Roll out the barrel

Judges taste beer at the Fifth Annual China 'Master Cup' Homebrewing Competition led by Master Gao. [Photo provided to China Daily]

A critical ingredient in that movement is money. The rising disposable incomes of Chinese meaning the likes of craft beer, wine and Western spirits are becoming more accessible to them. The craft beer trend will be given impetus, too, as more and more people come across craft beers when they are abroad, either as tourists, as part of their work, or while studying.

"Chinese are very open to new things," Acker says. "It's not just about craft beer; it's a universal thing to want a better quality of life in every aspect. People are moving toward things like organic food, farmer's markets, more artisanal products, handcrafted food and craft beer is just part of it. They want to know where their food comes from."

So what then is craft beer? In China the definition is hard to nail down. In fact some say it is more a notion than a definition, but there is a consensus that three of the key ingredients are independence, diversity and innovation, something said to be lacking in industrial beers.

Great Leap Brewing, which opened in October 2010, was the first microbrewery in Beijing and has grown from four taps in one place to 60 taps in three places.