Booze News: DRiNK Bar Awards, New Beijing Beers, Papp's "Gincha"

Thirsty? Wet your whistle with Booze News, our wrap-up of the week's best deals, parties, concoctions, industry gossip, and more.

DRiNK announces North China’s Best Bars

DRiNK, a bar and beverage industry magazine focused on the Asia region, hosted its first North and West Regional Bar Awards at The Opposite House’s Union on Oct 11. Among the winners were a few familiar names – Union took home Best Hotel Bar, while Best Beer Program went to Great Leap Brewing – and some new faces took home top prizes as well: Mo Bar (pictured above), based in Wangfujing’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel, won Best Cocktail Program, and Dashilar-based Yan Whiskey Bar was named Best Bar.

Great Leap Brings back Belgian-style ale for birthday

Speaking of Great Leap, the brew masters aren’t just bringing back the Karl Long Challenge for their 11th anniversary this weekend, they’re bringing back a special beer as well. The Three Door Tripel, GLB’s annual anniversary beer, is a Belgian-style ale brewed with honey and Osmanthus tea, which makes this notably strong style (it clocks in at 9.5% ABV) more approachable, loaded with floral notes and hints of orange and banana. You can try it during Great Leap’s birthday bash from Oct 16 to 17. But hurry, it’s only available while supplies last!

Slow Boat debuts two new be ers

Riding high off their recent 2021 Burger Cup victory, Slow Boat Brewery is going from strength to strength with the release of two new beers. One is called – and this is quite the tongue twister – Wheat Wave Wheat Wine. The younger sibling of their Overlord Wheat Wine, it’s a wheat beer featuring three different wheat varieties combined with chastberry honey and Norwegian farmhouse yeast for a citrus and vanilla-forward brew that’s strong yet markedly smooth and creamy. This is a limited release, so get over to Slow Boat or find them on Taobao to grab a bottle.

The other, a collaboration with Shenzhen’s Bionic Brew, is the Hulugaloo Shanzha Sour Saison. This beer sees dried hawthorn and hawthorn juice combined to create a ruby red, creamy, slightly sour, drinkable version of one of Beijing’s favorite sweet street treats.

Papp’s and Pangolin Gin release tea-based hard seltzer

Aiming to create a lighter alternative to beer and cocktails, Beijing-based tea and kombucha maker Papp’s has teamed up with Pangolin Gin to create “Gincha,” a tea-based hard seltzer drink that comes in whimsically colored aluminum pull-capped bottles with flavors like jasmine, fruity oolong, Earl Grey, and ginger & lemon. This new concoction will be in Beijing bars soon, so keep an eye out.

READ: Return of the Champ: Slow Boat Earns Fifth Title with 2021 Burger Cup Win!

Images: Mandarin Oriental, Great Leap, Slow Boat