Great Leap Brewing 大跃啤酒 – Beijing, China

Great Leap Brewing 大跃啤酒 – Beijing, China

by | Dec 28, 2017 | 45, beijing, brewing, chaoyang, china, great, leap, pizza

On my recent quick trip to Beijing I made time to visit two craft breweries. One of them was Great Leap Brewing (大跃啤酒). There are three Great Leap locations in the city but my schedule only allowed me to choose one. Great Leap #45, a pizzeria in the Chaoyang District, was on my way to the airport, so that’s the one I selected.

My first flight: Honey Ma Gold ale, Cinnamon Rock Ale, Aggressor dark ale, Little General IPA

The #45 Building

The taxi driver dropped me on a street corner near the brewery and it took several minutes of desperately walking around and employing the help of an English speaking stranger to help me find the brewery entrance; it was off a side-street and not highly visible. The brown building was utilitarian looking. It appeared that the brewery consumed the entire ground floor, with apartments on the upper floors.

Great Leap Brewing #45
To the right of the main entrance is an area to park bicycles and scooters
Enter through this huge door

Since I wasn’t able to visit the other Great Leap locations, I can’t say if they have a similar aesthetic. The dining room at #45 had an industrial feel with concrete, exposed ductwork and large, heavy, communal tables. There were fermenters and brite tanks in the building. The setup was done well, and with several huge windows facing the street, there was plenty of light to keep the room feeling cheerful. At night, it must be much darker inside.

It was early lunchtime on a Sunday and the brewery wasn’t yet busy. I chose a table to myself with a great view of the dining room. Classic punk rock played on the speakers and fit right in with the decor to create an energizing atmosphere. I noticed that some customers came in for tea or coffee and a meal, and not necessarily to drink beer. It says something good for Great Leap #45 that it’s a local dining destination. But I wonder if those teetotalers knew what they were missing.

The view from my table; I liked the stylized Beijing map on the far wall

 

The bar, where I usually choose to sit upon visiting new breweries, but there I would not have had a view

The Flavors

Great Leap brews a diverse selection of beer styles that would be recognized at a craft brewery in North America, but they include traditional Asian ingredients in several of them. The draught list boasted 16 varieties of house beer (there were also a few guest beers from Japan, Australia and Denmark), and flights came in samplers of four. Most brews were of medium to high ABV, with the highest coming in at 12%. I chose my first flight, knowing that I’d probably go for a second one. I wanted to experience as much as I could, and with my next stop being the Beijing airport, I’d have 12 hours in flight to sleep off the beer.

The beers provided a delightful “East meets West” tour. Honey Ma Gold, described as Great Leap’s “flagship ale” was very nice, with adjuncts of honey and Sichuan peppercorns (subtle and not over-powering); this was an award-winning beer. The Iron Buddha Blonde and the Aggressor dark ale (classified as a wee heavy in Untappd) were each infused with oolong tea; it’s a very subtle addition of tea and both are smooth and drinkable. Cinnamon Rock Ale may have been the most unique brew on the list; it was brewed with cinnamon and rock candy, and was good but not a favorite. My American-ness is apparent in my pick of the eight I tried: Explorer General IPA, a west coast IPA with hops from Michigan.

The servers wore Great Leap Brewing track jackets
And for my second flight: Iron Buddha Blonde, Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Explorer General IPA, Liu the Brave Stout

 

My 16-inch “The Cheese” pizza with basil was tasty and, of course, huge

Drinking all these beers, I needed some good food, and the New York style pizza at Great Leap #45 delivered on flavor. The menu also included Italian-inspired appetizers, salads and entrees. Unfortunately, they only make 16-inch pies, and that’s quite a lot for one person. I figured I would take much of my cheese pizza to go and eat it on the airplane. Later, I learned that select pizzas are available by-the-slice.

