Currently, Qingdao Brewery has not officially announced anything, but sources from distribution channels indicate that the much-loved Fourth Factory Fresh Beer, popular with both locals and tourists, is planned to stop being supplied under the Fourth Factory Fresh Beer label after 28 October. The Fourth Factory will continue to produce other types of beer, while the daily fresh beer market will be covered by products from the Second and Fifth Factories. This change affects many long-time fans of Qingdao beer. Beer houses and standalone beer shops that have long relied on 'Fourth Factory Fresh Beer' as a key selling point will need to readjust their business positioning and promotion strategies. Tourists who came specially to Qingdao to try bagged fresh beer will now experience fresh beer from other factories as well. Beyond the supply adjustment of this classic fresh beer, more attention should be given to the numerous new multi-category projects rapidly advancing in the Qingdao beer industry. These projects span the entire beer industry chain, covering a wide range of categories and diverse formats. Upstream raw materials projects include high-end malt bases, special hops cultivation, and yeast strain R&D centres, all aimed at stabilising ingredient quality and building independent strain research systems. In the midstream brewing sector, new smart production lines are being set up for high-end draft beer, non-alcoholic beer, fruit-flavoured craft beer, and low-alcohol specialty beer, alongside advanced sterile filling, eco-friendly packaging, and digital customised packaging projects. Downstream, projects include automated storage, a full cold chain distribution network, and new product pilot incubation platforms, as well as experience-driven ventures like industrial tourism and beer-themed commercial streets. The circular economy sector is implementing bio-processing projects to convert brewing by-products such as spent grain and yeast into high-value products, including yeast extract and malt protein peptides. With numerous projects spanning raw materials, brewing, packaging, logistics, R&D, tourism, and by-product processing, the industry is addressing previous gaps, enriching the beer product matrix, and driving Qingdao beer from traditional brewing to a fully integrated industry cluster. The supply adjustment of Fourth Factory Fresh Beer is part of this industrial upgrade, optimising ageing production lines, and ensuring there will be no gap in fresh beer supply. Supported by a large number of diverse new projects, the local beer industry is steadily moving towards a fully automated, high-end, and green circular supply chain.
