What’s Up in Beer

Congrats to anyone that survived Dry January! Do you know what you need now? Beer, lots of beer. Don’t get me wrong, living a long and healthy life is great, but come on guys, the meaning of life is to enjoy it (moderately, of course).

Drinking Buddies' (drinkingbuddies.cn) impressive February beer package may be a good place to start. This time around they've chosen a festive selection for the Year of the Dog including these global award-winning beers from Canada, Italy, and America for you to share with loved ones: Brasserie Dunham’s Leo’s Early Breakfast IPA and Stout Impériale Russe; Les Trois Mousquetaires' S.S. Sticke Alt; White Pony’s Atheist and The Oracle; and Evil Twin Brewing’s (eviltwin.dk) I Love You with My Stout.

To make sure you get your treasure trove on time, place your order before Feb 4 (outside of Beijing) or Feb 12 (within Beijing) via DB's WeChat shop: 啤友汇DrinkingBuddies, call 137 1808 0725, or email [e-mail].

Jing-A launches two new beers today (Saturday, Feb 3) – Lucky 8 Lager (brewed with a new recipe) and Big Brother Baltic Porter (大哥大 dàgē dà in Chinese, since the color is like a big black '80s cell phone). Don’t forget that today is also their Cheers to Chunjie party at Jing-A Brewpub Xingfucun. Show up in red and you'll enjoy an all-night happy hour discount on their red drinks, such as Koji Red Ale, Fifth Ring Red IPA, Negroni, mulled wine, and the Lucky 8 Lager. Order a stein of any beer, and you'll receive a hongbao containing random prizes, discounts, and even a pair of red underwear for one lucky winner. Good luck!

Both of Jing-A's locations will be closed next Monday (Feb 5), so the usual Mug Club Monday will shift to Tuesday. Members will get a free Big Brother Baltic Porter and there'll be a special on a Winter Flight (RMB 70) with four seasonal dark beers: Winter Solstice, Electric Avenue, Big Brother Baltic Porter, and Black Velvet Vanilla Stout, which runs Feb 3-14.

A final tip: there'll also be raffles at both Jing-A locations for each pint you drink. Prizes (Big Hongbao) include the chance to win free beer for A YEAR, and a mug club membership at the location of your choice.

Aside from Arrow Factory’s bottled beer pack, Jing-A’s beer case, and Great Leap’s beer growler, you can now also collect cans from Slow Boat decked-out with a Chinese zodiac dog. Choose any draft beer and ask the staff to can it so that you can take it home to share with friends and family (or slurp it down yourself).

Slow Boat will also have a tap takeover at Korean-Mexican restaurant Palms LA's remaining Liangmaqiao location this weekend (Feb 1-3), with four beers all priced at RMB 35 a pint. On Saturday, head over for their monthly drag bingo hosted by Tiger Lily.

NBeer Pub has returned from Sweden where they collaborated with Dugges brewery on a beer called Queen’s Sour with 6.6 percent ABV, now available at both locations. The beer was inspired by drottningsylt, literally "queen’s jam," and brewed using raspberries and blueberries.

Maybe the Beijing brewers want you to complete your beer-to-go collection. NBeer Pub has also released a box with six 330ml Beijing Goose beer with 4.5 percent ABV for RMB 150 and no delivery fee. Scan the QR code to buy. They'll also team up with PlanetChoco to organize a chocolate with beer pairing from 4-5.30pm on Feb 3 (today) at the Huguosi location. RMB 130 advance or RMB 150 at the door will snag you a taste of six pairings.

Crispy Fried Oyster Mushrooms (RMB 40)

The Pork and Noodle (RMB 50)

Finally, Great Leap has launched some new dishes for Feb, such as the Big Pickle Plate (RMB 40) with pickled cucumber (dry-hopped with cascade hops), cauliflower, okra, beet, radish, carrot, and egg. Brewing has also strayed into the food menu. There's also Crispy Fried Oyster Mushrooms (RMB 40), a plate of Cajun-seasoned oyster mushrooms, served with Tabasco aioli, and honey mustard, and The Pork and Noodle (RMB 50), a new salad, featuring roasted pork belly, noodles, cabbage, cucumber, and carrot, topped with sunflower seeds, and served with vinaigrette. All three dishes are available from Feb 1-28 at GLB #12 and #45.

Photos courtesy of venues

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