On beer

I haven’t seen a bottle of this Pabst Blue Ribbon 1844 (going for 300 kuai for a 750-milliliter bottle, or more than $44) yet, but Evan Osnos’ story about the appearance of Pabst in China reminded me of a single can of P.B.R. I saw last year in Dandong on a cart selling various snacks and beverages outside the train station. I’ve kicked myself so many times for not buying/taking a picture of it. Pretty sure it would have been a lot cheaper than the 1844.

If you need a counter to Chinese officials’ constant claims and “reassurances” of China’s commitment to free and open trade, look no further than the beer options. At the supermarket, Chinese beers go for about 3 RMB for a 730-milliliter bottle. For a proper Western brew, you’d have to fork over at least five times that for 330 milliliters. Leffe sells for about 15 RMB; a Duvel is 19 RMB. We did find a not-very-good-in-fact-really-bad German beer (they do exist – at least in China) for about 8 RMB a can.

OK, on further thought, it’s not protectionism — just the market price of these beers. They cost about the same in the States. It just seems more expensive here because of the cost of living.