Blue Girl Beer: Hong Kong's Iconic Brew

No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without heading to Club 7-11 for a can of Blue Girl beer.  The stuff is ubiquitous in Hong Kong.  It's sold in every convenience

 store and some restaurants even feature the logo on their signs.  For me, the beer has become a sort of representation of Hong Kong, especially considering that I have never seen it anywhere else.  According to the always reliable source of Wikipedia, the beer is brewed by a South Korean company.  However, the story of how it became such an ingrained part of Hong Kong culture is beyond me.

Blue Girl stacked in a
restaurant window

Most Chinese restaurants in the city carry the beer.  In the fishing village of Tai O on Lantau Island you can see boxes of Blue Girl stacked to the ceiling in some places.  I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the beer is more prevalent than bottled water in some parts of the city.  Blue Girl has that wonderful, easy-to-drink flavor that makes these kind of beers perfect for drinking with food.  No trip for dim sum in Hong Kong would be complete without having at least 1 (or a few) Blue Girl beers.  

Advertisements abound

It's interesting to think about how a brand can represent a specific place and/or time.  As I wonder around New Orleans, I constantly find old Dixie Beer advertisements plastered on the sides of buildings or on bar signs.  For those unfamiliar with Dixie Beer, it used to be the New Orleans equivalent of Budweiser or Miller Lite before the brewery was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.  Following the closure of the Jax and Falstaff breweries, Dixie had a large portion of the local beer market until 2005.  The beer is still available, but it is now contract-brewed in Wisconsin.  Also, the price now places it in the "craft beer" category.  No longer the cheap, local option, Dixie has slipped from its place in the psyche of the city.  However, it's brand identity still remains strong.  Even today, despite its relatively hefty price tag, you'll still see people at restaurants chowing down on crawfish with a Dixie Beer in hand.  

So the next time you're in Hong Kong, head over to Club 7-11 and pick yourself up a Blue Girl beer.  Your trip isn't complete without one!  

Please post in the comments section if you have any information on this Blue Girl beer's history.