This weekend is bound to be full of fun – there are several Halloween events organized by different brewpubs, some new seasonal brews, and the JakaBusters will be back on the town ready to give you dose of Rager Pie's winning Jaka formula. If you've been living under a rock for the past week, there are also at least 100 other Halloween events scheduled for this weekend. Be safe and have fun!
First up, Arrow Factory and Rager Pie are bringing the JakaBusters back for two nights only this Halloween, on October 28 and 29. They'll be blasting goblins and keeping the streets safe with a dangerous blend of Arrow Factory’s popular Back in Black Stout (5.7 percent ABV) and Rager Pie’s Jaka cold brew coffee. Don't drink too much or you may end up looking more like a ghost than you bargained for come Monday.
How to get in on the action? On Friday the Busters will start at Arrow Factory Taproom (the Wudaoying location, next to Stuff’d) at 8pm, head back to Rager Pie, and visit a few bars in the area, winding their way to The Distillery for 11.30pm. On Saturday night, they will start at Rager Pie at 9pm, then head down to the bars around Beiluogu Xiang and Fangjia, with a halftime refill at Arrow Factory Taproom along the way.
Bars hosting the JakaBusters: Arrow Factory Taproom, Rager Pie, El Nido, 8-Bit, The Other Place, The Dirty Duck, Scarlet A, Northern Capital Brewing, and The Distillery. Most of these bars will have some sort of special on drinks for who people stick around, and some will have even have extra-special drinks for those who follow like booze-hungry hounds for the JakaBusters goods. Have fun.
Moving on, Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Stout gave us a lot to remember this spring, winning a gold award at the World Beer Cup. This kickarse brew is a dark and dense Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels to 14.2 percent ABV and comes with a mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and smokey flavors. For the next few days, it will be poured from limited kegs at the following places:
- Home Plate BBQ (Sanlitun location): from November 1 until it runs out. Bourbon County (RMB 80 for 250ml), order Memphis or KC ribs and add a Bourbon County for RMB 70, add a slice of chocolate cake for RMB 20.
- Peiping Machine: from October 31 until it runs out. RMB 80 for 250ml Bourbon County, or RMB 90 for 250ml Bourbon County Nitro.
Goose Island also has promotions on Honker’s Ale at the following venues from today until November 15 (buy one Honker’s Ale, get 50 percent off your second Goose Island draft, not including Bourbon County Brand Stout):
- Home Plate BBQ (Sanlitun location)
- Peiping Machine Brewing
- SteamRhino
- Ram Brewpub
- North Capital Bar & Grill
- Beer Guys
- Regain Element
At Slow Boat Taproom, Zombie Pirate Pale Ale on draft will be on discount 5-7pm, Monday to Friday, starting at RMB 20 and increasing by 5 kuai every half an hour. As if that's not enough, on Tuesday, 86 Golden Lager is RMB 25 (8pm-midnight). On Wednesday, Monkey’s Fist IPA is RMB 25 (8pm-midnight). On Thursday, get RMB 5 off on all new seasonal beers on tap.
On Saturday, the team will also be holding a Halloween party on the third floor of the Slow Boat Brewpub (Sanlitun location) and at their Taproom. There'll be drink specials from open to close, and if you dress up as a pirate or an Immortal, you'll get your first Apple Pie (a mix of cider and Fireball whiskey) or a Zombie Pirate Pale Ale for free.
In Wangfujing, Drunk Bar continues to cater to Beijing's northeastern crowds. They have three new beers out, including a 5 Litre Farmhouse Ale (6 percent ABV), a highly carbonated, fruity, and spicy saison; and their Munich Helles, brewed with noble hops and Munich malts, a lighter, German-style beer.
To celebrate Haloween, they'll also release a Pumpkin Ale, brewed using roasted pumpkins from Huairou.
Great Leap Brewing #12 and the Beijing LGBT Center are throwing an annual Halloween party at 7pm on Saturday (Oct 29). There will be beers, costumes, and ... a giant check. There'll be a costume contest, with the awards will go to the finest individual costume, most fabulous team, and best drag. The big winner will receive a RMB 888 check, which can buy you liters and liters of beer in Great Leap. RMB 10 from every Imperial Pumpkin Ale that is sold on Saturday will go to the Beijing LGBT Center.
Show up in a costume, and you will get a free beer at their original location (#6, the hutong one). Their #45 location hasn't been left out either, and will have their very own costume party in which RMB 10 from every beer will be donated to the Beijing LGBT Center after 9pm.
And finally, Jing-A is gathering 50 runners for their Beer Mile; one giant cotume race starting from 3pm on Saturday (Oct 29). There will be three special prizes for the funniest, grossest, and most scandalous costumes. RMB 150 will get you entry to the race as well as four beers and a special T-shirt.
More stories by this author here.
Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
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Photos courtesy of the venues