What’s Up in Beer: New Imports, New Brews, and Another Beer Festival

Following hot on the heels of the Peiping Machine Brewing opening, the messy Jing-A watermelon eating competition, and the three-day Hops International Beer Festival (July 1 to 3), are you ready for some more beer? Obviously, the Beer God has answered our desperate call, because there’s another beer festival this weekend. However, if you are familiar with this column, you must know that, this blog is about more than just that.  

Drunk Begining [sic] has got six new beers in, all from innovative Danish brewery ToØl. Sur Citra Sour Ale, a single hopped sour mashed pale ale with 5.6 percent ABV, Sur Mosaic, a dry hopped sour session pale ale with 6 percent ABV, and My Pils Can, a very drinkable pilsner with 4 percent ABV, are the three canned beers pictured above. Then there's the three bottled beers on the right. Let's start with Tangerine Cream, a cream ale brewed with tangerines with 4.6 percent ABV, which has a lot of citra and simcoe hops during brewing, leading to plenty of creaminess and a subtle sweet finish.

The Rød Grød Med Fløde is a fruity IPA brewed with raspberry, black current, strawberry, and red currant. With 6 percent ABV, it is named after a classic Danish dessert. The fruits bring fruity aromas and tartness, and the beer has a bitter finish. I’m not sure if I could say the tongue-twister-like name "Rød Grød Med Fløde" correctly after a pint, but I would like to try to. The bottle on the far right in the photo above is the Likeweisse, a Berliner Weisse with 3.8 percent ABV, something you can rely on all day long without being accused. All the beers are making my mouth water. Why is there no beer in our office? … 

In more Beijing-based news, Panda Brew Pub just finished bottling a new beer, the Aviator Single Hop Ale, which is an American Pale Ale with 6.5 percent ABV, using one variety of malt and hops to brew, leading to tropical fruity aromas with a light body. This is their fifth bottled beer, and they claim this one is the very first Chinese single hop ale in bottles. Don't worry, it will be on the market soon!

Panda Brew Pub has shocked us, entering the newly-opened Topwin Center on Nan Sanlitun Lu rather sneakily, on B1 floor. The venue is a cute small shop that definitely reminds us of their original tiny Beixinqiao location. 

And heading down to the far south, Rolling Rolling in Yizhuang has brought back the popular Nitrogen Milk Stout, which has marvelous roasted nutty aromas with 4.5 percent ABV. They've also launched the new brew English bitter on tap: a classic with 4.3 percent ABV and 35 IBU that also features a predominantly malt aroma. 

As we mentioned before, Legend Beer will hold an event for football and beer lovers soon. For RMB 180 (advance purchase) or RMB 200 (at the door), you will get unlimited craft beer and snacks over 12 hours starting from 6pm on July 10, while watching the game on the 55 " TV and the huge projector screen, so you can't miss any of the action. There will also be body painting for free, so you'll be ready to hit the clubs after. To get tickets, click here.

Also this week, the China International Craft Beer Festival (aka CCBF) will be held at the China International Exhibition Center from July 8-10. There will be more than 50 craft breweries providing over 200 beers. Remember to get the early bird ticket before going (RMB 150/200 at the door). We'll see you there!

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos: Drunk Begining, Panda Brew, Legend Beer, CCBF, Tracy Wang