What’s Up in Beer: Sour Beers, Ciders, Oyster Stout Event, Little Creatures Launch, and Beer Deals

Beijing has been kind to us this week, with cool breezes, an AQI lower than 25, and temperatures below 30. And the good vibes look to continue into the weekend, with plenty of sunshine before the unbearable heat returns. Get 'em while it's not hot: this week's list heavily features summery sour beers, perfect to sip on your favorite patio under (relatively) blue skies.

Out of Step launches three fruity sour beers limited to this summer, all from Canada. The Hearthstone Wyld Lychee Berliner Weiss and Wyld Raspberry Berliner Weiss both sport a mild 3.2 percent ABV, the latter being on the list of buy two, get one free beers on Wednesday. The Rei Boysenberry Sour, an American wild ale with 6.5 percent ABV from Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks in Richmond, is a limited brew for the 2017 Great Canadian Beer Festival in Victoria.

Jing-A has two tart and hoppy varieties on tap. The Suan Ge Pi, a dry-hopped sour ale with 5.6 percent ABV, floral and fruity notes and a tart finish, won a Gold Medal at the 2017 Asia Beer Cup in the New Generation Beer category. The Zeffer Hopped Infused Cider has a refreshing character from freshly crushed green apples, a floral hoppy nose, and a tropical fruit flavor.

Great Leap Brewing is bringing the seasonal favorite Pale Ale #45 back on tap at all three locations. Named after their #45 location, this Kiwi-style beer is brewed with Nelson Sauvin hops and New Zealand malts, instead of the local Qingdao flowers. It has tropical fruit notes, a malty sweetness, and a bold flavor.

Great Leap will also release another beer in the Honey Ma series, the Imperial Honey Ma, which is the imperial version of the first-ever and flagship brew Honey Ma Gold. This new beer shares the same ingredients as the latter – such as Sichuan peppercorns and local honey from an apiary near the Great Wall – but the peppercorns are infused longer and the quantity of honey is doubled. The aromas are more intense and complex with a much higher alcohol content at 8.1 percent. Wrap your work week up with this hefty beer at all three locations today (Jul 28).

Arrow Factory has a buy one, get one free deal on The Bitter End Rye P.A. all day Saturday at their Liangma River location. This beer has 6.1 percent ABV, a red and smooth body, and fruity notes from the Amarillo, Hallertau Blanc, and Palisade hops. They also have a new guest cider on tap, the iBrew Bad Apple Cider, with 6 percent ABV.

Did we mention that you can get their Seeing Double IPA and Guanxi Pale Ale at Sanlitun's Me Café now?

As we mentioned in early July, Australian craft brewery Little Creatures launch party was postponed, but they're now happy to announce that it will finally take place on August 6 (Saturday, 11.30am-6pm) at Chengxindong Art Space, in the 798 Art District. There will be a pop-up Aussie barbecue, and of course, their signature beers – think pale ale, amber ale, pilsner, bright ale, IPA, and Dog Days summer session IPA. Contact littlecreatures@rivieraevents.com to RSVP. If you happen to visit Hong Kong in the near future, stop by their shop at Kennedy Town, where there will be more experimental beers on tap. 

Aside from the draught rendition, NBeer is releasing a canned version of Pheromonal Oyster Stout. This Irish dry stout is brewed with Aigue-Marine oysters; it has notes of coffee, roasted barley and sweetness, with 5 percent ABV. There will be an oyster competition on August 4 (7pm) at their Huguosi location.

What is an oyster competition, you ask? Well, to be specific, it's an oyster eating contest. Three teams of two (one male, one female) will compete, with the male teammate shucking the oyster, and the female eating it with “poise and elegance” (f that, get it down!). The first couple to complete the task and chug a glass of oyster stout "with arms linked” will be awarded another pint of the stout and four more oysters. There will also be a deal for spectators of this bizarre match throughout the night: RMB 138 for a pint of the stout and four oysters.

We extend our congratulations to homebrewers Jeff Leclerc and Jon Parry, who have launched JJ Crafters and will hold their draft cranberry cider’s debut at 4corners this Saturday (11am-11pm). RMB 80 will get you a pint of cider with a sausage or sliders. This cider is brewed with organic apples from Shanxi province and cranberry juice, without adding sugar or chemicals. 

This tart and fizzy sip, with 7 percent ABV, might be just the solution for the summer heat. If you can't make it on Saturday, the duo also sell their beer, cider, and mead through their WeChat shop (check here) or at the Farm to Neighbours market in the basement of the Grand Summit on weekends.

And finally, Great Friend Outdoors Club, the newest contender at 12 Fangjia Hutong, has a weekly happy hour on Wednesday, 7-10pm, in which every pint of NBeer Wheat bought gets you a free bottle of Reberg IPA from Shanghai. Once you're suitably confident, have a go on their climbing wall.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos courtesy of venues, Tobal Loyola, Tracy Wang