What's Up in Beer: Free Beer, Beer Rumor, New Brews, and Beer Run

The temperature seems to have dropped a little bit, and Beijing’s most pleasant (albeit short-lived) season is just around the corner. Recently I came across the sentence, “beer is not the killer [of your health], a chair is.” So get up and WALK to the pubs for your health while it's still tolerable outside, and for those who actually, seriously care about fitness, there’s even a beer run this week to burn some extra calories.

One of our favorite places for brunch and fusion dishes, The Rug (Sanlitun location in Courtyard 4), will be serving a keg of an award-winning Belgian tripel beer this Saturday (September 2). The Straffe Hendrik Tripel is a golden tripel with a sturdy white collar and 9 percent ABV, it won the Halve Maan Brewery in Bruges a gold medal at the European Beer Star in 2009 and 2011. The 161-year-old brewery also built the very first beer pipe (see the story here). This beer is quite spicy with notes of black pepper, coriander, and ginger, and the blend of six varieties of malt provides the beers with a well-balanced and strong taste. Normally, the beer is sold in bottles in China, and samples of the draft version will be given out at 11am-3pm, and 6.30-8.30pm. Pop up and grab a drink, paired with the hearty food at The Rug.

Beer Mania, a 12-year-old popular veteran Belgian beer pub for seasoned beer lovers, is about to undergo a change in management, meaning owner Thierry de Dobbeleer hand over the keys and leave China. If you'd like to go offer your thanks and well wishes (possible by buying too many farewell beers), they will offer a 50%-off-daily happy hour deal on Belgian drafts, cocktails, and shooters, from 4-8pm.

Slow Boat has two new beers on tap: Cow on A Boat Cream Ale, with 5.1 percent ABV, which has an easy drinking malty, sweet and smooth body; and Flying Whale IPA with 6.9 percent ABV, which is piney with a malty body, and brewed with rich resinous hops.

They will also be releasing a new chef collaboration in September, this time with chef Ray Yueheng of Pebbles Courtyard Mexican Restaurant. He will bring his freshly honed skills into the kitchen to serve up taco combos with new flavors like honey chipotle pulled chicken and spicy fried eggplant with black bean sauce on soft flour tortillas with Baja-style deep-fried fish, coleslaw and pico de gallo, paired with an order of crispy cheese taquitos and guacamole for dipping.

And don’t forget that the BHS Beer Run is TONIGHT (Aug 31)! Join the warm-up at 6.10pm and run at sunset (6.47pm). During the two-hour tour, you will be guided through four venues in Xicheng District: NBeer Pub (Huguosi location), Qidian Café, Old Boiler Grill&Bar, and iB. You will get a pint at each venue. Pay RMB 200 if you don’t have a membership card. To RSVP or get more information, add them on WeChat. (WeChat: BJbrew for members and WeChat: someet for non-members).

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
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Photos courtesy of venues