German Beer's Popularity in China: Smooth tastes welcomed during soccer season

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German beer has a devoted following in China, especially with the World Cup taking place this summer. While the country suffered an early exit, its beer continues to find a solid presence here in China. Xu Xinchen explores the popularity of their cold brew.

Smooth, rich, and some even describe it as pure, German beer is climbing back to the top of the list.

YAN YUZE OWNER, COOL BEER "Many customers came to us wanting to taste German beer during this year's World Cup, especially when Germany was playing."

The entrepreneurial Yan Yuze opened his beer bar four years ago, with a passion for high-quality craft beer.

YAN YUZE OWNER, COOL BEER "I love to recommend beer I personally tasted, and one third of my recommendations would be German beer."

CUSTOMER "German beer doesn't have that many unpleasant notes and tastes quite smooth."

CUSTOMER "German beer is worth its price value with its fine taste and rich foam."

Despite its huge fan base, sales of German beer have been faltering as people slowly become more health conscious. But it seems like the German football team might point to a revival.

XU XINCHEN SHENYANG, LIAONING PROVINCE "Sales of German beer had been steadily improving after the country took home the World Cup in 2014. But last year, sales slowed again with exports down over 3% year-on-year. The German Brewers' Association contributed the saturated Chinese market as one of the main factors to the drop."

Local alcohol distributor Xi Hailong brings in a niche collection of imported beers, and still carries over ten different German brands. He acknowledges the slowing growth. But because German beer still has a widespread reputation in China, distributors like him will not stop selling that anytime soon.

XI HAILONG PRESIDENT, LIAONING RACHEL INTERNATIONAL TRADING "Circulations of famous German beer brands are still big here in China, but their profit margins are not good. Yet, with the market demand still here, distributors have no choice but have them in stores."

Xi enjoys a boom in German beer sales this summer, despite the country's early departure from the World Cup. For the bigger-name brands, sales volumes jumped 10 times from 2,000 bottles to 20,000 bottles a month. Football fans might be crying over the exit of the German team, but it looks like alcohol retailers might continue to cheer all the way. Xu Xinchen, CGTN, Shenyang, Liaoning Province.