Beijing
Slow Boat Brewery
My first trip to Beijing was in 2015. I was impressed by the brewpubs in Beijing, especially the beer quality. The first stop was Slow Boat Brewery which was off the beaten path and in the middle of a long alley. Until I found it, I wasn't sure I had the right directions. The patronage was very local on a Saturday afternoon. Bartenders were very knowledgeable and friendly, with good English skills. The beer was great and I wanted to stay much longer than I was able, but fortunately, I got to return a year later. Location: Dongcheng Qu, 56 Dongsi 8th Alley Nearest Metro: Zhangzizhonglu Station, Line 5 Updated Mar '17
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Slow Boat
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Great Leap Brewing
I thought Slow Boat was a little off the beaten path, but Great Leap #6 was even further off the beaten path but it was quite an interesting journey to reach. On the map, it seemed easy, but in reality, you zigzag through various Hutongs. I went on a Saturday night, after dark, which made it even more intimidating because the alleys were not lit. For the most part, I was able to use Google Maps to navigate my way through the back alleys although, in and out reception still kept me guessing which way to turn at times. Eventually, I found it and was not disappointed. The place has a large outdoor seating area and was quite crowded - mostly locals, but a few expats, as well. It is the oldest location of the 3. Great Leap #12 was a healthy walk from Arrow Factory brewing (Liang Ma He location) but it was a nice evening outside, so I avoided the subways and took an enjoyable stroll between the two locations. There are 16 beers on tap with a nice pub food menu. Great Leap #45, the most recent addition, can also be reached by walking from the same Arrow Factory location, but in the opposite direction and a shorter walk. There are 20 taps at this location with a couple serving guest beers. All locations are serving basically the same house beers. Similar food menus for both #12 and #45 but food is not available at #6 although it can be ordered from nearby restaurants for delivery to the bar. Location: #6 - 6 Doujiao Hutong Nearest Metro: Nanluoguxiang Station, Line 6 or 8 Location: #12 - 12 Xinzhong Street Nearest Metro: Dongzhimen or Dongsishitiao Stations, Line 2 Location: #45 - 45-1 Xinyuan Street, Chaoyang District Nearest Metro: Liang Ma Qiao Station, Line 10 Updated Mar '17
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Great Leap #6
Great Leap #12
Great Leap #45
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Arrow Factory Brewing
Another difficult place to find because the address didn't really exist. The address listed in the various internet reviews was about 1 mile away. I walked up and down the street multiple times where the address was supposed to be. I even stopped at a couple of places to ask if they knew the location of the address, but didn't have much luck with them understanding English. Eventually, I located the Hacker-Pschorr Brewpub and stopped in there where they kindly called Arrow Factory to get the right address. I stayed for a very refreshing beer to show my gratitude. Once at Arrow Factory, I was not disappointed. The beer was great and I enjoyed a long conversation with the owner, Thomas. I mentioned the difficulty I had locating the place and mentioned they should put a map on their website. He made the call and voila, it was done. Besides the location I went to, they have a few other locations around Beijing. On my next trip to Beijing, I tracked down the 2nd location. I believe this is actually the original location and is a block or two into the Hutong. It is a much smaller location with no outside seating. The same great beer is served. Food can be ordered at the bar but it is brought over from the small restaurant next door - Stuff'd. They have a nice selection of bar-type food, including homemade sausages which looked really delicious. I ordered a pizza which was also very good. Occasionally, they have tap takeovers. The night after I was here, they were having a tap takeover by a brewery in Hong Kong. Location: Liang Ma He South Road Nearest Metro: Liang Ma Qiao Station, Line 10 Location: No. 9 Jianchang Hutong Nearest Metro: Andingmen Station, Line 2 and Yonghegong Lama Temple, Lines 2 and 5 Updated Mar '17
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Arrow Factory Liang Ma He S Road
Brewing System
Arrow Factory Jianchang Hutong
Inside Jianchang Location
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Hacker Pschorr Brauhaus
As mentioned in the Arrow Factory post, I stumbled upon this place while I was walking around the city searching for Arrow Factory. I was there early afternoon, right after lunch, so it was not very crowded. But it is a large place where they brew to the Hacker Pschorr recipes and they have a nice outdoor seating area. Nothing unique coming from this location other that it is in Beijing. I didn't eat there, but it looked like they had a decent food menu. Location: Building 3, No. 12 Xindong Road, Chaoyang District Nearest Metro: Tuanjiehu Station, Line 10 Updated Mar '16
