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It's beer know-how

Susannah Wright
7/ 8/2008

A BAR owner is being rewarded with the trip of a lifetime – to the Olympics.

Ben Reynolds, who owns Pi in Chorlton, has been picked by a brewery to go to China, because it says he is the best in the country at selling its beer.

Drinks distributor Halewood International says that Ben and his staff at the Manchester Road bar are the most knowledgeable about its Chinese bottled lager Tsingtao, as well as being friendly to customers.

It picked Ben out as a winner after it sent anonymous mystery drinkers to bars around the country which stock Tsingtao – pronounced ‘chingdow’.

As a reward, he will go on a four-day trip to China, where he will see around six Olympic events, have a tour of the Olympic village, as well as taking a trip to the brewery that makes the lager.

Ben, 27, who opened Pi nearly 18 months ago, said: "I’m so excited - I’ve never been to China before and that’s going to be an experience in itself, but to go to the Olympics too is going to be incredible.

"I’ve only just been told I’m going, so it’s all a bit of a whirlwind really and I’m not really sure what to expect.

"When the Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, the atmosphere was great and I bet in Beijing it’s going to be incredible."

He added: "We’ve been stocking Tsingtao for a while now and it’s a really nice bottled beer – slightly sweet with a nutty taste – so it’ll be interesting to see where they brew it.

"I reckon I’ll have to learn a few Chinese words too before I go."

Ben will fly to Beijing on Saturday, August 9, with Halewood’s senior brand manager for Tsingtao as well as another bar owner from Leeds.

After they watch the events and tour the Olympic village, they will go to the coastal city of Qingdao – around 340 miles from Beijing – where they will meet the head brewer and see the lager being made and bottled.

Tsingtao is made from rice and mineral water, and the brewery is thought to be the oldest in China, having been started in 1904 by Bavarian entrepreneurs. Tsingtao is similar to Pilsner lagers.

Nigel Tarn, senior brand manager for Tsingtao, said: "After we sent our mystery drinkers out, we found that Ben was the best seller in the UK terms of talking about the beer to customers and serving it well.

"We are one of the sponsors of the Olympics, so we thought it would be a nice reward to take him out there for the games to say thanks for his hard work and to let him see where Tsingtao comes from. I hope he enjoys it."