The rise of beeronomics(4)
IDEAS: What about China? According to the book, tastes there still run toward beer that is cheap and can be quickly consumed. Do you think a microbrew movement will develop?
SWINNEN: It may take a while. China is still much poorer than the US or Europe. You have big income gaps. But the richer group of Chinese is fairly substantial because there are so many people. The demand for quality wine is growing rapidly, so there must be a segment for quality beer as well. I don’t think there are microbreweries yet, but Belgians are looking into sending beer there.
IDEAS: And, as I’m sure you’d argue as a good Belgian, that’s the best beer in the world.
SWINNEN: I think the best beer you can get is in the US right now, because of the microbrewery movement. It’s phenomenal in terms of innovation and taste. I’ve been telling my friends here this, and they hate me for it. There’s such a huge variety everywhere you travel, and so many local varieties. My favorite beer was Sam Adams when it first came out. I thought it was fantastic, the best beer I’d had.
