What’s Up in Beer: Free Beer Day Saturday, GLB and Moon Dog Co-Brew, Jing-A Co-Brew, Arrow’s Liangma IPA Back on Tap

Did you enjoy your Dragon Boat Festival? We hope you've since recovered from the potential post-traumatic hangover that usually accompany holidays in Beijing. However, we must begin this week's beery roundup with some sad news: Great Leap’s Craft Beer Festival, which was only announced last week, has had to be postponed while the team find a new location for the event. For now, let’s wipe away our tears and see what's available to get us through the weekend.

Sticking with Great Leap Brewing, the team has some new brew on tap to help stick our broken heart together, a second batch of collaboration-brew with Australia's Moon Dog brewery. The first batch, Leaping the Dog Barley Champagne, was particularly addictive, leading to the two breweries to join up once again this March, creating what has been dubbed as the Leaping the Dog Barley Champagne Rosé. This batch is brewed with summer in mind, using raspberries to create a light-bodied beer and a dry, crisp finish with a hefty 13.5 percent ABV. This beer (RMB 60 for 340ml) will be initially released on Friday, June 4, at the GLB #6 hutong location before spreading out to all three locations by the Saturday.

If you have a good memory, you might recall that Vietnamese brewery Pasteur Street launched three beers in Beijing in last September at both Jing-A and Arrow Factory. Recently, Pasteur Street collaborated with Jing-A to make a Dualistic Oversimplification Szechuan Sour, which has now been released at Jing-A's Taproom. The usual version found in Ho Chi Minh is a strong stout, whereas this counterpart is a tart ale brewed with three special ingredients from China and Vietnam: cocoa nibs, dried tangerine peels, and Sichuan pepper. It has 5 percent ABV and floral and citrusy aromas, as well as a nutty, spicy finish.

Boxing Cat Brewery in Shanghai (yes, the one that was somewhat controversially acquired by AB-InBev back in March) is using their extra might to now collaborate with over 80 bars and restaurants across China, organizing National Free Beer Day this Saturday (Jun 3). The following Beijing venues will be participating, allowing you to claim (at least) one tasty pint of Boxing Cat's Ringside Red Amber Lager for absolutely free. This malty lager with 5 percent ABV has an amber-orange color and is notable for winning the World Beer Cup last year. Who can't say no to free beer ...

• Peiping Machine
• Kamehameha
• River Homebrewing & Steak
• Home Plate
• 40+ Brewery
• Beer All
• Yun Brew
• Regain Element
• 12 Knights
• BeerCheers
• Ram Brewpub
• Happy Emperor
• TransMountain Taphouse
• Crossfit Slash

Liangma IPA is back on tap at Arrow Factory, a woody and earthy brew with a malty character (RMB 45, 5.8 percent ABV). Since they've run out of wheat beer, they're replacing it with a guest beer Clove Hefeweizen on tap, brewed by NBeer Pub. If you're not heading to Arrow then you'll be happy to know find their bottled Guanxi beer at Pop-Up, The Local, and Nanjie.

Did we mention that El Nido is still open having weathered the worst of the Fangjia Hutong bricky onslaught? They currently have 12 beers on tap, with highlights including Flying Dog Sea Salted Caramel Ale (7 percent ABV), PC Pils Pilsner (5.5 percent ABV) and Imperial Stout (10.5 percent ABV) from Founders, Jack Hammer from Brewdog (7.2 percent ABV), and Lupulingus IPA from Epic (5 percent ABV).

Other deals next week include RMB 10 off all draft beer at Slow Boat Sanlitun, from Monday to Friday (11am-6pm).

And for RMB 100, you can get all you can drink on selected beers at North Capital on Tuesday.

Last but not the least, if you happen to fly to be going to Dali in Yunnan province next weekend (lucky!), on June 10 (noon-9pm) and June 11 (noon-6pm) NBeer Pub will be organizing the very first Dali Craft Beer Festival. there'll be more than 10 vendors and distributors in attendance, as well as over 100 vendors selling handmade goods. There'll also be a slew of international brews on site from the UK, America, Germany, Spain, Belgium, New Zealand, Sweden, Iceland, Poland, Italy, and Japan. If you're in town, head to Nanmenli Buxingjie, Dali Old City.

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos courtesy of venues, Tracy Wang