Less Than Two Weeks 'Til the 5th BICBF!
People say he who has hope, has everything. And the hope of making March 2019 the best ever is coming with Great Leap Brewing’s Fifth Beijing Invitational Craft Beer Festival from March 29-31 at TRB Copper, organized annually by Great Leap Brewing. If you think these approximately 280 beers from about 45 breweries from five of the world’s seven continents isn’t the perfect time to carpe diem, my dear beer lovers, I don’t know what else you can call it.
This week, allow us to introduce our 20 esteemed breweries from North and South America.
Begyle Brewing (United States)
Hailing from Chicago, Begyle makes some of the finest beers in a city with so much craft beer culture. If you attended their BICBF last year, you must remember their founder, Kevin P. Cary, in warm flannel pajamas smiling while pouring their delicious Barrel Aged Imperial Pajamas Oatmeal Stout. That beer will be brought back once again, and don’t forget to try their Rye Whiskey Barrel Aged Snooze Button Russian Imperial Stout as well.
Bench Brewing (Canada)
Bench Brewing Company was the first Canadian brewery to be invited to our BICBF, and it’s their second time attending. This farmhouse brewery is dedicated to crafting mixed-fermentation ales, saisons, and fruit sours. They will bring five of their finest beers, and be sure to try some of their Simcoe Grove Dry-Hopped Sour.
Berlina Patagonia Brewery (Argentina)
It’s going to be the first time breweries from South America will attend the BICBF. One of them is Berlina Patagonia, and Alejandro and Bruno will be showcasing five of their beers, including Fiel IPA, Old Ale, and Colonia Suiza Strong Golden Ale.
Eris Brewery and Cider House (USA)
Inspired by the Greek goddess of chaos notorious for causing mayhem, Eris is proudly led by a trio of trailblazing women in Chicago. As the first combined brewery and cider house in Chicago, which happens to be located inside a transformed Masonic temple constructed in 1910, the Eris team will bring ten of their best brews for their debut. This includes their Van Van Mojo – a blueberry cider dry hopped with Mosiac hops – and their Foiken Haze New England IPA, which won a Bronze at the Great American Beer Festival in 2018.
FiftyFifty Brewing (United States)
It’s the third time that FiftyFifty Brewing joins us at BICBF, this year on the tails of them winning Brewery Group of the Year at 2018 Great American Beer Festival. This year their founder and COO both will be joining us, and they will bring their flagship beer – the Eclipse Imperial Stout – which won a Bronze in the ‘Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout’ category at this year’s GABF, as well as their I Did It All for The Cookie Double Brown Ale, which also medaled.
Firestone Walker Brewing Co. (USA)
(USA)
A multi-World Beer Cup award-winning brewery in California, David Walker and Adam Firestone founded Firestone Walker in 1996. It’ll be their second time to attend the BICBF, and amongst the nine beers they will bring, we suggest not to miss their XXII Anniversary Ale American Strong Ale, and Krieky Bones, a classic Kriek lambic-style beer made with fresh Michigan-grown cherries from Firestone Walker’s Barrelworks project that is an ode to David’s 50th birthday.
Half Acre (United States)
Also hailing from Chicago, Half Acre, founded in 2008, will be making their Beijing debut this year. They are bringing their most popular seven beers, such as their Daisy Cutter Pale Ale, and Big Hugs, which is 10% ABV, easy, and balanced imperial stout.
Left Hand (United States)
Founded in 1993 in Longmont, Colorado, Left Hand Brewing is one of the most popular breweries in the United States and has won 29 Great American Beer Festival medals, 11 World Beer Cup awards, and 9 European Beer Star awards. Left Hand’s COO, Chris Lennert, will be joining us again this year to highlight some of their finest creations. Make sure you try every one of their seven beers, but especially don’t their flagship Milk Stout Nitro as well as their Brewer's Test Kitchen Black Forest Stout and Flamingo Dreams Nitro, neither of which have ever before been poured in China.
New Belgium (United States)
New Belgium Brewing, a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is another large, well-known craft brewery from Colorado in the United States. They are bringing a selection of some of their most famous beers, including their Fat Tire Amber Ale, which is considered a definitive version of the style.
New Holland (United States)
Attending the BICBF for the third time, New Holland Brewing Co. was founded in 1997 in Holland, Michigan. A pioneer in barrel aged beers, New Holland's Dragon's Milk Stout has become one of the most recognized Bourbon Barrel Aged Stouts in America and is accompanied by 4 reserve releases throughout each year. This year, they are bringing five great beers to try, including their world-renowned barrel-aged Dragon’s Milk Imperial Stout, Dragon’s Milk White Stout, two IPAs, and a White Ale.
Peñón del Águila (Argentina)
Also from Argentina and making their BICBF debut, Peñón Del Águila is a brewery from Córdoba that started brewing old school German-influenced beer styles in 2011 in the mountain region of La Cumbrecita, a German heritage town. They are also the first Argentinean brewery to package craft beer in cans, starting in 2016. Marcelo is bringing ten of his finest creations to this year’s BICBF, including their famous classic German-influenced styles - Schwarzbier, Kölsch, and Oktoberfest – as well as a selection of sours.
Pipeworks (United States)
Two friends – Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis – with a shared dream of crafting quality and creative beers established Pipeworks Brewing Co. in Chicago in 2012. They are returning for the second time to the BICBF, and we couldn’t be more excited. Make sure to try their Ninja vs. Unicorn DIPA and Velocity of Light Double Dry Hopped Oat IPA.
EDP (USA)
Last but not least is the American Brewer’s Association Export Development Program. With their support, we have been able to provide you all with some of the finest beers America has to offer. Beers from Cigar City, Coronado Brewing, Heretic Brewing, Jolly Pumpkin Artisanal Ales, Oskar Blues, The Bruery, Three Weavers, and Epic Brewing will be available at their table at the festival for you to try.
So what are you waiting for? It’s time to grab tickets before their gone. All the breweries and beers we mentioned above will be at the Fifth BICBF from March 29-31 at TRB Copper. Scan the QR Code or click Read More (link to 247Tickets) below to get your tickets. See you all in two weeks!