I live just down the HuTong from this cool spot and enjoy my monthly or so stop-over for a beer or few. It's very reminiscent of the innovative small-business microbreweries that abound in the USA, particularly in places that, like Beijing, host a population of easy-going drinkers otherwise disappointed by the rivers of piss-beer that lends to naught but a fattitude.

My visits would be more frequent if the prices were more reasonable, and I'm informed I'm not alone in this critique. Inasmuch as it has a steady local patronage, drink-specials on weekdays would prosper business, but alas their better beers run around 50元, the others aren't far behind.

Like the historical Great Leap, it closes when one's starting to have fun, there's no food, and the evening ends with a bunch of drunk hungry outsiders pouring into Beijing's HuTong heart. Further, there's not much inside to the place, and while the courtyard's lovely and spacious one notes the absence of hard-alcohol when trying to drink-away the cold.

Good to bring your Chinese friends who've agreed to "just one beer!" I prefer the Honey-Ma, I think they call it, which is otherwise 花椒/麻椒-啤酒。

Imagine the feeling you have when you come to a house you've been invited in but you are in fact unknown and not welcomed. This is what we found there.

When we have been there, no price was mentioned on the blackboard and no drink list was available. A friend of mine did not have much money to spend on beers and asked for the prices. The guys were watching him as if it was shameful to know how much it would cost for a beer.

Our overall experience was pretty bad. To spend a good moment, I would rather not going there...

I was never a really big beer drinker, but this place really made me have some appreciation for beer.
And that's all there is to it. The place doesn't look like it received lots of investment in infrastructure (except what they needed to make the heavenly beer). It's also very hidden, if someone doesn't take you there, you'll most likely get lost on the first time you go. By the time you read "We reserve the right to ignore you" close to the bar, I hope you'll have understood that it's all about the beer.

But there is more, the lack of pretense makes this place awesome for socialising as well. The patrons are usually very open for a good chat. Blue Grass Tuesdays are my favourite. I read the reviews about bad service, but here's the bottomline: If you want some quality beer and cool crowd, come and grab a pint. If you're gonna bitch about it, there's other places where you can find Tsing Tao for the same price.

I have been to Great Leap Twice. I will NEVER go back. Sure, the beer is good. I'm not going to deny them that, but the "customer service" is atrocious. First off, the place is so small they do not have adequate room to store their beer. Would you like to buy a warm beer? Second, when the reddish haired girl (I think someone said she is from DC) points to a sign on the wall that reads, "We have the right to ignore you", you kind of decide to never return. Seriously. Who does that? After about 15 minutes she came to apologize to me at my table and said that she was just stressed out. I told her that I had never been treated like that and that she should really focus on her attitude, because frankly, the girl is a massive bitch. She then proceeded to tell me that the customer is not always right and stormed off.

DO NOT GIVE THIS PLACE MONEY.

That is all.

This is the best place to drink in Beijing, bar none.

Best beer, and that's all you need to know.

All the rest of the pretension, hype, 'be seen', poncy nonsense that you get with chain or corporate bars does not exist here. The guy just makes great beer and if you want to drink it, find the bar and enjoy it.

Prices are fair for what you drink, quality = price, there is a reason why Yanjing beer is 3 rmb a bottle.

Please be aware that those with high expectations of comfort, convenience, airconditioning, seating, toilets and all the extras should really stay in their comfort zone and don't make the trek into the wild and barbaric hutongs.

This is a great place for beer. The look is spartan to say the least - bare walls adorned only by a chalkboard stating that day's beers, naked nightbulbs, a few seats inside, and that's about it - but Great Leap obviously know their beer and make a virtue of that. No Tsingtao here! I paticularly liked the Oatmeal porter - the heaviest of those then available (I'm a Guinness drinker back home), whereas the Honey Ma was light and sweet. Prices were just RM25 a pint (and you get a nice pint glass), though they also do ales and stouts which are pricier. I went on St Patrick's Day and was mildly miffed to be charged RMB55 for one of them - can it really cost that much??

Great Leap has a courtyard outside, which makes it a great place for al fresco qaffing in warmer weather. It is rather difficult to find though, and like most hutong bars doesn't have its own toilets - there are hutong toilets just outside the courtyard entrance, though, which are as you would expect in China. But this is a fairly minor quibble - for a beer fan, Great Leap gets that just right.