What’s Up in Beer: Chinese Brews Wipe Out the Competition, New Drinking Buddies Box, IPA Week

Tracy Wang, Senior Editor | Sep 21, 2018 2:04 pm | Add a comment | 2382 reads

Four seasons in one day: that's Beijing right now. Each morning is spring with breezes and vibes, lunchtime is sun-drenched summer, the evening is chilly autumn – when we can’t wait to grab a pint of beer or a glass of champagne in a hutong courtyard – and nighttime is like winter with ruthless low temperatures. The great news is that you can drink beer, no matter what the season! Let’s see what Beijing has to offer us this week.

Chinese Brews Clean up at the International Beer Cup 

First things first, The International Beer Cup we mentioned was held last week in Yokohama, Japan. We are proud to see that Chinese breweries won over 50 awards among 754 entries from 22 countries, some of the awards are as follows:

  • Great Leap Brewing: Wall Builder on Brett in Brett Beer style, Silver Medal; Honey Ma in Herb and Spice style, Bronze Medal.
  • Jing-A: Lychee Xanadu in American-Style Sour Ale style, Silver Medal.
  • Slow Boat: Stone Boat Pilsner in Other International-Style Lager style, Silver Medal; Moon Jelly in American-Style India Pale Ale style, Silver Medal.
  • NBeer: Puti Red Wine Barrel Cranberry Sour, in Fruited Wood – and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer style, Gold Medal; Niubi Wheat in American-Style Wheat Beer with Yeast style, Bronze Medal; Jieshan 219 Sour IPA in American-Style Sour Ale style, Bronze Medal.
  • Dangge: Black Tea Lager in Herb and Spice Beer style, Silver Medal.
  • Bubble Lab: Golden Porter in Coffee Beer style, Silver Medal; Bubble IPA in American-Style India Pale Ale style, Silver Medal.
  • Dream Brewer: Discovery 2# Saison in Specialty Saison style, Gold Medal.
  • Reberg: Dubbel Zoet in Specialty Beer style, Bronze Medal.

Congrats brewers! But after all, its what's in the glass matters. Check the full list here.

Drinking Buddies Drop Their Autumn Package

Drinking Buddies’ autumn package has arrived and it’s heavy on saisons. Check the full tasting notes here or below courtesy of Drinking Buddies:

  • Bench’s Ball’s Falls: a session IPA that was clearly brewed for hikes. It’s light, easy-drinking and backpack friendly.
  • Northern Whisper’s Yammerhouse: a robust and bold American Pale Ale packed with hops.
  • Northern Whisper’s Shoestring: a classic saison profile of esters, mild spice and a smooth, dry body.
  • Uiltje’s Mosaic Mammoth: a tropical fruit concoction with a mammoth sized ABV.
  • Voodoo Brewing’s Wynona’s Big Brown Ale: a malt-heavy option perfect for cooler nights.
  • Magic Rock Brewing’s Salty Kiss: a last hoorah to summer for some and has added health properties with its unique fruit profile.

Join the beer club to receive this July beer box, along with exclusive pricing on beer reorders, via DB's WeChat shop (啤友汇DrinkingBuddies), by calling 137 1808 0725, or by emailing hello@drinkingbuddies.cn.

IPA, Every Day at Slow Boat

Good news for IPA lovers, as we mentioned last week, Slow Boat launches their fourth IPA Week to celebrate one of the most iconic styles in the beer world. Their kitchen will serve up one new IPA and food pairing every day of the week, and each pairing is only available for one day. After the seven IPA and food pairings, they will put all the IPAs on the menu until the kegs run dry. Check the full menu above.

Jing-A Gets Milky With New IPA, and Takeover Huda Taps 

With milk tea getting even more popular, Jing-A is launching their Nai Cha (milk tea) IPA, which is brewed with lactose and jasmine tea. Also, they’ll have all-day happy hour on Full Moon Farmhouse for the Mid-Autumn Day on Monday (Sep 24). Don’t forget, Sep 26 is the last day to get early bird tickets to the 8x8 Brewing Project on Oct 26-27. Check out more info here.

The Jing-A bros will also launch four draft beers (Flying Fist IPA, Mandarin Wheat, Worker's Pale Ale, and Tuhao Gold Pils) at the popular Sichuan restaurant Huda flagship location on Guijie. Even better, pints of free Jing-A beer will be given out at peak hours (8pm on Friday and Saturday) while you are waiting. Additionally, tomorrow (Sep 21), the Jing-A founders will be handing out free beer tasters from the Keg Egg. Expect challenges and games outside, and the first 50 people to order two or more pints of Jing-A will get a keychain as a gift.

Great Leap Will Represent at Mikkeller Beer Celebration

As we mentioned previously, Great Leap team will take part in the Mikkeller Beer Celebration in Tokyo on Sep 23-24 alongside other top-notch breweries from around the world. Insterested? Head to Tokyo’s Rubber-ball Baseball Ground in Meiji Jingu Gaien. Purchase tickets for the free-flow beer sessions in advance from here.

Where to Get Leo vs. Ursus Doublus DIPA Around BJ

Another win for IPA lovers, Firestone Walker’s Leo v. Ursus Doublus DIPA is now on tap at 3 Little Pigs, Side Street, Dao Taphouse, Peiping Machine, Yun Brew, and the Local. Stop by and try this delicious beer which is inspired by their iconic Double Jack (discontinued). This intense yet supremely balanced beer is dry hopped with a massive amount of hops for amplified aromatic and bold flavors, resulting in a hefty 9.5 percent ABV. Also, Andy at 3 Little Pigs is currently offering a ghost pepper IPA sausage sandwich with a 120ml pour of Doublus IPA for RMB 50. The offer is limited so head over to his Zhangzozhong Lu venue before it's all gone. 

With that, have a great Mid-Autumn Holiday, and we'll see you next week!

READ: When Beer Beckons: Asia's Best Beer Festivals This Autumn

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos courtesy of venues, Beertaster