What’s Up in Beer: Maovember Super Beer for Books, Slow Boat Launches Brunch, and BHS Pub Crawl

Hey there! Here we are again, the weekend. Has your liver recovered from the last one yet? About 90 percent? That’s good enough, or at least it will have to do, because this week, five brewpubs in Beijing join Maovember for charity and there are a bunch of new brews as always. 

Maovember event Super Beer for Books takes place today (Nov 4) in unison with craft breweries from five cities, to raise funds for The Library Project and GoodWorks Coffee and Tea. Five brewpubs in Beijing will hold parties for this good cause:

  • Arrow Factory (Liangma River): 7-11pm, RMB 12 from every beer sold goes to Maovember charities; donate RMB 20 or buy a Maovember pin for a chance at one-on-one trivia, a blind tasting challenge (taste three beers, name them all to win), or beer wheel of destiny spins. Beer prizes for the winners!
  • The Dirty Duck: 6pm-2am, RMB 12 from every beer goes to charity. Beer pong and a few drinking contests will also be held.
  • Great Leap Brewing (all three locations): 6pm-close, RMB 12 from any Honey Ma Gold, Cinnamon Rock Ale, East City Porter, and Pale Ale #6 sale will be donated.
  • Panda Brew (Beixinqiao): All day, RMB 10 will be donated from any beer sold. There will be games involving bottles and balloons ... that's all the information they gave us.
  • Slow Boat Brewpub (Sanlitun): 11am-12pm, RMB 10 will be donated from every beer they sell. Play poker against their staff to win vouchers. 

Also this month, in celebration of their sixth anniversary, Great Leap Brewing has brewed their special Three Door Tripel once again. There are only 88 bottles of this limited edition brew only has 88 bottles and several kegs, and can be bought at all three of their locations for RMB 108 (per bottle) and RMB 60 (per glass). Brewed with caramelized honey and osmanthus tea, the Three Door Tripel has floral notes and hints of orange and banana, with a smooth finish which belies its 10 percent ABV.

Staying at GLB, their Explorer General IPA will be back on top this weekend. An American West Coast IPA with 6.7 percent ABV, this beer was brewed with liberal helpings of American Chinook hops, and balanced with New Zealand crystal malts (no, not meth). This beer is named after General Ban Chao (32-102 AD) who was named Protector General of the Western Regions for pacifying the Tarim Basin and mapping the Persian Gulf.

Slow Boat is launching a new weekend brunch at their Sanlitun location (11am-3pm), which includes spicy fried chicken and waffles; The Big 3 i.e. a huge dish containing three sunny-side up eggs, three strips of bacon, chorizo, and black sausage, three pancakes, and homemade hash browns; The 3 Stack, which comes with three pancakes topped with diced fresh fruit, salty caramel sauce, and maple syrup; twice baked potatoes, with roasted potatoes, topped with sour cream and melted cheese; and the Slow Egg, which is a soft-boiled egg with pulled pork on mashed potatoes.

Renewing one of their first brews from four years ago, Jing-A has dusted off their Ale to the Chief for the upcoming presidential election results, using a honey ale recipe from the White House kitchen. This sud (5.5 percent ABV) is brewed with pomegranate blossom honey from Shangrila Farms and is currently it is available at Jing-A Taproom, Cuju, and Caravan.

And finally, the Beijing Homebrewing Society (BHS) calls on its members to join a pub crawl that spans the entirety of November. To participate, go to the 12 bars listed above, order at least one beer each, and collect a stamp. The first eight people who collect 12 stamps will get a six-pack of Deception Blonde Ale for free, whereas the first 50 people will get a hoodie from Steamrhino. Not a bad excuse to head out and check out some new bars off the beaten path.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
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Photos courtesy of the venues