Beer drinkers developing a taste for premium beverages

The 28th Qingdao International Beer Festival, one of the largest beer festivals in China, opened on July 20 in the coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong province in East China.

This year, the festival is expected to last 38 days and attract 200 brands from over 30 countries and regions, and offer more than 1,300 types of beer, said Mi Desheng, director of the tourism commission of the Xihai'an New Area, where the festival takes place.

However, the beer market in the country has seen a reduction in production volumes. In 2017, beer production dropped 0.7 percent to 44 million kiloliters, according to the Chinese Alcoholic Drinks Association, declining for its fourth consecutive year, according to data from ASKCI Consulting.