Carlsberg Buys Into Jing-A, Great Leap Launches Jianbings

Times they are a’ changin': two seismic announcements this week in the Beijing brew scene: local brewmasters Jing-A have announced a major investment from beer giant Carlsberg, and Great Leap, long known not only for their brew but also for Western foods such as burgers and pizza, has leaped into the local cuisine category with a new line of jianbings.

First, Jing-A: they announced Carlsberg’s minority investment in their business yesterday with a proclamation that they will remain the independent brew they’ve been since 2012, with the money from the multinational to be earmarked for better distribution of their wares and upgraded brewing facilities to allow them to output more of their seasonal and small-batch brews.

In a WeChat post announcing the deal, founders of Jing-A Kris Li and Alex Acker attempt to allay fears of Carlsberg overreach in their brewing process, stating, "With this new partnership, we continue to retain full control of Jing-A while receiving support where we most want it – state of the art brewing/lab facilities and a solid distribution network." Read the post in full here.

However, it's hard to say how die-hard, independence-proud hipsters will take this news given how many fly the flag for the little guy versus the Machine, that coupled with Carlsberg's position as a low-end, mass-market beer here. The deal is likely to invoke memories of Shanghai's Boxing Cat Brewery, which was bought out by juggernauts AB InBev back in 2017, and led to mixed sentiments of well-wishes and cries of "selling-out" within the craft brew scene. Since then, Boxing Cat has expanded in the Chinese market, including opening a branch in Beijing.

That being said, we can’t argue with getting Jing-A in front of more consumers nationwide – it can only bring more attention to the Beijing brew scene as well as help continue to raise the stakes of Beijing as a worthy capital of food and drink.

Speaking of food and drink, we’re super excited to see GLB take on the local delicacy the jianbing with their hybrid creations.

While steeply priced (RMB 45-50), their fusion take on the jianbing is something you just gotta try, if only for the novelty of them.

The three menu items are part of a new brunch menu at their new Lido location.

The Ron Swanson Jianbing (RMB 45) features bacon, eggs, and American cheese. The Miracle Max (RMB 45) is a BLT in a jianbing, and the Heidi Fleiss (RMB 50) features eggs, ham, cheese, mornay sauce, and apple butter all wrapped up in the familiar jianbing package.

Kudos to both for their growth and innovation – now go forth and partake!

READ: Great Leap’s New Brewpub Brings 30 Taps and Hearty Food Options to Lido

Images courtesy of Jing-A, Great Leap