All the Food to Pair With Beer at the CBD Craft Beer Fest
A beer is best served two ways: cold and preferably with some food or snacks to go along with it. There's a whole lot of food to be had at the 1st CBD Craft Beer Fest next weekend, so read on to find out what all is on the menu!
Secret Route 秘密航线
When on a road trip down a road to new plains of experience, it’s best to bring along some good snacks. Secret Route provides with Smoked Pork Ribs. They’re served with a side salad and have two sauce options: yellow mustard dressing and special rib sauce (which is a bit on the sweet side).
Gou Taproom 苟市
This 77 tap taproom is also home to good, sometimes unexpected, food. Case in point: Gou will be serving chicken tacos and tortilla chips at Beer Fest. It’ll be interesting to see how these pair with their Rice Wine Gose.
Brew Chief Brewing 大酋良酝
Brew Chief Brewing takes the same mindset they do with their beer – using new brewing techniques coupled with ancient Chinese tradition – to their food. Case in point: their offerings for Beer Fest are a Huiguorou and Cumin Beef Hot Dog (pictured). Two Chinese stir-fry classics stuffed between some buns and made into the ultimate portable snack.
Grand Millennium Hotel Beijing 千禧大酒店
Grand Millennium is going the barbecue route for pairing with their three brews, Jinzhou-style barbecue to be specific. They’ll have mutton skewers made with the finest selection of lamb, plus beef skewers, chicken wings, deep fried squid rings, popcorn chicken, and deep fried sweet potato fries.
GOOD WATER FARMER 良水农造
GOOD WATER FARMER has organic tofu and doujiang in store, with three different kinds of the former. These are Organic Baojiang Tofu – tofu that’s fried so it has a crisp outer layer and soft interior; Organic Tieban Tougan – dried tofu fried and covered in spices; and Organic Tiegan Tofu – similar to the above but more on the soft side.
Ye Brewing 野鹅微醺
Ye Brewing’s food menu is a smorgasbord of options. There’s fried chicken, spicy fried tofu, sweet potato fries, calamari, and, fusing local Beijing with Mexican cuisine by elevating the humble 驴肉火烧 lǘròu huǒshāo, donkey tacos.
Xiaozui Baijiu Soda 晓醉气泡白酒
Hot dogs are the name of the game at Xiaozui’s booth. You can have it with soda too – albeit soda of the boozy baijiu variety.
Berlin Bites 柏林百特
Berlin Bites is bringing real German street food to pair with their Beer schnapps: big Berlin-style Doner Kebab (pictured), plus currywurst sausage, fries and more specialties.
LIONK 狮王精酿
LIONK will do both an American and Chinese option with their beers. The American is the American Super Big Hot Dog, a meaty sausage plopped into an all-natural hot dog bun and served with condiments, the perfect pairing for their IPA. As for the Chinese, it’s Crispy Fried Tofu Balls, a savory snack from northwest China served with homemade chili powder and a special sauce, perfect for pairing with their Shitao beer.
Wild Kite 野风筝
One of the great things about Wild Kite is their surprising food offerings, ranging from pub classics to American barbecue and a few snack options as well. They’re showing off this range at the fest by bringing out their Fish and Chips – deep fried fish filet served with a side of proper chips. Enjoy it with HuangHuang’s Submarine and it’s an interesting British-themed combo.
ANYTOP 安益达
Sausage, sausage, and more sausage is what’s on ANYTOP’s menu, courtesy of “CCGF” Butchery. These include classic varieties like Currywurst, Thüringer Bratwurst, Nürnberger Rostbratwürsten, as well as oddities like jalapeno sausage, chicken cheese corn sausage, Japanese-style mustard sausage. Perfect for pairing with all their beers.
Barublackhat
Barublackhat gets beefy on their food menu, which will consist of Japanese-style beef and potato croquettes, and beef tongue.
Malt Tiger 麦芽虎
In keeping with the spirit of American craft beer, Malt Tiger has All-American barbecue. Just beef brisket and pork ribs, smoked “low and slow” and done just right.
Slowboat 悠航鲜啤
Slowboat brings two of their classics to go with their classic and seasonal beers: their crispy spicy buffalo chicken wings, and, a favorite of ours, their beer battered seasoned fries. Both are great with a beer but if you want our opinion, it’s fries all day.
RURH x Golden Hill 鲁尔精酿×秋山艾尔
RURH x Golden Hill will have two sandwich offerings: for those who like a bit more savory with their beer, the Beef Cheese Sandwich; and, on the more rich, spicy lovers out there, the Spicy Chicken Curry Sandwich.
PandaBrew 熊猫精酿
PandaBrew is bringing beef skewers to the fest. One bite and you'll be in beefy heaven, the outer caramelized crust tearing to reveal tender meat inside. Pairs well with their Witbier or Litchi Rose Beer.
