Taipei Brewery Introduction
The Taipei Brewery was originally established as "Nippon Takasago Brewing Company" in 1919, making it the only brewery in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period. After being taken over by the government in 1945, it became part of the Taiwan Provincial Tobacco and Liquor Monopoly Bureau's "Second Brewery." In 1975, it was renamed "JianGuo Brewery." During this time, improvements in brewing technology and manufacturing equipment were implemented, and new factory buildings were added, leading to an increasing production capacity, which reached a remarkable record of 12 million bottles per year at its peak. On July 1, 1997, JianGuo Brewery and Fuxing Brewery merged into one, with JianGuo becoming the JianGuo Factory district of Fuxing Brewery, managed by Fuxing. In June 2000, the Taipei City Government designated "JianGuo Brewery" as the 95th municipal historical site, preserving Taiwan's most important beer industry cultural asset and progressing towards "beer culture parks and industrial revitalization preservation." In April 2001, the operations of the "JianGuo Factory" came under the jurisdiction of the "Bottle Cap Factory." In 2002, the Taiwan Provincial Tobacco and Liquor Monopoly Bureau transitioned into Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, and the "JianGuo Factory" was renamed "Taipei Brewery." In November 2003, "Taipei Brewery" was managed by "Zhunan Brewery." On April 30, 2007, Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, in an effort to promote cultural preservation and fulfill its social responsibilities, separated the Taipei Brewery's operations from the beer business unit to temporarily establish the "Taipei Beer Culture Park Management Office," focusing on the preservation of Taiwan's beer culture. On July 1, 2008, it became independently established as the Taipei Brewery. The old address of Taipei Brewery was 1407 Zhongzheng Road, Taipei City, which changed to its current address at 85 Section 2, Bade Road, Taipei City after the city's reorganization. The land area is 52,630 square meters, classified as a Type III industrial zone. The brewery includes several facilities such as the saccharification building, fermentation building, aging building, packaging plant, finished product warehouse, administration building, maintenance workshop, and welfare building. The architectural area is 25,627.71 square meters, with a total floor area of 34,638.91 square meters. Taipei Brewery is the only brewery in Taiwan with historical value. Beer has been a genuine foreign import among various alcoholic beverages in Taiwan, with just over a century of history. During the imperial period, foreign beer was imported for consumption by colonists in the colonies and sold in the market. Beer existed in Taiwan before breweries were established. International capitalists began establishing breweries in Taiwan using the country's cheap raw materials and labor. In terms of future prospects, the preservation of the industry and the reuse of historic buildings have exemplary cases in advanced countries. For instance, the Sapporo Beer Museum in Hokkaido, Japan, was originally a brick-built national brewery established in 1890, and after renovations in 1966, it became a beer hall known as "Sapporo Beer Garden," which is now a landmark in Sapporo City. The expansive area of the "Taipei Brewery" aims to preserve the origins of Taiwan's important cultural industry while maintaining the existing production line to continue operations. Other parts will be systematically planned, reconfiguring its architectural style and original functions to create a multifunctional area that combines production, tourism, commerce, culture, and leisure, keeping pace with the modern urban development trends and making Taipei City a distinctive city. (Text reference: Taipei Brewery official website)
