Thirsty work
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Chandler Jurinka's hunch that real ale could be popular in Beijing has proved right. Mark Graham / for China Daily |
Real ale fans have made a business out of brewing quality local beers for Beijing's drinkers
Tasty draft beers, similar to the kind found in traditional English pubs and fashionable American bars, are now available in China, thanks to Chandler Jurinka, whose Slow Boat brewery ales are proving to be hugely popular.
Jurinka figured that the more discerning drinkers in China would form a ready-made market for his unpasteurized and unfiltered beers, which are brewed at a specially-constructed new facility located in a village outside Beijing.
His hunch proved to be spot on. The range of Slow Boat ales can now be found at more sophisticated venues throughout the capital, and at a popular French Concession restaurant in the port city of Shanghai.
Slow Boat currently brews 12 different varieties of beer at any one time, from strong stout to light lager, with evocative names such as Monkey's Fist IPA, Man-O-War Porter and Dragon Boat Ale.
"We offer a lot because it is important to provide a variety to get people to be interested," says Jurinka. "Westerners have tried this type of beer before, and get it, but this is a new thing for Chinese people. We have a blond ale, a cream ale, a pilsner and a wheat beer; in fact we cover the whole range. Most of them are on the lower end of the alcohol scale but we have an imperial vanilla stout, which has an alcohol content of 8.5 percent.
"Our beer is a point of differentiation. There are a lot of beers out there that are ubiquitous but if you are looking for a local, China-made option then we are that beer. In Beijing we are in 30 places several are embassies and there is growing interest. In a year's time we hope to be supplying 200 outlets."
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