Pitcheresque Lhasa

Lhasa, the only exported Tibetan barley beer, has been sent off to the US where American tipplers are knocking it back.

In a move that’s unlikely to make the Chinese any happier— the second consignment of Lhasa, the only exported Tibetan barley beer, has been sent off to the US where American tipplers are gulping it down with great relish. The beer is also now tailor-made for the American market and has higher alcohol content than the beer sold in China.

Lhasa is marketed as a beer ‘from the roof of the world’ and is made with husk-less Tibetan barley that gives it a clean crisp favour, and its American dealers have already confirmed that the Lhasa brewery would be exporting 3 million bottles to the US till July 2010.

But not everyone is a fan. Anti-China protestors have caught on. There is now an online petition protesting the distribution of the Tibetan beer on grounds of human rights violations against the people of Europe and refers to the Lhasa brewing company as a ‘Communist Chinese Company’. The company claims it spreads ‘good karma’ by donating 10 per cent of its profits to preserve Tibetan Cultural Heritage. The American beer drinker meanwhile continues knocking back Lhasa, unconcerned.

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