Origin: Harbin, China

Alcohol: 3.6%

Price: USD0.40/can USD0.11/100mL

Tasting notes:

The Blue Diamond was pretty bland. On the upside, however, it was light and had no aftertaste, so theoretically, you could easily drink a lot of this. However, it got pretty boring after about half a can. At this inaugural testing, I had the honour of having my long time buddy Mike D. (sorry, no, not the one of the Beastie Boys fame), travel all the way out from Toronto to take part. I rated this a 4.5/10. He gave it a 5/10. Final score: 4.75/10.

The Harbin, a subsidiary of Budweiser, was pretty much the same, but with perhaps just slightly more taste. So both Mike and myself gave it a 5.5/10.

Winner, by unanimous decision: Harbin Beer.