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Hacker Pschorr Brauhaus
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Jing-A Brewing(京A)
I've wanted to get her each of my previous trips but never had enough time. The impetus was that I tried some of their beer at the Shanghai Craft Beer Festival in the summer and it convinced me I needed to get there on my next trip. Busy and fun taproom. I arrived about 15-20 minutes after they opened on a Monday afternoon and I was surprised how busy it was. They had 15 of their beers on tap with 3 guest beers - 2 from Boxing Cat and 1 other, which happened to be a Founders KBS. That was the first time I've had KBS on draft - yum! They had a small pub menu which consisted mostly of appetizer-type food. The only thing more substantial was fish & chips. A lot of people were eating there, including myself, and the food was good. A very enjoyable place and it should be on your list of breweries to visit in Beijing. Location: 1949 The Hidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Bei Lu Nearest Metro: Tuanjiehu Station, Line 10 Updated Mar '17
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Entrance and Patio
Bar Area
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Drei Kronen 1308 Brauhaus
Drei Kronen 1308 is a 700-year old brewery in Bavaria Germany. They recently started venturing outside Germany with a few franchise locations in China. I believe this one in Beijing was the first and began operating around 2012. This is a large, multi-level brauhaus which includes a very large rooftop patio with it's own bar and BBQ. There is also a glass floor on the roof which allows a view down to the main bar area and other levels below. The other levels are also open to the center and allow viewing ofthe main bar area. The interior is steeped in German decor and has the look and feel of a authentic German brauhaus. The wait staff is dress in Lederhosen and Dirndls. Food menu is all German-style food. Only three traditional styles of beer are offered - Helles, Wheat and Dark. The 2 large brewing tanks behind the bar are for show only and the beer is brewed off-site. There is a small stage on the main level for live German music. Note that the address below doesn't get the exact location on Google Maps. Use the Chinese address in Baidu Maps for a more accurate location. It is directly across the street from Workers' Stadium. Location: First floor, China View Building, 2 Gongti Dong Lu (北京市朝阳区工体东路丙2号中国红街5号楼1楼) Nearest Metro: Dongdaqiao Station, Line 6 Updated Mar '17
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Exterior and Main Entrance
Main Bar (Second Level View)
Rooftop Patio
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Flow Brew Taproom (如流精酿)
When you're looking for this place, don't blink, because you'll miss it. Located just off the main street down an alley which leads to a Hutong. Flow Brew opened in early 2016 and has up to 8 beers on tap, which includes some guest beers. There were a couple ABInBev Boxing Cat beers on the list along with six of their own beer when I was there. The bar is small and narrow which wouldn't support large crowds or groups, other than seating at a few tables on the main floor. There is a smaller 2nd level which has some bar stools around the cooking area. The food is Japanese Yakitori along with some snack food. I only had time for one beer and I tried one of their flagship beers - Daemon Warrior IPA, which was good. There is no rest room in the bar and if you need to use one, you need to walk down the alley into the Hutong and use the unpleasant community bathroom. If you've had the unfortunate pleasure of using one of these, you know what I mean. The bartender did not speak English, so getting instructions on how to find it was a little bit of a challenge. Location: 175 Yonghegong Dajie Nearest Metro: Beixinqiao Station, Line 5 Updated Mar '17
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Bar Area
Tap List and Food Menu
Entrance
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Peiping Maching Brewery & Taproom(北平机器啤酒)
This place was a little difficult to find. It's located in a old commercial area with other businesses and a couple small restaurants within a Hutong. There are 9 separate buildings within the commercial area and I walked around all of them until I finally found it. They have a large 2-floor taproom which serves up to 32 taps of beer. the beer options consisted of a handful of their own beer, Chinese-brewed craft beer and international craft beer. I believe there is some food available. Close proximity with only a short walk to either Arrow Factory (Jianchang Hutong) and Flow Brew Taproom. Location: E101, 46 Fangjia Hutong Nearest Metro: Beixinqiao Station, Line 5 Updated Mar '17
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Taps and Beers
Taproom
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