HUZI Craft Beer 虎滋精酿餐吧
The other brewery with a tiger on our list, HUZI, is keeping true to their American style and serving up racks of barbecue ribs.
TSINGTAO1903 Taproom 青岛1903酒馆
TSINGTAO1903 is bringing beef and veggie skewers to the Fest. Selected Wagyu beef is sliced into uniform small pieces, then marinated with a special blend of seasonings to ensure that every bite is infused with a rich flavor. The beef pieces are threaded onto bamboo skewers and grilled over charcoal. The skewers are slowly roasted until the beef develops a caramelized exterior, all while retaining their tender, juicy interior.
BURGE’S BISTRO & BAR 小伯格酒馆
BURGE’S beer might be going for those European sensibilities, but their food menu is all about classic American bar snacks and munchies. They’ve got fried chicken, French fries, a Slow Cooked Pork Sandwich, and Philadelphia Beef Sandwich on offer. Pair it with their Wheat and it’s a match made in heaven.
Vangergeeten x LA PLATEA 万多吉
Vangergeeten is partnered with CBD and Sanlitun favorite LA PLATEA, who will be providing great Mediterranean food with which to wash Vangergeeten’s beers down. On the snack side of things there’s Parmesan Fries, Mediterranean Fried Chicken, Chorizo Bites, and Ham & Cheese Croquettes. For more substantial fare, there are the Piadinas – Italian-style flatbread filled with meat, cheese, and sauces. Three varieties are available: Mortadella, Coppa, and Spicy Salami.
GREAT LEAP 大跃啤酒
Great Leap will be bringing their hot dogs and GLB BEEF TACOS to the Fest. This zesty delicacy is made using 100 percent imported, ground Australian Angus beef, seasoned and simmered for two hours before being mixed with an in-house Mex-Chili Sauce to create a flavor that’s both memorable and will leave you craving more.
Toastin’ Bistro 犟进酒小酒馆
Toastin’ is focusing on a different kind of meat – roasted pre-braised veal in three varieties: veal ribs, veal hindshank, and veal neck.
PartnersBrew 伙伴部落
It’s roasted lamb chops from PartnersBrew. Choice mutton chop from Tan sheep, whose meat is characterized by evenly distributed fat and muscle, making for more tender meat.
Hidden Beauty 隐果关系
Hidden Beauty has partnered with Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded Zen Sichuan Restaurant to bring Spicy Chicken to the Fest. The base of Zen’s chicken is a spicy rather than thick oil with heavy spices, which lends it a lot of spice, plus fresh and crunchy flavor that comes from the skillful addition of peppercorns and chili peppers.
Tough Tongue 硬舌酒肉
Tough Tongue is living up to their name, with ox tonuge as the protagonist of their food menu. Combined with garlic, sesame, and sweet and sour sauce, Tough Tongue's ox tonuge has a delicate taste, with each chewy bite full of juices and flavor.
Brotzeit German Bier Restaurant 博璨德国啤酒餐厅
For the perfect pairing with their Pils, Brotzeit will have on the food menu curry sausage with French fries and a Thuringer hot dog with French fries. Because, let’s be honest, pilsner, hot dog, fries – is there a better match?
Triple S 小输胜
Triple S is a Guizhou Bistro whose founder once sold popular “GUI noodles” in San Francisco. Located in the Beijing World Trade Center area, it’s become a hot spot for young people in the capital. Along with a few brews – Goose Island IPA, Rochefort 8, and Delirium Nocturnum – they’ll be cooking up some noodz. More specifically, spicy soup noodles in a signature pork sauce and sweet and sour dry noodles with pork sauce. They’ll also have chicken heart and liver, chicken wings, pork cheese sausage, and Mediterranean beef balls with secret spice powder.
Everest Foam Brew 酔野泡沫
Last but not least, Everest Foam Brew is bringing some fried snacks to pair with their beers. There are French fries, chicken strips, and chicken nuggets. And being fans of chicken nuggies ourselves, we can’t wait to try them.
Hungry? Good! Want to win some tickets!? All you’ve got to do is comment below telling us which beer or other alcoholic beverage you’re looking forward to at the CBD Craft Beer Fest on our previous post and why you want to taste it so bad. We’ll pick the best of five comments by noon on Mon, Aug 21.
In the meantime, if you’d like to stay up to date with the latest on all things beer in the capital, be sure to join our Craft Beer Lovers WeChat group. To join, simply add TBJButler on WeChat and tell them you want to be a member.
The CBD Craft Beer Fest is happening from Fri, Aug 25, to Sun, Aug 27, 3pm-9pm (Fri) and 11am-9pm (Sat-Sun). Tickets are RMB 30/person (early bird, includes free gift) or RMB 40/person (at door). Scan the QR code above or in the poster to get your tickets today!
READ: Oh, All the Beer (and Other Drinks) You Can Have at CBD Craft Beer Fest, Aug 25-27
Images: Unsplash, theBejiingers, courtesy of the vendors
