For a long time the beer industry in Taiwan was under the control of a government monopoly. Started in 1919 under the Japanese as Takasago Brewery Co., it remained a government monopoly through the Japanese police state and the KMT police state until the markets opened up in the 1980s. Even today Taiwan Beer (produced by the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation) accounts for the vast majority of beer sales in Taiwan. It’s easy to understand why craft beer is still a relatively new industry here.
To help us understand more we welcome Joe Merrell from Taihu Brewing to share his knowledge of the industry. He shares his general knowledge of Taiwan and of the craft beer industry which he joined in 2016.

Taihu Brewing
on Instagram
on Facebook
Distributing (on Facebook) for updates on new beers

TAIPEI:
Bars
-Landmark (Xinyi) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
-CYS (Daan) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
-Driftwood (Ximen) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
Restaurant
-Gyoza Bar (Daan) Google Maps link and the Facebook link

TAICHUNG (TAIZHONG):
Bar
-CYS Taichung (West District) Google Maps link and the Facebook link
Restaurant
-Med (West District) Google Maps link and the Facebook link

JAPAN
-Taihu Tokyo Google Maps link and the Facebook link

-TCRC bar in Tainan (not Taihu, but mentioned in the episode) Google Maps link

Links to other craft breweries mentioned in the episode:
–The Bruery (California, USA)
–Other Half Brewing (Brooklyn, New York, USA)
–Mountain Culture Beer Co. (NSW, Australia)
–Wildflower Beer (NSW, Australia)
–Range Brewing (Brisbane & Melborne, Australia)

And just for fun, here’s a link to a short YouTube series from Extra History on the history of beer (and coffee).