9 Great Brewpubs to Pair Your Craft Beer With Burgers

The 2017 Beijinger Burger Cup may be officially over, with Q Mex being crowned for its delicious new chorizo burger (packed with a double-grilled beef chorizo patty, a grilled bun, fiery jalapeños, sliced tomato, mayo, and cilantro aioli), but that doesn't mean that the eating has stopped. Sadly Q Mex don't brew their own beer but below you'll find our guide to some of our favorite burger and brew combos around town, what is in our opinion one of the best food and drink pairings known to man.

Great Leap Brewing
Making the Final Four in the Beijinger Burger Cup in 2015 and 2016, and placing third this year, Great Leap's cheeseburger (RMB 55, served with fries) has been a Beijing favorite since its inception. Made using freshly ground beef, this GLB burger's patties are thick, greasy, garnished with slices of pickle and gloopy processed cheese, and the perfect accompaniment to help soak up the beer already in your belly.

We recommend a summer staple beer – the Silver Needle White Ale (5.5 percent ABV) – to help wash it down, thanks to its comparatively light body and color and floral notes, which come from the infused silver needle white tear. For something a little heavier, grab a pint of the Edmund Backhouse Pilsner (4.9 percent ABV), which is brewed with combination of German Hull Melon and Qingdao Flower hops. Its name is derived from the infamous hermit historian who lived in Beijing at the turn of the 20th century.

Jing-A Brewing
If you prefer your burgers bitesized, head to Jing-A for their sliders (RMB 50), each of the three mini burgers topped with a thick slab of seasoned Yunnan cheese, sweet and sour onions, pickles, and their own special sauce. For a little extra, you can also add a helping of smoky bacon from nearby Traitor Zhou’s. We found that the Juicy Dongbei IPA (7.2 percent ABV), a New England-style IPA full of peach and citrus aromas as well as a distinct bitterness, matches these little guys well.

Slow Boat Brewery
Slow Boat Sanlitun Brewpub offers a bunch of burgers to pair with its in-house brewed beer, including their two-year champion Fryburger (stacked with beer-battered french fries), the Classic, the Anxiety Burger (with blue cheese and red onion), and the Dongsi Doufu burger.

With the advent of this newer, bigger venue they also expanded their burger menu to include their Double Trouble (two patties with smoked bacon jam), Sloppy Zhou (topped with eggplant, pickled onions and roasted veggies), and the Lao Thai Thai burger (with a Thai twist). Monkey’s Fist IPA pairs well with the Fryburger (and all of their food, really), thanks to its perfect balance of hops and a subtle mango flavor that doesn't override the meal. Alternatively, their new Back Bacon Buccaneer’s Golden Ale (5.9 percent ABV) is a malty little number with, you guessed it, a smoky bacon flavor that would pair perfectly with brunch.

Arrow Factory
Arrow Factory's new signature burger comes with a 200g Australian beef patty topped with pickles, cheese, and a beer-caramelized bacon mix, served on a toasted brioche bun with a side of chips (RMB 75). The brewery's German-style Kölsch (4.5 percent ABV) pairs well with the burger, its malty finish and subtle touch of hoppy bitterness bringing out the best in the beef.

NBeer Pub
After browsing the 7,000-plus (empty) beer bottles that NBeer co-owner Xiaobian’r has collected over the years, grab a beef burger (RMB 42) and sit outside at their new Wukesong location complete with al fresco patio. The burger comes topped with raw onion, cheddar cheese, beef, tomato, and a thick, juicy patty. Omnipollo’s Mazarin Pale Ale (5.6 percent ABV) makes for a refreshing palate cleanser between bites of this spicy patty, in which meatiness is lifted with an extra dash of rosemary.  

High Town
This year, High Town released a new foie gras burger especially for the Burger Cup, with a thick block of foie gras and a chunky beef patty. The combination makes for a smooth bite with a just a little crunch from the fresh arugula, and a special sauce that shines through and gives it a spicy kick. To pair with it, try the High Town IPA (5 percent ABV), which has a hoppy aroma and bitter finish, as well as rich aromas of grapefruit and pine.

Rolling Rolling Craft Brewing
The sole burger on Rolling Rolling's menu (RMB 45, served with fries and pickles) is a blend of four different cuts of Chinese beef cooked just right. The chewy buns are baked fresh daily and are topped with black and white sesame seeds. The burger is served with thick slices of two different kinds of New Zealand cheese, and a homemade sauce. Try it with the single hop IPA, a beer with a dry finish and full of hoppy and deep white wine-like aromas (6 percent ABV and 25 IBU), thanks to the New Zealand nelson sauvin hops.

North Capital
This small brewpub and bar hidden within a Ming Courtyard Hotel has 15 burgers in total. However, we recommend the Double Pleasure Cheeseburger (RMB 45, served with fries), which is made using fresh baked buns, Australian meat, Mexican chili, and homemade sauce, as well as onion and two slices of cheese. Try it with alongside a Delovution IPA (5.8 percent), brewed by Chengdu Harvest.

Dongli Brewery
Dongli Brewery serves their beef burgers as a trio (RMB 58) as well as a fish burger. The three beef sliders have lettuce, beef patties mixed with rosemary, tomato, a small slice of cheese, all served between homemade buns. They pair particularly well with Baiyilu Wheat, which at 5 percent ABV and 14 IBU isn't too strong and makes for a great combination of light summer beer and food.

Looking for other burgers to try around town with your beer? Look no further than our final 2017 Burger Cup tally here.

The Beijinger 2017 Burger Cup is sponsored by Bon App, Job-in, and Left Hand App.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
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Photos courtesy of venues, Tracy Wang