By Jacques van Wersch Translated by Crystal Kuo

North Taiwan Brewery is the only microbrewery in Taiwan to package its beer in 330ml glass bottles, but it won't be retailing through stores for the time being, choosing instead to market its German and Belgian-style brews through various hotels and restaurants, with telephone orders (minimum one case of 24 bottles) also welcomed.
If microbrewed beer is to make it in the local market, some localization is inevitable. One establishment in North Taiwan has found that fruit-and-beer slushes are a big hit, especially with female customers.
The jury is still out on whether designer/microbrewed beer is in Taiwan to stay, but one thing is for sure: There are currently a number of options for people with a taste for quaffing freshly brewed beer. Why not go out and experiment? Ganbei!
Like so many aspects of modern Taiwan culture, Western-style beer was introduced to the island during the Japanese colonial period. Local beermaking began in 1920 with the establishment in Taipei of the brewery that was later to become the manufacturer of Taiwan Beer.
Taiwan Beer reigned supreme in Taiwan for several decades, until the market was opened to imports in 1987. Since then the former government monopoly (now the Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corp., TTL for short) has seen foreign brews shake up the beer-drinking scene, as Taiwanese tastes have broadened to match the wide variety of previously unavailable drinks.
It wasn't until 2002, when Taiwan delivered on World Trade Organization commitments, that TTL had a local brewing competitor. We're not talking about huge beermakers like Budweiser or Beck's, but about a very small-scale brewery--a microbrewery specializing in what it calls "handcrafted" beers.
Vina Lee of Taiwan Micro Brew Company (TMBC), the first microbrewery to be granted an operating license in Taiwan, says TMBC has a maximum brewing capacity of 45,000 liters per month; and for the near future, it expects to produce just a quarter of that. Deluxe Beer, which is based in Taipei County's Tucheng, is on a similar scale. Compare these numbers to the 35 million liters of Taiwan Beer made each month, and you'll see that "micro" is an apt prefix.
Distribution is a major challenge for Taiwan's fledgling microbrew industry. Vina Lee says stocking fees at chain stores are simply too high. However, microbreweries are tackling this problem in a variety of ways.
TMBC, where sales to consumers currently only account for three percent of total revenue, sells half-gallon (1900ml) jugs through special order via 7-11 convenience stores. Other companies sell their beer, either wholesale or retail, by phone. Today's Beer falls in this category. Deluxe Beer is sold retail through a membership system. To become a member, you need to place a minimum order.