Brewery alehouses in Beijing bring European-style craft beers to masses

Brew pubs offering hearty English-style real ales and beers with unusual ingredients such as watermelon, Sichuan peppers and tea are proving to be hugely popular in Beijing, packed with drinkers who, at last, have an alternative to bland local offerings.

The main three newcomers, Great Leap Brewing, Slow Boat Brewery and Jing-A Brewing Company, initially targeted their craft beers at expatriates. They knew they would have a ready-made clientele of British, Americans and Germans pining for the high alcohol-content beer and pub atmosphere of their homelands.

But the alehouses have quickly developed a strong following of mainlanders, who have acquired a taste for more complex beers. All nationalities appreciate that the craft ales are brewed with real expertise - and sold at prices that undercut already-established outlets serving imported keg beers.

Serious drinkers, especially those who endured the wasteland years of having a choice of only bland lager, or paying a hefty price for a properly brewed pint at the German-style brauhaus operations, still can't quite believe places such as Great Leap Brewing offer up to 16 beers at any one time, all brewed on the premises by owner Carl Setzer.

"The beer I am proudest of - which is also our bestseller - is the Honey Ma," says the American, a sturdy, bearded, baseball-capped fellow who looks every inch the brewmaster he is. "It costs slightly more than our pale ale but it sells the same amount per day. Sichuan peppercorn is a brewing ingredient people often didn't know existed before we made the Honey Ma. Some brewers said it didn't go with beer."

Setzer launched the first incarnation of Great Leap Brewing in a scruffy hutong courtyard, a venue that still has a loyal following.