Hey there. I'll be going to China with my girlfriend for 3 weeks this summer, and I am looking to find some good beer despite it not being generally regarded as a beer country. Any recommendations for good beer that I could find in China, or, even better, good breweries to visit in Beijing/Shanghai/Chengdu? Specifically I'm looking for beer that I cannot get in the US. I'm hoping there is more to Chinese beer than Tsingtao and the like. Thanks!
lol, snow isn't even worth the tick. don't know about chengdu, but shanghai and beijing have decent beer now if you look for it. check out the expat magazines (cityweekend, thebeijinger, timeout, that's shanghai) for plenty of suggestions. would give you a more detailed response, but about to go to sleep. note to the alstroms: any reason why there isn't an asia regional forum group anymore?
I found this last month... Check out the second video on this page about a guy from Ohio who opened up the first craft brewery in China. http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/_ne...open-small-businesses-it-is-my-american-dream
great leap is actually not the first in china - just ONE of the first of a few american-inspired craft breweries in beijing, that also happened to be recently started... and still operating. (there were a couple before him in beijing as well, though most shut down soon after.) there are also american-inspired/-run craft breweries in shanghai (boxing cat), nanjing and shenzhen, established many years beforehand. (boxing cat must be about 5 or 6 years or more by now.)
Believe it or not, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal have some suggestions for Beijing & Shanghai: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2012/02/21/beijing-brews-up-its-own-craft-beers/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestravelguide/2012/04/06/shanghais-craft-beer-scene-takes-off/
The best easily available Chinese lager for me was Yanjing Beer (Beijing). Harbin Beer (Hapi), from the city where I studied for a year, was a close second. Both really light and fairly hoppy and delicious, great to pair with food.
Harbin is the only place where you can drink a beer and warm up from both the alcohol and because 40 deg F is 50 deg warmer than the outside air.
It wasn't too bad in the winter when I was there. Only got to averages of about -15 centigrade during winter.
Nothing to do there during summertime. At times more poluted than Beijing. Nice constant 25 degrees though.
Beijng has Great Leap Brewing, Shanghai has The BREW, Boxing Cat and Dr BEER - Let me know when you arrive into Shanghai and get over to The BREW - I will give you a brewery tour - Leon - Brewmaster, The BREW http://www.thecookthemeetthebrew.com/the-brew/
