That’s right, craft beer has hit Beijing in a big way, and Bespoke has a new evening tour to help you (or your guests) navigate your way through the scene. Join affable local Beijinger Frank on a jaunt through the city’s hidden artisanal taprooms and uncover the delights of an ale made with Sichuan peppercorns, Watermelon Wheat Beer or a pint of ‘Iron Buddha Blonde’. Not only will you get to chew the fat with a real, beer-loving local, you’ll get an insider intro to the hippest micro breweries in town.
On the tour you’ll get to taste a flight of beers of your choice from each watering hole. The range is vast, with some pubs offering dozens of ales. There are also seasonal brews such as Jing A’s Bingtang Hulu Amber Ale – ‘bingtang hulu’ being the candy-covered haw berries sold on sticks during the winter.
To give the scene a little context, beer has only very recently taken over baijiu (the traditional firewater allegedly made from grain) as China’s top tipple.
Snow Beer, the biggest seller and possibly so named because it tastes like melted snow, is not particularly thrilling. While China’s most famous beer, Tsingtao, is similarly lacklustre, despite its German heritage from when the port city Qingdao was a German concession. Away from the breweries these lagers are sold by the bottle and only occasionally on tap.
There was a definite gap in the market for something a little fuller bodied and, perhaps, a little stronger. This coincided with a desire to move away from ‘bottle bars’ – rooms with fridges filled with bottled imported beer. While the first craft breweries were set up by expats in the capital, there are now local companies brewing alongside them.
Your guide, Frank, is a local too, but with a global palate and many a tale to tell, of course. He’ll prop up the bars with you and help you back into the car as you drink your way across town before dropping you back safely at your hotel.
For a deliciously thirst-quenching tour of the Beijing micro brewery scene, book a night out with Frank that you’ll never forget (depending on how much you drink, of course).