My server Trent didn’t speak much English, and I don’t speak any Chinese, so I asked if there was another staff member who could tell me more about the brewery. The manager’s English was marginally better, and she was helpful, but unable to answer the questions I would normally ask of a brewery owner or member of the brewing team. When I left Great Leap #45, I didn’t know much beyond what I’d already learned on the website. That is that Great Leap started in 2010 as Beijing’s first craft brewery founded by Carl Setzer from Ohio, USA and Liu Fang from Shandong Province, China. From the start, this was an East/West venture, and that explains a lot about the beer styles. The brewery has three public locations in Beijing as well as a production facility outside the city. If I’d had more time, I would have arranged to meet with the owners. For this trip, I had to be content to simply enjoy the beers in the Great Leap #45 taproom…and I did.

The brewery started filling up after 1 PM, mostly with foreigners from Europe and North America. I approached the English-speaking family at the table next to mine. They were American expats from Washington state. They are regulars at Great Leap and also at Slow Boat, the other Beijing brewery that I visited. I sat with Kjell, Elisabeth and Erica for a while (and they took my leftover pizza off my hands).

Me with my new friends Kjell, Elisabeth and Erica (and my leftover pizza)

There was one more thing I had to do before leaving Great Leap, and that was to check out the merchandise. I simply can’t make purchases at every brewery I visit (there would be no room in my closets for the clothing, or in my kitchen cabinets for the glassware). But I wanted to commemorate my possibly once-in-a-lifetime trip to Beijing, and the Great Leap Brewing artwork was too good to pass up. I chose the red t-shirt with the brewery logo, but I was drawn to the beer-specific designs as well. I said farewell to my American friends with a full belly, a sated beer palate, and ultimately, a strong desire to get to the airport, to return home, and share my China adventures.

Stellar merchandise collection

 

It’s a rare brewery post in which I include photos of myself, but I just had to share the cool t-shirt

Visit

You have your choice of Great Leap Brewing locations depending on where you are in the city, and what type of food you’re in the mood for. Great Leap #45 was my pizza haven in Chaoyang District; #12 is the burger joint in Dongcheng District; and the original #6 is in Doujiao Hutong but does not serve food. Hours vary by location, for #45: Sunday-Thursday 11 AM to 1 AM, Friday-Saturday 11 AM to 2 AM. Check out the brewery at GreatLeapBrewing.com or follow on Facebook or Instagram.

LazyLeisure Beer House 懒马舍 – Hefei, Anhui, China

LazyLeisure Beer House 懒马舍 – Hefei, Anhui, China

by | Dec 10, 2017 | anhui, beer, china, hefei, house, lazy, leisure

My recent visit to Hefei, China was for purposes other than touring breweries, but I still managed to visit one local brewpub. Many thanks to my hosts in Hefei for giving me the opportunity to meet the team at LazyLeisure Beer House (懒马舍), something I would not have been able to do on my own.

The drink menu and my flight (Bright, IPA, Dark, Wheat)

My first experience with LazyLeisure Beer House (LBH) brews was two days before my brewery visit. I was at a party with my fellow traveling companions. Five of us from Columbus, Ohio, USA went to Hefei, China as part of a sister city marathon exchange. The night before the marathon, our host Echo invited us to meet with runners and English club members from the city. Echo’s friend Francesca had learned that one of the party attendees (me) was a craft beer fan, and she brought two different LBH beers to the party. The evening included some party games, discussion of cultural differences and holidays in China and the US, and the making of homemade dumplings and moon cakes. And for me and a few others, tasting the LBH beer: Dark Beer and Wheat Beer. I learned that Francesca worked for a brewing equipment company with a business connection to the brewpub. I hoped I’d be able to visit before leaving town.

Francesca and me at the party

 

The beer Francesca brought to the party; it was all I could do to sit patiently until it was time to taste them

The next day, our group from Columbus ran the Hefei International Marathon or Half Marathon with our new Chinese friends Echo and Bernard. It was a great day, and the subject of another blog post, linked here. The day after the marathon, my group of five split up to pursue individual activities in Hefei. Echo, Bernard and Francesca arranged for me to visit LBH.

Shortly before lunchtime, Bernard dropped me off at LazyLeisure Beer House, where I met Francesca. The brewpub wasn’t open yet but Woody, the manager, was expecting us and made me feel very welcome.

The outside of the brewpub

 

Having met up with Francesca, I was excited to go inside

 

About LBH

 

The interior of LazyLeizure is cozy and inviting. It’s a place where you would want to stay for a while enjoying beer and good company.

