The Best Brewery Hops in Beijing
August 22, 2019
If you’re traveling to Beijing, we know you’re probably not going for the beer. But since you survived 14 hours in an airplane next to Judy who showed you photos of her grandchildren for 12 of those hours, then by God, you deserve a beer. And once you survive the crowds at the Forbidden City, you’ll deserve an entire hop! Emily had a fantastic time roaming around Beijing this past spring in search of some hoppy IPAs and toasty stouts – what she found, in addition to some pretty great beer, was a delightful community of ex-pats bringing American-style beer to Southeast Asia. In a city that can feel fairly foreign, it was a wonderful experience to visit American breweries with a Chinese twist. Fair warning – most of these hops require walking of at least 20 minutes. Luckily, rideshares like DiDi are about $2 USD and there are plenty of bikes you can rent also for very cheap.
Panda Brew –> Peiping Machine Brewery
Our first stop in Chaoyang District is Panda Brew. With 23 locations throughout China, Panda is unique for being Chinese-owned. This location in Chaoyang District feels upscale, from the coffee cart at the front of the tap room to its chic décor – it’s the perfect place for business drinks or a date. The extensive food menu also offers a reason to settle in and stay awhile to try some local favorites and some expat standards. After some communication issues, I realized the flights were fixed and settled on a balanced flight with an IPA, a porter, a coffee stout, and a barley wine. With its IBU at 45, the Flower Drum Song IPA was very light and crisp, perfect for when the AQI (Air Quality Index) is low and you can finally hang out by the pool. The McCartney Porter was a well-balanced and light porter with fantastic caramel flavor. And the Tang Dynasty Bitter Melon was the only barleywine I found in Beijing, so while it was too sweet for my taste, Panda gets bonus points for uniqueness.
Just down the street and through a hutong (be still, my heart!), you’ll find Peiping Machine Brewing in a converted brick factory, making it the most aesthetically pleasing brewery I encountered in China. The space is beautiful, and there’s plenty of space to enjoy some craft beer and food with a group of friends. Although the flights are fixed, you’ll get a decent sampling of their vast tap list – over 32 beers when I visited. While most of the beers in the flight were a little light for my taste, the 100 Flower Hidden Deep, a 6.7% American IPA with an IBU of 65, paired well with my jiangbing, a crepe-like treat that functions as the Chinese version of drunk food. The Chocolate Stout was also solid and made for a delicious chocolatey post-jiangbing dessert.
Great Leap Brewing #45 –> Steam Rhino –> Arrow Factory Brewing
Great Leap has three locations throughout Beijing. Great Leap #45 in Chaoyang District is an easy walk from the US Embassy and offers delightful pizza and large picnic tables for your group gatherings. While I prefer the more authentic experience of Great Leap Brewing #6 since it’s down a winding hutong (see more notes on this below), #45 is fantastic for an after-work happy hour. Many of the beers on draft are the same across the locations. My recommendation: you can’t go wrong with the smokey Liu the Brave stout in the winter, Great Leap’s flagship stout that delivers quality flavors of chocolate and coffee. And in the summer, try the Hidden General IPA; although not particularly hoppy, its bubbles and fruitiness make it ideal for the warmer months.
It’s an easy 15 minute walk over the Liangma River to our next stop on this hop — Steam Rhino Brewing Co., a newish brewery in Beijing having opened in October 2018. It’s tucked into an expat apartment building next to a duty free store so it’s easy to miss, which honestly adds to the experience. The steampunk ambience made me wonder if an Asian adaptation of The Great Gatsby might be interesting. The space is small — they were renovating when I was there so they could be expanding – and with the dim lights, this works best for quiet dinners and small business meetings. With a menu comprised of elevated pub fare, it’s a stylish place to grab a decent beer and some comfort food if you’re an expat living in Chaoyang. With eight beers on tap from pale ales to stouts to tripels, everyone in your group should find something they like. My recommendations: the Rhino Ale, a toffee and chocolate brown ale (is anyone surprised I liked the brown?) coming it at an easy 4.9% ABV, and the Flatwhite Stout, a sweet chocolate stout with a 5.6% ABV that was smooth enough it could have been on nitro.
From Steam Rhino, it’s an easy walk around the corner to Arrow Factory Brewing – this will be your easiest hop in Beijing. The vibe at Arrow Factory is delightful – comfortable, intimate, and cool without being intimidating. There are lower and upper levels as well as a rooftop, making this a great place for a lively brunch or weekend evening gathering spot. I settled up to the bar and I quickly placed an order for huevos rancheros and chips and guac (you can take the girl out of SoCal but you can’t take the SoCal out of the girl…). As for the beer, I ordered the Back in Black milk stout, a 6.5% ABV breakfast stout that paired perfectly with my huevos. The Seeing Double IPA, an American IPA that made up for its lack of haze with its delightful dank and caramel flavor. For dessert, I was nearly jumping out of my bar stool to try my first Beijing sour, the Rrrrrrraspberry Sour. With its beautiful color and tart, almost pulpy flavor, it did not disappoint. I left Arrow Factory a full and happy expat.
With your belly full after Arrow Factory’s delicious brunch, you could head home to take a well-earned midday nap, or snag a bike, hop in a DiDi, or walk off your huevos rancheros, and extend your hop into the next hop to Slow Boat and then to Jing-A. Beijing is a marathon and not a sprint in more ways than one.
