But the 101-year-old Tsingtao - bloated from years of acquisition - is hardly the vibrant badge one would expect of a company that the Chinese Government has earmarked to build into an export brand. The label is ageing, lacks an edge, sexiness and energy that would appeal to younger drinkers both in a country that is tipped to surpass the US as the world's largest beer market, and internationally.
Hence, Tsingtao's decision to overhaul the branding of its core variant is a logical strategy at this stage of its development. It's also a crucial measure if the company is serious about addressing constraints to future growth that hinder its bid to fully exploit the market's immense upside potential.
Although China's beer consumption is close to outstripping the 23.5 billion litres Americans consumed last year, the average Chinese drinker only downed 18 litres of beer a head against 84 litres in the US.
However, judging by the scope of the initial work on Tsingtao, it's a small first step at best. Years of acquisition have seen the group grow from four breweries in 1996 to 48 today. The acquisitions have come at a cost to the Tsingtao brand. Observers believe Tsingtao's portfolio may have ballooned from a low of 150 additional variants to a high of 400.
Clearly, the brewer needs to rationalise its expansive portfolio to extract maximum cost efficiencies, which could be ploughed into stepping up marketing activities as well as deepening its distribution in its rivals' home turf.
Consolidation has delivered growth in the last six years. But it will become increasingly difficult to squeeze additional yield from the acquisitions.
The benefits will have to come from the appeal of its brand, particularly as intense competition and over-capacity erode the industry's already slim margins.
The question is whether Tsingtao has the corporate will to take this initial step of refreshing its brand to the more difficult task of trimming its portfolio to a more manageable level. Time is of the essence. Local firms are forging alliances with international players and global brewers like SABMiller and Heineken have been stepping up investment in China as consumption stagnates in their home turf.
SABMiller is the bigger threat to Tsingtao. Its acquisition of a 29 per cent stake of China's fourth-largest brewery, Harbin Brewery, last year combined with its joint-venture China Resources Breweries have given it more than enough market muscle to challenge Tsingtao's dominance.