Slow Boat Brewery's much-anticipated Autumn Craft Beer Festival takes place at the park grounds between Indigo Mall and EAST, Beijing Hotel on October 10th and 11th. They've invited 12 of China's best brewers and ten of Beijing's best artisanal chefs to show off their stuff. In the run up to the festival over the next two weeks we'll profile all the vendors and ask Chandler Jurinka, festival organiser and co-founder of Slow Boat, what to expect. Check back regularly for updates.
Today's brewers are the hosts, Slow Boat, as well as Nanjing Craft Brewing Company, Great Leap Brewing and iBrew Homebrew Beer and Ciders.
On the food front, we profile Two Guys and a Pie, Home Plate, L.A. Palms and Andy's Craft Sausages.
Slow Boat Brewery
Describe your brewery in no more than five words.
Fresh, never pasteurized, always refrigerated.
Your beers differ from other beers how?
Daniel, Slow Boat’s head brewer likes to play music for the yeast, it keeps them healthy and in good spirits. He finds they like a lot of bluegrass, but then they also enjoy a little new wave pop.
What special Autumnal beers are you bringing to the festival – what makes these seasonal brews special – what should we look out for?
One such seasonal beer is our Imperial Pumpkin Stout. Pumpkin and spice balanced with some big bodied maltiness, and rounded out with 8.5% in the alcohol department– should remind people that fall is pretty damn special.
If you could have one of your beers with any one historical figure – dead or alive – who would it be, what beer would it be, and why?
Percival Lowell is probably my front runner right now, and since there is some time flexibility implied in the question, I am going to choose the late Cretaceous period, just prior to the mass extinction event. I'd bring along a 1987 Ford F-350 (blue with white trim), a shotgun, and a keg Captain's Pale Ale. We'd have a grand old time, shooting velociraptors from the bed of the pickup truck, getting wasted, discussing Planet X, all while watching the giant meteorite bearing down on planet Earth.
Nanjing Craft Brewing Co (Master Gao)
Where are you from?
Nanjing.
Brief history of your brewery?
Established by Yan Gao aka Master Gao in March 2008 as a full brewery (not a pub). Known as the first craft brewery in China.
Describe your brewery in no more than five words.
The pioneer in China.
Your beers differ from other beers how?
Chinese elements in flavors, packaging designs and marketing strategies.
What special Autumnal beers are you bringing to the festival – what makes these seasonal brews special – what should we look out for?
Bottled Baby IPA and it's promotional materials, such as glassware, t-shirts, yo-yo's and sample sets.
If you could have one of your beers with any one historical figure – dead or alive – who would it be, what beer would it be, and why?
Baby IPA for Jesus Christ, he might change his mind and decided not to sacrifice for other's sin.
Great Leap Brewing
Where are you from?
Beijing.
Brief history of your brewery?
Great Leap Brewing was founded in 2010 by Carl Setzer and Liu Fang, and has since been creating recipes based on our desire to foster a Chinese craft beer culture. We use only high quality ingredients. Our philosophy is to source a majority of locally grown products, including 100% locally grown and processed hops, teas, spices, fruits, vegetables, coffees, sugars and honeys. Great Leap Brewing believes that China deserves a locally brewed, high quality product that uses Chinese ingredients to create the best possible beer for a growing local market. Great Leap Brewing has pioneered Beijing’s recent craft brewery revolution and strives to present the market with creative, local creations that are inherently and proudly Chinese!
Describe your brewery in no more than five words.
Awesome beer “Made in China”.
Your beers differ from other beers how?
Great Leap Brewing beers’ are a combination of passion and creativity. Since we opened our doors we've aimed to convince Chinese and expat drinkers that China can be the source of great beers that are made in China, with Chinese ingredients and using Chinese equipment. We take pride in the recipes, names and stories of our products and so far our customers also take a lot of pride in that, especially our Chinese customers, since we incorporate Chinese literature and historical references in the naming and branding of our beers.
What special Autumnal beers are you bringing to the festival – what makes these seasonal brews special – what should we look out for?
We haven’t yet finalized the full list of beers Great Leap Brewing will be bringing to the Autumn Craft Beer Festival, but one must is the Imperial Pumpkin Ale (in Chinese: 風谷南瓜): the Imperial Pumpkin Ale was the 8th beer brewed by Great Leap Brewing after we opened in 2010. The lucky number 8 didn't let us down and the Imperial Pumpkin Ale has become one of our most demanded beers. Made with fresh, local pumpkin and delicately spiced with cinnamon, this beer is seasonally brewed twice a year, once in the heart of autumn and once celebrating the close of the pumpkin season. Each hectoliter contains 10KG of fresh pumpkin. At 7.8% ABV, this full-bodied ale is the definition of a Winter Warmer; drink it to survive the winter months!
If you could have one of your beers with any one historical figure – dead or alive – who would it be, what beer would it be, and why?
