When Beer Beckons: Asia's Best Beer Festivals This Autumn
If you're not satisfied with Beijing's sudsy beer options (as if), Mid-Autumn Festival and the Golden Week provide the perfect excuse to get out of the capital and explore what our neighbors in the East have been brewing. After all, what could be better than a holiday built around beer festivals? Below, we've rounded up a few of Asia's best upcoming beer festivals so that you can start saving your pennies and booking your tickets.
Sep 15-17: Great Japan Beer Festival in Yokohama
If you're traveling all the way to Japan, why not make the most of your trip and burn the rest of your annual leave in one go? The Great Japan Beer Festival takes place in Yokohama from Sep 15-17. BeerFes, as it's known to its friends, is one of Japan’s longest-running craft beer festivals, having been held yearly since 1998, first in Tokyo, then in Osaka from 2003, and Yokohama from 2006. At this beer festival, you can try more than 100 beers during three sessions at Osanbashi Hall at Yokohama Port with 9,500 other beer enthusiasts, and also taste award-winning beers from the International Beer Cup (beertaster.org) which runs Sep 13-14. Purchase tickets here: beerfes.jp.
Tickets: RMB 308 per session (JPY 5,000)
Venue: Yokohama Port "Osanbashi Hall", Yokoham
Sep 23-24: Mikkeller Beer Celebration in Tokyo
Missed the seventh Mikkeller Beer Celebration Copenhagen (mbctokyo.com) back in May? Probably, but pay no mind as the world-renowned Danish craft brewery is now bringing its festival to Tokyo for the first time on Sep 23-24. Forty carefully selected breweries from Asia, Europe, and the US bring their 320 beers to Tokyo's Softball Grounds in Meiji Jingu Gaien. These top-notch breweries include Cloudwater (UK), Warpigs (Denmark), Bokkereyder (Belgium), Mikkeller (Denmark), Omnipolo (Sweden), To Øl (Denmark), Lervig (Norway), Young Master (HK), Anglo Japanese (Japan), DevilCraft (Japan) ... and Beijing's old friend Great Leap Brewing. Stop by, say hello, and grab their special brews made especially for the festival. There's also a chance to win an ultimate "golden ticket" allowing early entry into each session, a swag bag, and a gold tasting glass for both days (go here to enter: mailchi.mp/307880e8842b/wingold).
Tickets: RMB 835 per session (JPY 13,500). Purchase tickets in advance from here: passmarket.yahoo.co.jp/event/show/detail/01cjvfzishzd.html.
Venue: Softball Grounds in Meiji Jingu Gaien, Tokyo
Oct 5-6: Beertopia HK
We had the pleasure of attending the Beertopia on Hong Kong's Central Harbourfront in 2016 (check our review here), and this year it returns for its seventh incarnation. Unfortunately, compared to 2016’s 500 beers from 119 breweries around the world, this year’s breweries and beer list are a bit dull. However, if you happen to be in town, it never hurts to show up and taste some beer that you might not be able to get elsewhere. Confirmed participants at the time of writing include Albens, Lovina Beach Brewery from Bali, Dunkertons Organic Cider from England, Rye & Pint Brewery from Singapore, Pasteur Street from Vietnam. There'll also be a few local showings, including Deadman, 24m, Hong Kong Beer Co., and Innocence Brewing, all from the Fragrant Harbor.
Tickets: RMB 175- 290 per session (HKD 200-330). Tickets can be purchased here: beertopiahk.com/pages/tickets.
Venue: Central Harbourfront, Hong Kong
Oct 12-13: The Great Hong Kong Craft Beer Festival 2018 ... in Hong Kong
If you're looking for an extended Hong Kong stay, the first ever (and free!) Great Hong Kong Craft Beer Festival (beerfesthk.com) just happens to be taking place the weekend after Beertopia on Oct 12-13. There will be more than 30 breweries showcasinge some of the best local microbrews and selected international brews, including Young Master, Moozen, Hitachino, Coedo, Heroes Beer, Carbon Brews, Minoh Beer, Citi Brew, Taihu, Deadman, and Ise Kadoya. There are also beer tasting and appreciation workshops, cross cultural beer talks, and homebrewing workshops for people to attend.
Tickets: Free
Venue: PMQ (Courtyard and Marketplace), 35 Aberdeen Street, Central
Oct 26-27: 8x8 China Brewing Project in Beijing
Finally, closer to home, Jing-A's second 8x8 Brewing Project returns to Beijing on Oct 26-27. The premise is simple: eight Chinese breweries team up with eight Nordic contemporaries to make eight very special beers. Taking place at Yushe Entertainment Space near Dawang Lu, tickets are now on sale. This year's participating breweries include: Jing-A, Shangri-La, Taiwan Head Brewers, Trip Smith, Wild West Brewery, Wuhan No. 18 Brewing, Xi'an Brewery, Young Master, Brewski (Sweden), Nøgne Ø (Norway), Põhjala Brewery (Estonia), Kex Brewing (Iceland), AmagerBryghus (Denmark), Stigbergets Bryggeri (Sweden), Dugges Bryggeri (Sweden),and To Øl (Denmark). The event will be divided into four three-hour sessions of free-flow beer tasting, with 40 types of beer of the 136 total brews available at each session. Read about what we thought of last's year's 8x8 fest here.
Tickets: RMB 258 (single session), RMB 988 (all-session). Scan/Extract the QR code in the poster above, early bird tickets are available before Sep 26.
Venue: Yushe Entertainment Space, Bldg 16, Langyuan Vintage, Beijing
Photos courtesy of venues, Tracy Wang
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