Because You Deserve Good Beer: Craft Breweries in Beijing

Because You Deserve Good Beer: Craft Breweries in Beijing
By Jamal Anthony , eChinacities.com

How familiar is this scene? At a local restaurant you order your food, and the waiter looks at you expectantly, waiting for you to order a drink. You look behind him at the refrigerator. It's turned off, of course. Your choices are warm, watery Tsingtao or warm, watery Snow beer.

Unless you've been living under a rock, or in a third tier city, you are well aware that the drought is over. China is brimming over with good beer, gallons of it in Beijing.

Beijing's craft scene started much like it did in America. Beer lovers were tired of mass-produced bottles of two or three brands of tasteless lagers, so they started making their own ales for themselves and their friends. They soon realized there was a taste for it, and turned their hobby into the now familiar names Great Leap Brewing, Slow Boat Brewery, and 京A.

New breweries are popping up all around town, each with their own distinct flavor. The characters that make up this community are having fun trying to outdo each other, experimenting with Sichuan peppers, yams, and even candied apples, but are all unified in providing premium beer.

Craft beer is about making something that everyone deserves, a drink that tastes good, so do yourself a favor and visit these Bejiing breweries.

Arrow Factory BrewingView In Map
Add: Next to Stuff'd at No. 9 Jian Chang Hutong
地址: 箭厂胡同9号“塞”餐厅院内
Web: http://www.arrowfactorybrewing.com/
Opening Hours: 17:00-24:00pm Sun-Thu, 12:00pm-24:00pm Fri-Sat

Description: The owner of the long loved Vineyard Cafe and Stuff'd is a formidable newcomer to the expanding craft community. Arrow beer has been available in Will Yorke's restaurants for a while now, but he has turned Stuff'd's storage shed into a cozy little taproom. The Seeing Double IPA (40 RMB) will get your night off to a great start.

Great Leap BrewingView In Map
Add (3 locations): 45/F, Xinyuan Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China; DouJiao Hutong #6, Beijing, China; DongCheng District XinZhong Street B 12, Zi Ming Mansion 1 Floor, Beijing, China
地址: 朝阳区新源街45楼; 东城区豆角胡同6号; 新中街乙12号 紫铭大厦101
Tel: 1064166887
Web: http://www.greatleapbrewing.com/
Opening Hours: 11:00-01:00 Sun-Thu, 11:-02:00 Fri-Sat

Description: Forget the beers, the burgers and pizzas are some of the best in town. The Xinyuan Li location bakes the pizzas and the XingZhong location fries the burgers. Okay, back to the beer. Carl Setzer and company's leap from a humble hutong brew pub to it's now extremely popular locations in Sanlitun and Lianmaoqiao burst open the craft brew culture in Beijing, and they did not forget about what it's all about, good beer. Don't miss their Honey Ma Ale (35 RMB).

A Brewing Co.View In Map
Add: 1949 The Hidden City, Courtyard Four, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District
地址: 朝阳区工体北路4号院
Tel: 1065018883
Web: http://jingabrewing.com/
Opening Hours: 17:00-24:00 Mon-Tue, Thu; 16:00-24:00 Wed, 16:00-02:00 Fri, 11:00-02:00 Sat, 11:00-24:00 Sun

Description: 京A is the craft brew fairy tale. Two beer drinkers started making batches of beer for friends and now find themselves making a living out of it. They started brewing their beers at Big Smoke, but in the fall of 2014 teased us with their "temporary" space in the beautiful 1949 The Hidden City courtyard. Beijingers bit hard, and I guess they're there to stay? We hope so. You can't dodge their Flying Fist IPA (RMB 45).

Lark Brew PubView In Map
Add: 227 Dongzhimen Nei Dajie (Beixinqiao subway exit B)
地址: 东城区 东直门内大街277号地铁5号线B口右转第一家
Tel: 139-1130-2258
Opening Hours: 10:00-24:00 Mon-Sun

Description: Often overlooked despite it's ideal location just north of Beixingqiao, Lark does sell AND make its own beer. Lager, ciders, ales, stouts, all the beers. Who knew? We didn't, actually, but now we are definitely making the trip. The hutong space is a cafe by day, bar by night.

NBeer PubView In Map
Add: First Floor Huguo Xintiandi, 52 Huhuosi Avenue, Xicheng District
地址: 西城区护国寺街护国新天地一层
Tel: 1083288823
Opening Hours: 15:00-02:00 all week

Description: Even though China is not traditionally a beer culture, locals have caught the craft bug as well. NBeer is the baby of Yin Hai, the president of the Chinese Homebrewer's Association. Its refrigerator is literally wall-to-wall with imported bottles from all over the world, and it has its own concoctions on tap as well. A great night out is dinner at next door neighbor Xalapa and drinks at NBeer.

Slow Boat BreweryView In Map
Add: Dongcheng Qu, Dongsi Batiao 56 Hao
地址: 东城区东四八条56号
Tel: 10 6538 5537
Web: http://www.slowboatbrewery.com/history/
Opening Hours: 17:00-24:00 M-Th, 17:00-01:00 F, 14:00-01:00 Sa, 11:30-22:00 S

Description: Slow Boat is the expat community center of the Dongsi hutongs, and it's not just because they boast the largest selection of homebrewed beers in Beijing. They also have pickle plates and are the Beijinger's Burger Cup champions of 2015. You can also buy bottles of Zombie Pirate Pale Ale (35 RMB) in various bars and restaurants around the city.

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Keywords: beer Beijing craft breweries Beijing

7 Comments

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oxana212

Wow

Aug 20, 2021 04:12 Report Abuse

oxana212

Yum

Jul 20, 2021 00:05 Report Abuse

oxana212

Strawberry beer used to be my favorite until I calculated the price of one glass which equaled to a kilo of fresh berries

Jul 10, 2021 06:25 Report Abuse

Fatai2356

Good ti know

Apr 10, 2020 22:21 Report Abuse

ANTO1

Good to know! :)

Feb 18, 2017 11:29 Report Abuse

JohnathonSteel

Beer snobs are the scum of the earth and this article was obviously written by one. Why can't you just order a soda or tea with dinnner? You need everything to involve weird imported beers with stupid names?

Mar 04, 2016 09:16 Report Abuse

talkword

It's a Beijing City Feature though...

Feb 18, 2016 13:48 Report Abuse