Our Little General IPA fits perfectly for this question. The Little General IPA name is unique because it is an homage to Zhang Xueliang (张学良), a patriotic hero for both Chinese mainland and Taiwan. The nickname "Little General" is a reference to his father (张作霖), a notorious warlord in China's northeast region. Zhang Xueliang grew from a spoiled brat with an opium habit into a symbol of China's future unity against the Japanese during the occupation when he kidnapped Chang Kai-Shek and convinced him to join the KMT's strength with that of the Communist forces. Upon Chang Kai-Shek's agreement with this plan, Zhang Xueliang immediately surrendered to Chang's personal guard and spent the better part of his adult life under house arrest with Chang's forces in both Chinese mainland and Taiwan. He was released as an old man and relocated to Hawaii to live with relatives in peace. He died at 99 years old, never having returned to Chinese mainland nor Taiwan after his release.
iBrew Homebrew Beers and Ciders
Where are you from?
Beijing (originally from Düsseldorf, Germany).
Brief history of your brewery?
Est. October 2013, Brandon @ iBrew.
Describe your brewery in no more than five words.
Private 50m² (Claustrophobic) Apartment Brewery.
Your beers differ from other beers how?
I like fruity and sweet things, so I would have to say I make fruitier and sweeter beers than others.
What special Autumnal beers are you bringing to the festival – what makes these seasonal brews special – what should we look out for?
For me, autumn smells of pies. Just when it starts getting colder, the harvest has been brought in and kitchen's start to fill with that sweet smell. Tis' the season for apple pies, pumpkin pies, pear crumble, all these mixed with some of my favorite spices. There is no guarantee in homebrew, that would spoil all the fun, but I'm trying for a sweet and fruity pie cider.
If you could have one of your beers with any one historical figure – dead or alive – who would it be, what beer would it be, and why?
I would want to share my Honey Alt with Homer Simpson. Wouldn't that just be a really cool thing to do?
www.livebeijingmusic.com/ibrew
Two Guys and a Pie
Brief history of your brewery?
Est. 2011 by two Australians who wanted to share their love of all things pie with the world.
Describe your brewery in no more than five words.
Perfect flavor in every mouthful.
What special Autumnal beers are you bringing to the festival – what makes these seasonal brews special – what should we look out for?
Our well-known pies will be in the warmer with sausage rolls waiting to be paired with some new toppings.
If you could have one of your beers with any one historical figure – dead or alive – who would it be, what beer would it be, and why?
We would be sharing a pie ad a pint of Beijing brewed beer with Anthony bourdain cos he said it would be his last meal.
Home Plate BBQ
Where are you from?
Beijing.
Brief history of your company?
Adam Murray and his wife Liu Rong Rong (Victoria) started Home Plate BBQ through delivery from their apartment in northwest Beijing in 2009. From the apartment grew the first brick and mortar location in Sanyuanqiao, and more recently the expansion to Sanlitun.
Describe your specialty foodstuffs in no more than five words.
Authentic, slow smoked BBQ meats.
What special autumn foods are you bringing to the festival – what should we expect?
Our famous pulled pork sandwiches and BBQ brisket.
If you could have one of your dishes with any one historical figure – dead or alive, who would it be, what dish would it be, and why?
BBQ beef ribs with God.
Palms L.A. Kitchen and Bar
Where are you from?
Beijing.
Brief history of your company?
Opened February of 2014 by an L.A. guy who loves food, and a Hebei girl who’s all about servicing others in the spirit of satisfying both body and soul. We are named palms after all.
Describe your specialty foodstuffs in no more than five words.
Intriguing, comfort, bold, new.
What special autumn foods are you bringing to the festival – what should we expect?
Go-to food in L.A., which people crave after a blurry night out on Sunset Blvd. Tacos, quesadillas, hortchata.
If you could have one of your dishes with any one historical figure – dead or alive, who would it be, what dish would it be, and why?
Julia Childs. A crunchy beef taco. Enough said.
www.facebook.com/palmsLAkitchenandbar
Andy's Craft Sausages
Where are you from?
Beijing.
Brief history of your company?
Andy's Craft Sausages was established in 2012 in my home kitchen as a hobby with my good friend Stephen that spun quickly out of control into a fulltime business . Starting with two flavors, Italian and Lincolnshire, and then expanding to eight standard flavors, plus sausage rolls and bacon. We make them all by hand in our central kitchen in Sanlitun. We provide sausages to people in their homes and select restaurants and boutique hotels.
Describe your specialty foodstuffs in no more than five words.
What to eat with beer.
What special autumn foods are you bringing to the festival – what should we expect?
This time of year calls for Andouille sausage. As the temperatures start to drop, the garlic and smoke flavors are just the right thing to pair with autumn beers, and of course the Italian sausage with peppers and onions is great any time of the year.
If you could have one of your dishes with any one historical figure – dead or alive, who would it be, what dish would it be, and why?
The superfan Bill Swerski to let him try my Italian sausage with peppers and onion sandwich and to discuss his thinking regarding the prediction that if the Bears plane was delayed that Mike Ditka, after recovering from a heart attack would beat the New York Giants 17-14 (late field goal by Ditka).
Check back in the coming weeks for our profiles of the additional vendors:
- 18 Brewing
- Beijing Homebrewing Society
- Boxing Cat Brewery
- Calvin Beer Company
- Chengdu Harvest Brewing Company
- Jing-A Brewing
- NB Craft Brewing Company
- Strong Ale Works
- Biteappita
- Cuju Moroccan Bistrot & Rumerie
- Hagaki
- Shi Cheng Ji Shao Bing
- Xian Bar
- VAI Milano
0 User Comments