Slow Boat Brewery –> Jing-A Brewing Co
First stop on this short hop, or the third stop on your marathon hop, is Slow Boat Brewery. This fairly commercial space hits all the marks – extensive food menu, plenty of space for large groups, and solid beer. I couldn’t try several of the beers I had my eye on because they were either out or not allowed in flights, but the Moon Jelly Clear New England IPA more than made up for it. At 7.2% ABV and a low 23 IBU, this NEIPA was clean, even, and easy to drink, while maintain a good hop flavor. If you prefer your sours to be sweeter, take a gamble on the Ship Eyes Cherry Sour. Although it didn’t quite have the lip puckering effect that I love in my sours, it had a strong cinnamon flavor that made it taste like cherry pie.
A beautiful 20 minute walk through Sanlitun takes you to Jing-A Brewing Co., arguably the best brewery in Beijing, so it makes sense that we’d end our hop here. Settle in the dark for some good barbeque and some great beer. Confession – I went here for brunch a few weeks into my trip and insisted on coming back on my last night in Beijing. You know it’s good when you spend your last moments in the country guzzling Jing-A’s velvety stouts and buttery IPAs. My first comment about the Black Velvet Vanilla Stout was “Damn, that’s so good.” At 6.2% ABV, this stout is warm and strong – it’s the perfect beer for the pumpkin pie dessert. Chinese craft beer tends to lack the haze we so crave on the west coast; Jing-A’s Flying Fist IPA serves as a welcome reminder that IPAs don’t have to be hazy to be delightful. This flagship American IPA, coming in at 60 IBU, was hoppy and smooth, just a real delight to drink. Finally, you know I’m never going to pass on a ginger gose – the Suan La Tang, Jing-A’s ginger gose, was spicy and tart. Notes of chili peppers and sea salt provided nice balance – this was one of my favorite beers of my visit.
Bonus Brewery — Great Leap Brewery #6:
Once you’ve had your fill of the Forbidden City – for me, due to the crowds, that took about 20 minutes – put on your walking shoes and head to Great Leap Brewery #6. It’s a 30 minute walk from the Forbidden City’s north gate, but the neighborhood is beautiful and eventually you find yourself winding down hutongs – traditional alleys lined by traditional courtyard residences – this is where the magic happens. Beijing’s original hutong brewery, Great Leap #6, is settled in a 110-year old hutong residence and courtyard. The brewery only serves spicy peanuts (they’re delightful), but it has a great courtyard for hanging with friends on the rare nice day and a few seats inside in cozy booths and tables or nestled up to the bar. The craft beer boom forgot about Great Leap #6 and it’s all the better for it.
My favorite ales here belonged to Great Leap’s Honey Ma series – the Honey Ma Gold, a light spiced beer made in collaboration with LERVIG, is fantastic courtyard beer on a summer day. And the Honey Ma IPA is crisp and refreshing, equally at home in the Great Leap courtyard as the Honey Ma Gold. The other highlight was the Negrito Generalissmo IPA, the perfect black IPA for the cooler day I visited. The hops and coffee combo left this 80 IBU IPA with an almost smokey aftertaste.
BEST PLACE FOR IPAS:
Jing-A (Runner-up: Great Leap)
BEST PLACE FOR SOURS:
Arrow Factory (Runner-up: Slow Boat)
BEST PLACE FOR STOUTS:
Jing-A (Runner-up: Arrow Factory)
BEST PLACE TO ENJOY A LOW AQI DAY:
Great Leap #6 (Runner-up: Arrow Factory)
BEST PLACE FOR A LARGE GROUP:
Peiping Machine (Runners-up: Slow Boat, Jing-A)
BEST PLACE FOR A QUIET DRINK:
Panda (Runners-up: Great Leap #6, Steam Rhino)
BEST PLACE TO EAT:
Arrow Factory (Runners-up: Jing-A, Great Leap #45, Peiping Machine)
Which is your favorite of these brewery hops? Are there any you love that we neglected to mention? Since this is our first international brewery hop guide, where internationally should we head next to drink delicious craft beer? Please answer in the comments below– and keep an eye out for our upcoming brewery hop guide to Tokyo! Cheers!
One of the better surveys of Beijing’s craft beer highlights. Nicely done!
Over two weeks in October and November last year, I visited all of Beijing’s craft breweries, brewpubs, and branded taprooms at that time (five new brewpubs have since come to my attention), as well as attending Jing-A’s 8×8 China Brewing Project Festival. Based on my survey, I think you’ve hit most of the highlights. However, I’m surprised you missed NBeer. I would rank them with the likes of GLB, Jing-A, and Slow Boat. They have three taprooms in Beijing, one of which doubles as a World Beer Bottle Museum with over 7,000 beer bottles from 70 countries. Their Muddled Fixation NEIPA pairs nicely with the durian cheesecake on their menu.
I would also say GLB #6 is an essential stop, especially to enjoy their beer garden on a warm day. It is usually my first point of call when visiting Beijing. For those with more than a passing interest in the local scene, Paulaner Bräuhaus was the first to brew small-batch beer back in 1992. That they continue to brew today is a noteworthy feat for Beijing. That can serve as the start of a nice, one-day Liangmaqiao pub crawl that includes Ram Beer Station, GLB#45, Boxing Cat, Arrow Factory, Steam Rhino, and Tiny, where they exclusively serve Bubble Lab brews from Wuhan.