What’s Up in Beer: Great Leap x Slow Boat, New Arrow Brews, and Beer Cocktails Galore
Hey beer lovers, welcome to the first beery blog of 2018! If you've vowed to undertake Dry January, this is probably the wrong thing to be reading right now, but we don't blame you for being curious – after all, it's a great time to try some new brews. Just remember that drinking moderately is the best promise you can make your 2018 self. On that note, onwards!
It was the passing of GoodWorks' Sam Cornthwaite that first brought Beijing’s first two craft breweries Great Leap Brewing and Slow Boat Brewery together, the two "old men" of Beijing's brewery scene creating a milk stout in his memory. Now, they pair up for a second time to make the Not Even the Nazarene Apricot Braggot (6.5 percent ABV); a light, easy-drinking beer with notes of Champagne on the nose. A statement from the breweries says: “The inherent sweetness from the honey is balanced with a generous addition of apricots that were added during secondary fermentation to help the beer finish smooth and refreshing.” This beer will be on tap as of Friday and is served in 310ml tulip glass at Slow Boat and all GLB locations for RMB 50. Alternatively, buy a takeaway RMB 138 750ml bottled edition.
It's proving a busy week for Slow Boat as they've also booked themselves a tap takeover party at 8-Bit on Saturday (Jan 6) from 6pm-2am. Grab a pint of Riptide Raspberry Pale Ale, Captain's Pale Ale, Monkey's Fist IPA, or Cow on a Boat Cream Ale for RMB 35 and sit back and enjoy the smooth sounds of DJ Sake Gin on the turntables.
Over at Arrow Factory, they've got several new beers on tap, including The Lovin’ Spoonful Passion Fruit Milkshake Ale (pictured above) with 5.6 percent ABV. This sweet and tangy golden ale comes with a strong passion fruit character and was brewed with lactose to give it that sweet “milkshake” vibe. Couple that with a large helping of Centennial and Mosaic hops thrown into the whirlpool at low temperature and you've got a hoppy brew with a structurally robust complexity.
Their Kiss Me Hardy Pale Ale with 4.3 percent ABV is a light but hoppy session ale/IPA made with Nelson Sauvin New Zealand hops. The name is inspired by England's greatest naval hero Admiral Horatio Nelson's famous last words to Captain Thomas Hardy as he lay dying at the Battle of Trafalgar. Also, back on tap are the Longbowmen English Ale with 5.7 percent ABV and A Whiter Shade of Pale Hefeweizen with 4.8 percent ABV.
If you didn’t make it to Flying Monkeys’ tasting at Peiping Machine last week, head to The Great Outdoors for 10 of their beers, including two versions of Chocolate Manifesto Chocolate Milk Stout (10 percent ABV), Juicy Ass IPA (6.5 percent ABV), 12 Minutes to Destiny Hibiscus Pale Lager, Smashbomb Atomic IPA, AntiGravity Light Lager, Confederation Amber Ale, Hoptical Illusion Pale Ale, and Mythology Canadian Golden Pilsner.
Botany, one of our favorite cocktail bars, has begun to brew their own beers alongside the distillation of their whiskeys and gins. If that doesn’t sound appealing enough, try a blend of both with their beer cocktail, which uses their own IPA mixed with brandy, making for a sweet and delicious aromatic winter tipple with deep herbal notes and a hazy sunset color.
You may also want to check out Jiaodaokou's new kid on the block, Deal Beer, which was opened on Dec 29 by Peiping Machine’s former manager Max Zhou. Situated in the hutongs, this 64sqm bar features 11 draft beers from the likes of Ballast Point, Rogue, Goose Island, and a bunch of domestic brewers. They also offer beer cocktails with various liquor bases. Check out our first impressions here.
Last but not least, Out of Step, our favorite bar for Canadian craft brew not to be found anywhere else, is under renovation and will reopen at the end of this month. Hang in there, embassy folk!
And with that, take it easy, beer lovers!
More stories by this author here.
Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure
Photos courtesy of venues, Tracy Wang