The bar

 

The copper tanks are quite attractive

 

There’s a stage, so LBH can have live performances

 

You can see the fermentation tanks from the dining room

I sat with Woody and Francesca for a while. Woody encouraged
me to try a sample of all four LBH beers. And in the spirit of a true cultural exchange, I shared with her photos of the various tasting flight boards I’ve come across at breweries in the US. I think it gave her ideas.

While I looked through the
beautiful menu, Francesca was excited to speak with me about the beer. She mentioned that it is still rare for Chinese women to take much of an interest in craft
beer. She was happy to have a compatriot. As I sampled my way through the beers, Woody broadcasted our
conversation live on a social media app of some sort. I was a bit of a star,
apparently. I learned several things in our conversation.

The LazyLeisure logo is a horse, which represents a worker.
He is lazy because he has already put in his workday and is now relaxing with a
good beer. Each beer is paired with a different version of the horse, which was seen in
the menu. The Chinese characters for the brewpub (懒马舍) represent the words for lazy,
horse and house. Without knowing any Chinese writing, I could see that the
second character was a horse and the third character was a house.

A tutorial on the brewing process

 

Mr. Ding at work canning beer

 

The craft beer movement is still recent in China and LBH has
been open for almost two years. Master Han, the brewmaster, worked in larger,
commercial breweries since 1992, and has a lot of experience. The four LBH beer
recipes are his own. Master Han is assisted in the brewery by Mr. Ding.

The Beers

 

After sampling all four beers, Francesca and I sat down to a
lunch of veggie pizza and a green vegetable (maybe Chinese broccoli?) in soy
sauce. Woody offered me a full glass of my favorite. I chose the Wheat, which
was smooth and refreshing and reminded me more of an American wheat
beer, versus a German or Belgian version.

Veggie pizza and the Wheat beer

 

Tasty Chinese broccoli (I think)

 

The menu page for Wheat Beer, and the corresponding horse

My second favorite was the Dark
Beer, which I liken to a brown ale, though LBH called it a stout. I also found the Bright Beer to be very drinkable,
and while LBH called it a lager, I’m not sure that it was; it seemed more like
a light ale of some sort. Finally, there was the IPA. The beer was good, but
didn’t meet my expectations for an English or an American IPA. It was light on
the hops (only 30-35 IBU), and I wondered if that is because the Chinese palate
is not accustomed to overly-bitter, hoppy beers. After all, most of the commercial
beers available in China are light lagers. I would drink the LBH IPA, but it
wouldn’t be my go-to if I wanted a traditional IPA.

Menu page for Dark Beer

 

Menu page for Bright Beer

 

Menu page for IPA

 

Patrons from traditional beer drinking countries will find
the beers at LazyLeisure Beer House to be a little different than what they are
used to. The beers are examples of Chinese-created craft beer, versus the many
American or European-owned craft breweries in larger Chinese cities. These beers are so much more enjoyable to drink than the mass-produced lagers you typically
find in China. I like seeing a small place like this do its own thing. Master
Han is creating beers that must be very different from what he brewed during
his many years in commercial breweries. It’s exciting to see this happening in
a second-tier city like Hefei (which is still a large metropolitan area of
nearly 8 million people).

With the LazyLeisure team: Master Han, salesman, me, Francesca, Woody

 

My generous gift from LazyLeisure, which made it safely home to the US for sharing

 

Before I left LBH, I was gifted with a case of four 1-liter
cans of beer: two each of Dark Beer and Bright Beer. I felt like a celebrity
and a very special guest, but I’ve come to learn that this is typical of
Chinese hospitality. I wish Master Han, Woody, Mr. Ding and the entire team at
LBH the best of success as they continue to evolve their business. If I ever find
myself back in Hefei, I’ll make a return visit for sure.

Visit

 

LazyLeisure Beer House is open daily from 11:00 AM to 1:00 AM. It is
family friendly and has a menu I’ll characterize as Chinese pub fare, with a
mix of pizzas and traditional Chinese dishes. I was unable to find a website. The WeChat ID is LLBEERH (WeChat is a popular Chinese social media app, and there is an English version).