This correspondent is now safely ensconsed with our permanent Beijing correspondent, Tony from Toowoomba, in the expat enclave of Shunyi, which is to the North East of Beijing outside the 5th Ring Road. With the Pomegranate pub now rubble, and …
A beer with a long name, the Big Goose Pagoda and a Bierhaus
The Chinese occasionally have a habit of running words together when they put the Pinyin translation of a phrase or name in print. That might explain why this beer’s name is so long. Still I can’t recall drinking a …
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Hans Beer – Xi’an’s VB
I previously lamented the lack of a local Nanjing beverage. Well, Xi’an certainly has its favourite drop and it’s Hans. I think it is a local brand that had been taken over by Tsingtao, and in all the restaurants …
Snow Beer, cheap feeds and Chinese cyclists
Yesterday we vowed to eat local and I vowed to drink local. As a result, we ate well, I drank functionally and we spent very little money. My meal of 5 pan fried pork dumplings and a bottle of Snow …
Blue Diamond Stout Beer and Sun Yat-Sen
A few cities have been China’s capital over the years. Nanjing’s had at least two turns and as a result it has plenty to see. One of the highlights is the Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum. In the complex history of China …
Shanghai World Financial Centre and Beerlao Dark Lager
One of the highlights of Sydney’s Level 41 restaurant was taking a leak. The men’s urinals had the most amazing view and it felt like you were pissing all over the Eastern Suburbs. Well, I’ve got to say I’ve found …
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Fast trains and Suntory Beer
This is the briefest of posts. I’m not sure if it will even work. Yesterday this correspondent travelled to Shanghai and had a great opportunity to compare two major city’s airport rail connections. First, Circular Quay (yep I started my …
Easter Ale, the late, great MP and Bells
About 24 years ago, I remember drinking a beer brewed specifically for Easter. It was, (I think – it was a long time ago), a chocolate beer made by Matilda Bay. It was in a 500ml swing top and it …
The US invasion – Brooklyn Brown Ale and a couple of Wingwalkers
One of the stars of the US craft brewing scene is Brooklyn Brewery. The two co-founders and the brewmaster have also written separate books about beer and brewing that are pretty significant in the craft brewing industry. Brooklyn Brewery started …
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The first autumn BotF twilight and Meteor from Alsace
Daylight saving finished on the weekend, and we’ve abruptly moved to a new skyline on the Back of the Ferry. It is amazing what a difference an hour makes. Tonight’s ferry trip was looking pretty lonely with an alomst empty …
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back of the ferry 