When Trappist Beer Meets the Chinese Tariff Schedule

In this Eastern market where the annual consumption of craft beer has surpassed 6 million kiloliters (China Alcoholic Drinks Association 2025 data), Belgian Trappist beer has always maintained its mysterious allure. As a "customs ferryman" who has handled over 300 beer import cases, I will guide you through the cross-border journey of Belgian beer.

The Four Essential Secrets to Mastering Belgian Beer

• The "Golden Passport" of origin certification: Authentic Trappist beer must be certified by the ITC, an alliance of 11 monasteries worldwide that issues only about 1.2 million certification stickers annually.
• The Duality of Alcohol Content: Beers below 8°P are subject to a 14% consumption tax, while those exceeding this threshold are levied at a specific rate of 250 yuan per ton. This watershed determines your cost structure.
• The "explosion-proof test" of glass bottles: The China Compulsory Certification requires that beer bottles must pass a 1.6MPa pressure test, a standard that is 13% higher than the EU EN ISO 7458.
• The life-or-death line of transportation temperature.: Maintain a consistent cold chain temperature of 10-15°C throughout the entire process. A temperature fluctuation exceeding 3°C will activate the yeast, potentially causing bottle explosions. This critical detail was verified through three rounds of...?Ocean shipping?Actual measurement verification

Import Flowchart Illustration

Those Years We Stepped into the "Beer Pit"

• The monastery portrait on the label: A customer had an entire container of goods detained at customs for 28 days due to the unauthorized use of architectural drawings from the Westvleteren Abbey.
• A play on words with malt concentration.: The discrepancy between "Original Extract" and "Actual Alcohol" once resulted in an additional payment of 270,000 yuan in taxes for a certain batch of goods.
• The Deadly Allure of Wooden Crate Packaging: Untreated oak packing cases have triggered quarantine nightmares for entire shipments.

Three Tips for New Importers

1. Choose anCNCA EU Registration Numberthe brewery (such as Chimay's BE 1234 EC)
2. Insist on demandingOcean freight insurance includes temperature additional insurance., a client once recovered a loss of 3.8 million yuan due to this.
3. The first import must be conducted.Small trial orders, we recommend starting with 3 pallets to test channel stability.

The Oriental Adventure of Belgian Beer

I remember back in 2018 when we were distributing Liefmans fruit-flavored beer, we specially designed a detachable refrigerated display cabinet. This invention, which balanced both transport efficiency and end-point presentation, later became the standard configuration for imported beers. As you hold that bottle of fine brew that has journeyed across Eurasia, please remember: every drop of that golden liquid is infused with 12 customs clearance documents and 37 temperature control checkpoints.

Let our containers embark on a spontaneous journey! From the morning mist at the Port of Antwerp to the sunrise at Yangshan Port, professional customs clearance is like craft brewing—requiring both the rigor of strict procedures and the wisdom of innovative breakthroughs. Are you ready to set off on this cross-border adventure filled with the aroma of malt?