Clockwise from above: A cold pint at Slow Boat Brewery; beer-thirsty crowds gather at great Leap Brewing; a trio of craft beers imported by Beervana; the specials at great Leap Brewing.
36
a p r I l 2 01 3
t r av E l a n d l E i s u r E a s i a . C o m
china Expect big, bold, well-balanced beers from quick-witted American brewmaster Carl Setzer at great Leap Brewing (Doujiao Hutong 6, Dongcheng District, Beijing; 86-10/5717-1399; RMB40 a glass), widely considered the best microbrewery in Beijing. Setzer has tapped his small-batch beers at a cheerful hutong courtyard tasting room since Great Leap’s debut in 2010, but the brewery’s runaway success has him thinking much bigger: A new 300-capacity space featuring a kitchen and 15 beer taps is set to open in the coming months near Chunxiu Road. Setzer isn’t the only American making a mark in Beijing’s emerging craft-beer arena. Slowboat Brewery (56 Dongsi Batiao; 86-10/6538-5537; slowboatbrewery.com; RMB40 a glass) is a joint venture of expats Chandler Jurinka and Daniel Herbert, who launched the company in 2009 and last December unveiled the brewery’s cozy showcase venue, located in the Dongcheng district. Eleven bars and restaurants pour Slowboat’s beers, but the 20 wall-mounted taps here offer the largest assortment.
japan The past 180 years of Kiuchi Brewery’s (1257 Kounosu, Naka-shi, Ibaraki; 81-29/ 298-0105; kodawari.cc; ¥500 a glass) history have been largely defined by sake, but vice president Youichi Kiuchi sees the future of his brewery through the bottom of a pint glass. Located roughly 160 kilometers outside of Tokyo in Naka city, Kiuchi Brewery began brewing its award-winning Hitachino Nest beers in 1996—a good move given Japan’s ongoing generational shift from sake to craft beer as the tipple of choice. Last year Kiuchi added eight new 12,000-liter tanks to its facilities, which today handle 11 different Hitachino Nest ales. You can also brew your own beer under the direction of Kiuchi’s brewmasters and have it shipped three weeks later to anywhere in Japan.
C l o C K W I s e F r o M l e F t: s l o W B o at B r e W e r y; g r e at l e a p B r e W I n g ; B e e r Va n a ; g r e at l e a p B r e W I n g
Radar