The mist is gathering and the atmosphere is getting spooky. Halloween gives kids and adults alike a chance to dress up and have fun, and even if the delivery of your costume was postponed due to the Congress, there's no need to worry: The beer pubs in Beijing are quite tolerant, that means you can still enjoy a foamy, hoppy, and delicious brew (or a few). I'm sure many of you would like to plan ahead, so let’s start with Halloween parties, followed by some good and bad news. Take a deep breath, this blog is going to be very, very long.
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Arrow Factory Brewing Liangmahe will have a H-Arrow-ween party (nice pun, guys) on Oct 28 from 6pm-2am. Celebrate with them dressed as your favorite comic book character at the superhero vs. villain-themed party, during which a free keg of beer will be cracked open via the Beer Wheel of Death every two hours (only for those dressed up). There will be a special deal of RMB 30 on select beers, while DJ Spookeh spins the sinister anthems.
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As we previously mentioned, what would Halloween in Beijing be without Great Leap Brewing’s Halloween party and costume contest? This year, on Oct 28 at 7pm at GLB#12, they team up again with the Beijing LGBT Center for a costume battle like no other. Show up anytime between 7 and 9pm to register your costume and receive a number. Winners will be announced at 10pm, with the award categories as follows:
Individual Category
- 1st prize: RMB 1,288 gift card to Great Leap Brewing
- 2nd prize: RMB 588 gift card to Great Leap Brewing
Group Category
- 1st prize: RMB 1,688 gift card to Great Leap Brewing
- 2nd prize: RMB 888 gift card to Great Leap Brewing
RMB 10 from each purchase of an Imperial Pumpkin Ale will be donated to the LGBT Center. If at least 10 people come dressed in drag, they will award an additional RMB 888 GLB gift card prize for the best drag costume.
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Jing-A will transform the new Brewpub Xingfucun into a horror house on Oct 28. You can get the new pumpkin ale – on buy-one-get-one-free special, and listen to the spookiest festive songs. They will have a Halloween costume contest at Xingfucun at 11.11pm. Top prize is a ticket to the 8x8 beer fest (pick whichever session you want). For the costume-less, you can celebrate the day with a scary amount of freshly carved meat on the carnivore platter.
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For those freaks of nature who like to run their hangover away (how does that even work?), Jing-A will also hold their annual Halloween Beer Mile on Oct 29. If you love to run, or love to drink, or both simultaneously, gather your buddies and some ridiculous costumes and sprint over to Jing-A Taproom 1949 by 3pm. RMB 150 will get you four beers and a shirt (as a souvenir). Scan the QR code in the poster to RSVP. Also, be prepared for the coming 8x8 beer fest at UCCA – check out our interview with Alex Acker to get the low-down on what to expect, and get your tickets here.
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Out of Step will hold a two-day costume party on Oct 28-29 8pm-1am, those who dress up will get a special Bloody Rosa wine for free, and attendees can also win prizes for the best costume and best ghost story. All the beers on tap will be on special at RMB 40 per pint all night long. Anyone who shares the terrifying personal experience on stage will be rewarded with a free pint. To make it more terrifying, there will be non-stop horror movie screening, and DJs to warm you up. Follow their WeChat to get the free tickets (ID: ooschina).
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Slow Boat invites you to get funked up for All Hallow’s Eve on Saturday, Oct 28, on the second floor, which will be morphed into a bar/fun/funk zone with DJ Jay 1,2 (8.30pm onwards) playing his signature blend of funk and disco (think werewolves and zombies donning '60s and '70s threads, boas, and afros!). If you are dressed-to-impress enough, you’ll receive a welcome shot on the house. For the rest who don’t want to make an effort, there are also deals like four pints of Monkey’s Fist IPA or the SOS Belgian Wit for RMB 100. Old-school horror movies will be screened all night long (6pm-2pm).
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Belgian beer lovers and late-night crawlers, 161-year-old Belgian brewery Halve Maan teams up with Café de la Poste to offer a free keg of Brugse Zot Double starting at 11pm on Oct 28, and half-price drinks from the second keg. The dark brown beer has 7.5 percent ABV, and is brewed with six varieties of malt, giving it a coffee and licorice aftertaste. It’ll be a good way to enjoy the peak hours of a sinister midnight.
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If you like spicy, piping hot-food with German-style beer in a spacious Gongti location, try Legend Beer. They will have two competitions for drinking beers and eating extra-large spicy hot dogs in 90 seconds on Oct 31. If you squeeze into the fourth round, you would get 5L, a 2L growler, or two bottles of beer, 5pm-12am.
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Ok, now we have some bad news: approaching their third anniversary, North Capital will have to close permanently on Oct 31. Pay your respects with a visit to this place that has brought us so much joy, many drafts and bottled beers, creative burgers, and pizza jianbing (above).
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And now some good news: Hidden away in Fangjia Hutong, Great Friend Outdoors Club has some new seasonal imported bottles – the Ballast Point Mocha Marlin, with 6 percent ABV, a porter brewed with coffee and cocoa to provide roasted and chocolaty flavors; Manta Ray Double IPA; and Longfin Lager in a can. They also have the Selassie imperial stout with 11 percent ABV, Mazarin Oatmeal Pale Ale, Onda Mosaic Pale, and award-winning Nebuchadnezzar Imperial India Pale Ale (with 8.5 percent ABV) from Omnipollo, Stockholm. Enjoy, but stay safe: don’t drink and climb their in-house rock climbing wall, no matter how tempting it may be.
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Last but not least, another nugget of good news: Popular California-based Stone Brewing (founded in 1996) will launch its brews in Beijing next week at the new Peiping Machine Gongti. If you can’t wait for next week to get them, and don’t mind the crappy service and cold shoulders, go to River Homebrewing & Steak (who quietly changed their name to Liangshi Brewing) at Liangma River. They have the Stone IPA, Stone Delicious IPA, Stone Ripper, Stone Ruination 2.0 Double IPA, Go To IPA, Tangerine Express IPA, and Arrogant Bastard Ale on tap. To be honest, some of these beers are my favorites (especially the Arrogant Bastard Ale with 7.2 percent ABV and 100 IBUs), but if you prefer excellent service and a more welcoming atmosphere in which to try these delicious drafts, be patient and wait for Peiping Machine (46 Fangjia Hutong) to enjoy your night out.
Good luck to your liver, and have fun!
More stories by this author here.
Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
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