Jing-A brewing – just find it

I’m back in Beijing. In many respects, Back of the Ferry owes its origins to Beijing. I lived here for 7 months in 2009. I’d send a regular email entitled “Sino Photo of the Day”, which blathered on about the sights and sounds of this incredible city. The writing bug had bitten, and when I returned to Oz the subject changed to beers drunk of the Back of the Ferry. (6th anniversary on 9 November.)

I’ve been back a couple of times since and still find the place exhilarating. I’ve been blessed with excellent weather this time around – almost Beijing Blue – and I’ve been pounding the streets gawking away. Back in 2009 there were no craft breweries (none that I could find anyway), but that has changed. Some of the venues I’ve visited on this trip are as good as any in the world and provide an alternative to the ubiquitous Carlsberg, Stella and Tsingtao.
Jing A Brewing is quite close to Sanlitun, just off Gongti Beilu. Best bet to find it is to ring them using the number on Trip Advisor and get the bar staff to speak to your cabbie. There’s a steel cut sign on the front with their distinctive logo. Inside is a beautifully kitted out bar. The tap list isn’t overwhelming, but they’ve got all bases covered with Double IPAs, Pales, Reds, Stouts and Wheats.