As a patron of both Boxing Cat Brewery in Shanghai, and Great Leap Brewing of Beijing, I was very excited to see this Wall Street Journal blog post about the two craft brewers collaborating together on this new beer, Yunnan Amber, which uses Yunnan Dian Hong tea in the brewing process. Tea beer has been something that I have often wanted people to experiment with and it seems these two chaps have decided to put it on the menu.

I am glad to see them pushing craft brewing with some interesting materials. Great Leap Brewing Honey Ma Gold gained some recognition for incorporating Sichuan peppercorns into the brewing process. (Hence the ma[numb], as sichuan peppercorns leave ones mouth with a numb sensation) My last visit, I enjoyed several solid beers, including an oatmeal porter and a stout. A pleasant break from the tea table in the evening. Beer is much better at putting me to bed than tea.

This visit, my goal is to grab the owners ear and convince him to do a second tea beer, a puerh brew. Possible names:

Shu Stout?

Puer Porter?

Bu Lang Lager?

Nak-ale?

Only 1,000 liters were brewed, and I imagine supplies won’t last long. I will haul over there and have a pint, and report the results. The menu online also boasts a Silver Needle Ale, which also deserves a drink. That sounds like an admirable challenge, having silver needle tea flavor show up through beer. Even the lightest lager seems like it would totally eclipse the gentle nature of silver needle tea. I am very much looking forward to a tea beer adventure.