Feeling Crafty? Win Tickets to Attend the Beijing Beer Festival on Saturday

This Saturday (June 2) sees the capital hold the first-ever Craft Beer Festival at the Beijing Shijingshan Electrical Relay Factory in the Dashilar area of Qianmen. As the craft brewing craze hits fever pitch across Beijing, and the music festival season dies down for another year, it’s only fitting that we hold a different kind of festival. And what better kind than a beer one?

Great Leap Brewing is bringing together a host of the country's top craft brewers in one place for an afternoon of warm ale and spicy peanuts. From Shanghai, Boxing Cat Brewery will be in attendance. Fighting out of the Qingdao corner will be Strong Ale Works. While Beijing is represented by Drei Kronen 1308, Hopfenstube/Fuerst Carl, Slow Boat Brewery and, of course, Great Leap Brewing.

With upwards of 20 different concoctions on site and over a thousand litres of brew, it could well turn out to be a very merry afternoon. There’ll be food available for the peckish. Tacos, pretzels, and Thai-style fish cakes will be among the offerings, but remember: Eating is cheating.

For the kids, a bouncy castle will provide a distraction; Dad can sup his way through a selection of pale ales, stouts and wheats before taking to the inflatable himself.

Admission will be RMB 200 at the door and that includes 15 tasters and two glasses of a brew of your choice. When you’ve exhausted your vouchers, you can pay cash for your favourites.

Most of the proceeds from the day will be ploughed back into the Beijing home brewing community as they look to secure enough funds to open Beijing’s first homebrew store.

Carl Setzer of organisers Great Leap Brewing has lofty ambitions. He cites the Great American Craft Beer Festival held annually in Denver, and Montreal’s Mondial de la Biere as examples of festivals he wishes to replicate in Beijing. He also says Saturday’s sortie will be the first of many. Hopefully, the attendance this weekend will justify his claim.

The organisers of Saturday's brewhaha (sorry) have given us a pair of tickets to give away. To be in with a chance of winning them answer this simple question: In what month does Oktoberfest begin? Send your answer to win@thebeijinger.com by noon on Friday, June 1. The winners will be notified soon after. Good luck.

Photo: Beerwench