What’s Up in Beer: Beer Festival With 300 Kinds, Two Takeovers, and New Brews

Tracy Wang, Senior Editor | Jul 7, 2017 4:00 pm | 1 comment | 1410 reads

Congrats on surviving the steaming hot drizzle-dazzle of this past week, now brace yourself for the forecasted sunnier skies and fresher air of a well deserved weekend. The suds scene of the immediate future looks equally promising, with a beer festival during the weekend with 300 kinds of beer, some new brews, a few takeovers, and more.

As we mentioned previously, the second China International Craft Beer Festival is back at the China International Exhibition Center from July 8-9 (9.30am-6pm). It will be held by Imbeer and CIEC, and there will be over 300 beers on site from over 80 craft breweries from all over the world, along with several beer launches, and a homebrewing competition. Unlike last year, which had a fixed price for unlimited tastes, it is RMB 20 for entry, and you will need to buy tokens for each 200ml of beer. Click here to buy the ticket online.

READ: 300 Beers Are The Answer! China International Craft Beer Festival, July 8-9

Today (Jul 7), No. 18 Brewing from Wuhan will take over seven taps at Jing-A Taproom, with RMB 100 getting you three pints throughout the night. The beer list includes Guozao Breakfast Stout, Tiaodongwho IPA, Film G Milk Stout, Fog and Haze Wheat, Nine-Head Phoenix Imperial IPA, The Bloody Blade Imperial Stout, and Guanyin Tea Berliner Weisse. Then there's the Guozao Breakfast Stout, a collaboration stout that is brewed by No. 18 Brewing and Jing-A, and is named after a Wuhan traditional breakfast (see the Beijing take on it here). True to its name, this stout is brewed with sticky rice and black sesame, making for a creative mix that should lure curious beer lovers before quenching their thirst.

Also on Saturday, Jing-A will release their Han Meimei Raspberry Saison (6 percent ABV) at the China International Craft Beer Festival, which has been infused with cardamom for a summery scent. The taproom will be closed next Monday (Jul 10) for team building. Also, as we mentioned last week, The Big Smoke will be closed after this weekend, so grab your last chance to take advantage of their closing promo, which is strangely yet TBD.

Slow Boat will take over Out of Step on Saturday (July 8), starting 3pm. The brews available include Torpedo Juice Coffee Kölsch, Riptide Raspberry Pale Ale, White Cap IPA, Monkey’s Fist IPA, Helmsman’s Honey, and S.O.S. Belgian Wit. Each pint will be RMB 35 all night long. Go there and take advantage of the deal, and don’t forget to try the Taiwanese hearty guàbāo (they call it tiger bao here, RMB 28-33 each), or their newly-released nachos (see the top image).

Today is the last day of Slow Boat Brewpub’s special deal on the takeaway cans (RMB 25 each). Head to their Sanlitun location to hoard your favorite draft beers (up to four cans for each person) until 8pm.

Great Leap has the Honey Ma White back on tap at all three locations. It is a Belgian-style witbier with a Chinese twist, which was brewed with dried Buddha’s Hand fruit and Sichuan peppercorns, instead of the orange peel and coriander, and local honey from the apiary near the Great Wall. Their Sleeping Murphy Mango Saison, meanwhile, will be released in a limited bottled version (750ml for RMB 128), which was on tap in May if you can remember. This collab brew with Lervig from Norway was inspired by Sri Lankan salted mangos, with aromas of citrus and ripe mango aroma, a spicy kick and a juicy mouthfeel.

Beersmith at Hotel Jen will release a new seasonal beer – Tropical Gold Pineapple Beer on July 11 (RMB 55 net for 450ml), which is an American-style wheat ale, and was brewed with freshly crushed pineapple, American hops, and tropical fruit juice. The sweet aroma of pineapple is balanced with a dry finish.  

Last but not the least, if you are a true beer lover, maybe working in this industry is a bright choice? Currently Peiping Machine will join the ever-so-dense Sanlitun area and open its second taproom at 8 Gongti Xilu with over 400sqm space. That means they'll need plenty of new employees to keep opperations humming along-- they are hiring multiple positions like store manager, bartender, waiter, and chef. Send your CV to Zhao Zhenggang, 13901393123@139.com

Unfortunately, Little Creatures’ little launch party was postponed yesterday for another two weeks due to the annoying rain. Stay tuned for more information on that, but for now, cheers me dears!

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos courtesy of venues, Tracy Wang

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Re: What’s Up in Beer: Beer Festival with 300 Kinds, Two...
Posted Jul 7, 2017 4:28pm by yidiandian

The Big Smoke Blow-Out Closing Party

"After 5 years of serving up smoked meat, comfort food, cocktails and craft beer (and providing the original home for our brewery since 2013), the curtains are closing at The Big Smoke this Saturday. Come celebrate the end of a long run at its Blow-Out Closing Party, with happy hour deals all night on their full drinks menu and platters of their signature Ginger-Soy Ribs and Hand-cut Fries for just 58 RMB!

Don't worry, though, this isn't another case of "Bricking Up"...

Before the end of Summer the restaurant will reopen as the newest member of the 京A family! Keep your eyes peeled as we unveil more info about the new concept we'll be brewing up in Xingfucun. And throughout the renovations, our brewery will continue operations, so there'll be nor interruption to our releases of small-batch and seasonal brews over the next few weeks."