What’s Up in Beer: GLB Karl Long Challenge, Launch of Arrow Factory Membership, Jing-A Collab Brew

We know the weather is changeable and depressing, but don’t let it get you down. Instead, let me show you what's happening in Beijing's drinking scene, just make sure your liver is prepared. 

Hey, dark beer drinkers, three varieties are back on tap at both Arrow Factory locations, and you can tell they are dark from the names – Back to Black Stout, Heart of Darkness Belgian Bruin, and Dark Ages Black IPA. The stout has 5.7 percent ABV, a kick of roasted malt, coffee, and dark chocolate flavors, and topped with lovely brown foam. The Belgian Bruin has a hint of sourness and fig, which in no way distracts from how easy it is to drink, so easy in fact that you'll forget its hefty 7.5 percent ABV. The Black IPA (7.7 percent ABV) was dry-hopped with Vic Secret hops, giving it fruity overtones with hints of pineapple and pine. 

And Arrowheads, Arrow Factory has begun its own membership club. RMB 300 a year (RMB 100 to renew) gets you an imperial pint per purchase (25 percent extra volume), a free pint upon signing up, a free T-shirt, exclusive tastings, and an exclusive Sunday night dinner deal. There's also a special family price of 50 percent off for partners that sign up together – the family that drinks together sticks together, after all.

Jing-A’s first collaboration brew with famous Norwegian craft brewers Nøgne Ø (last May) will finally be released this Saturday (Oct 22). To mark the event they will hold a launch party at 5pm at their Courtyard 4 Taproom. This unique Imperial Koji Saison comes in bottles, and a whopping 14 percent ABV, has a sweet, umami, and malty flavor, zest from orange peel, and a dry sake-esque finish.

Another five rare Nøgne Ø beers will be served on tap too, including M.O.L.E. Russian Imperial Stout (9 percent ABV), Rød Jul (8 percent ABV), Kriek of Telemark (7 percent ABV), Aquavit Saison (8 percent ABV), and Tigris Obscura (8 percent ABV). Jing-A and Nøgne Ø also co-brewed a porter on Wednesday. We can’t wait to give it a try.

For those who can’t get enough of beer and want a better alternative to pouring a pint over your head and heading out of the house in the morning, the guys at Jing-A have teamed up with loving Lily’s Handmade, and created four soaps made with their beer. They are Hop in the Shower, made with Flying Fist IPA; Sexy Peel, made with Mandarin Wheat; Little Red Bubbles, made with Koji Red Ale; and Against the Grain, made with Black Velvet Vanilla Stout. The soaps cost RMB 60 for one and are available at the Jing-A Taproom or Farm to Neighbors Market every weekend. Alternatively, just poor a pint on your head.

And for those who think you can drink a dozen pints without any hesitation, the yearly drinking orgy AKA the Karl Long Challenge will be back at Great Leap Brewing on this Saturday (Oct 22). This 15-beer-pub-crawl challenge, now in its fourth year, is held across all three GLB venues. RMB 300 gets you entry and the 12 beers, and if you can finish the journey, you will get a Great Leap T-shirt, and lots of applause. Good luck!

Aside from their new daily lunch sets, Slow Boat Brewpub (Sanlitun flagship location) now also has a daily beer-specific promotion for RMB 30, as follows:

• Monday: Chocolate Sea Salt Stout 7.8 percent ABV;
• Tuesday: SOS Belgian Wit 3.5 percent ABV;
• Wednesday: American Wheat 5 percent ABV;
• Thursday: Mosaic IPA 6.75 percent ABV;
• Friday: Mushroom Brown 5.7 percent ABV;
• Saturday: Black Saison 5.2 percent ABV;
• Sunday: First Immortal Double IPA 8 percent ABV.

And finally, Drinking Buddies are bringing Crate IPA back, one of our favorite beers at the Beijinger 2016 Pizza Fest, and are holding an IPA party this Saturday (Oct 22) at the Irish Volunteer. This one's bound to get messy with all-you-can-drink IPA for eight hours (noon-8pm) at just RMB 100. 

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos courtesy of venues