What’s Up in Beer: Thanksgiving Beer Dinner Deals, Seasonal New Brews, New Imports, and Beertopia
Well, well, Thanksgiving is approaching, with several breweries providing roasted turkey dinner with your favorite beers. In addition, several new brews and imports are hitting the market for you guys to enjoy, whereas I'm heading down to Hong Kong for the annual beer fest but will look forward in partaking once back.
With that, go find a nice slow-pour tap and settle into This Week in Beer. Cheers!
Two beers are about to be released at Arrow Factory next Monday: an IPA with a medium body and blonde in color, brewed using several new kinds of hops, and which still has yet to be named. The other one – Imperial Pilgrim – is Pilgrim's Progress' big uncle coming down from Dongbei, is a malty, full-bodied, hoppy, and strong amber ale, making a great coupling with their ever-popular Seeing Double IPA. And good news to Arrowheads (members of Arrow Factory's new beer club), the brewery's first ever exclusive event will be held on this Saturday and Sunday at Arrow Factory’s Liangma River location. Take your membership card along with you and you'll get a free taste of their two new beers as well as a free pint of either.
Next up, High Town has just released its first batch of three brews on site: Wheat Beer (4 percent ABV), brewed using traditional German methods, with aromas of banana, flowers, and cloves; High Town IPA (5 percent ABV), with aromas of grapefruit, pine, orange, and brewed with American hops; and a dutifully flowery Osmanthus Ale (4.5 percent ABV).
For some reason, Gose, a top-fermented beer originating in Germany, is now dominating this year's beer trends around the world. Jing-A's newest sour beer – Huamei Gose, is inspired by the dried and preserved plums, a traditional Chinese snack, which has been matched with Gose, giving it a tart and salty flavor and slight pinkish hue. Just as with how they brewed their "Xanadu" series of Berliner weisse beers, they used lactobacillus to sour the wort, as well as salt, and coriander to give it a special scent. A warning to the people who don’t like Gose: it tastes like “cold sweat,” but to Gose lovers, it will taste drinkable and balanced, with sweet and sour flavors, and a hint of sea salt. Feel free to tell us what you think.
Great Leap’s Beat the Landlord Barley Wine, brewed this spring, has been resting in scotch barrels from Arran Malt for several months, soaking up with the lovely whiskey flavors, as well as spicy aromas of dried fruit, warming flavors of vanilla and orange peel similar to a sherry. We can’t wait to take a sip of the 12-percent-ABV barley wine with a smooth texture and a dry finish.
Yesterday saw the release of Jing-A's new Yunnan Coffee Stout to help raise money for GoodWorks as part of the Maovember 2016 charity campaign. RMB 10 from each pint will be donated to the cause, and they also have charity shots of Jameson (RMB 20) as well as a bean counting game, which gives you the chance to get two growlers of Yunnan Coffee Stout to take home, as well as a bag of GoodWorks craft-roast coffee beans. Not to be missed!
El Nido has several new imports on tap: Thor IPA, Lupulingus Imperial IPA, Hop Zombie Double IPA, Armageddon IPA; White Pale Ale from the popular Epic Brewing in New Zealand; Dag & Dawn from De Molen in Netherlands; Bomb! Imperial Stout from Prairie Artisan Ales in America; and Breakfast Stout and Kentucky Breakfast Stout from Founders (two of our new favorites).
On Saturday, from 4-8pm, Park Side in Lido and Drinking Buddies organize a drink-a-thon (shame people, shame) whereby RMB 100 will get you all-you-can-drink on Pale Ale from Crate Brewery, and The Bears Himalayan Red Rye Ale from Big Hug Brewing. Admit it, you know you want in.
Thanksgiving deals
Great Leap Brewing will hold their fifth annual Thanksgiving celebration on November 26 from 2-6pm at the original #6 (the hutong one). A potluck dinner will be held, with the turkey provided by them and attendees asked to bring another dish to share with everyone at the dinner. In the meanwhile, their first barrel aged beers will also be on tap on Saturday.
Jing-A and Traitor Zhou’s are teaming up again this Thanksgiving. Enjoy the fried chicken and Cajun-inspired side dishes from Traitor Zhou’s while sipping pumpkin ale from Jing-A would be nice for this Thanksgiving. Seatings at 6pm and 8pm will be available both at the Jing-A Taproom and Okra (in 1949 Courtyard too). RMB 800 (group of 4, prior reservation), RMB 1,000 (group of 4, walk-in). Call Jing-A Taproom at 6501 8883 or Okra at 6593 5087 to reserve a table.
Slow Boat Sanlitun Brewpub will also host a Thanksgiving Dinner, cooked by their French chef, with roasted turkey, salad, sautéed vegetables with melted marshmallow, and pumpkin pie. Each course is paired with a different brew for a boozy Thanksgiving experience. RMB 300 per person. RSVP at 6592 5388.
Drunk Bar is also providing a Thanksgiving Dinner for two (RMB 338 per set), with includes salad, creamy pumpkin soup, roast turkey, two apple pies, and two glasses of house wine.
RELATED: Where to Get Stuffed on Turkey: Beijing 2016 Thanksgiving Events
By the way, if you happen to be in Hong Kong during this weekend, don’t miss the 2016 Beertopia Hong Kong at Central Harbourfront (November 18-19). This largest craft beer festival started in 2012, with over 500 beers from 119 breweries around the world, including 100 different IPAs, 50 porters and stouts, among which there are 65 beers brewed in Hong Kong. Our old friend Jing-A will be there too, if you miss Beijing while you're there, stop by and say hello to them. Get your ticket here. See ya there!
More stories by this author here.
Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure
Photos: media.gq.com, courtesy of the venues
