2011 Reader Bar & Club Awards: Best Brews

China’s domestic brew selection is sadly limited to tasteless beer that’s nearly light enough to float away. That's what makes a good selection of imported ales and lagers so exciting - and once you’ve found that, the pour better be right. Here are Beijing's best beer selection and best poured pints as voted by you in our Reader Bar & Club Awards.

Beer Selection

Best
The Tree. Offering the largest selection of Belgian brews in the city, The Tree draws crowds for the beer just as much as the pizza.

Outstanding
The Stumble Inn. With over 100 beers to choose from, Stumble stocks everything from Stella to Cuban lager.
Beer Mania. With their name they’ve set the bar high on what to expect, so it's just as well they deliver. The bar is set to double in size - they're currently closed for renovations, but should be back open by the end of June with a new look, even bigger beer selection, and - at last - a proper bathroom.

Editors Pick
El Nido. Yes, there is life, and beer, outside of Sanlitun.

Best Poured Pint

Best
The Tree. A double this year for The Tree, proving that the bar's got more going for it than just a fine selection of bottled Belgian beers.

Outstanding
Paddy O’Shea’s. If you want Guinness, go to Ireland, but if you want a proper pint of the dark stuff in Beijing, go to Paddy’s.
Great Leap Brewing. A newcomer to the beer scene, Great Leap offers home brews in a hidden hutong.

Editors Pick
Great Leap Brewing. There’s no going wrong with a good home brew - and we've had the hangovers to prove it.