Great Leap Brewing

11/10/2020

On October 10th, 2010, Carl and Liu Fang first opened the doors of Great Leap #6. What began as a couple quiet pints amongst a few friends quickly became a raucous gathering from which they never looked back.

For those who weren't there when Great Leap Brewing first opened, here's an article by Tom O'Malley, our old friend.
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"Back in the hazy days of 2010, it was late autumn, the trees were bare, the hutongs heady with coalsmoke. A friend had invited me and some others to a brand-new place near Nanluogu Xiang that made its own beer.

I remember walking into the yard at No. 6, seeing the light coming through those lattice windows. It was empty inside save for couches, a worn armchair, and two people who I would get to know as Carl and Liu Fang. Didn’t feel like a bar at all. It was homely, lived-in. More like a pub. To this laowai, two years out of England, the vibe felt right.

And then the beer. Pale Ale #6. Still the greatest. Back then, beer in Beijing for me meant either long-necked Yanjing or something like Carlsberg. Here I was, drinking proper ale that had a meaningful connection to the city and neighbourhood that I loved. I was talking to its creators, offering sage advice about pricing (keep it low), and feeling lucky that I’d found somewhere I could call my own. Never mind that it was too cold to take off your coat. No problem - just meant you had to drink more to stay warm.

Towards the end of that first night, I remember seeing Carl counting the take, thumbing through a stack of 100 RMB bills. At that point I reckon it was dawning on him that they might be on to something good. That was also probably the moment I should have rushed home and started work on my own ‘Peking Pijiu’ craft beer brand.

Ah well. Strikes and gutters. F**k it dude. And thanks for all the beer."

25/09/2020

“If you are a dreamer come in”, wrote American poet Shel Silverstein, an invite that we also extend so that you can come savor the latest in our Poet Series of sour beers. Brewed with fresh raspberry puree, Blend into the Sounds Raspberry Sour IPA pours a rich scarlet hue and drinks refreshingly fruity and tart, with Chinook and Centennial hops to level out the flavor and impart pine aroma and bitterness. The beer’s name is inspired from Falling Up, a children’s poem by Silverstein about a kid who trips and falls upwards into the sky, higher and higher, to “where the colors / Blend into the sounds”. Which, coincidentally, is also just about the perfect analogy for being happy drunk. Enjoy.

這是「詩人酸」發酵罐酸啤系列的新佳釀。這款酒加入了樹莓果漿的酸IPA，酒體呈秋日楓葉般的紅色。口感酸甜、清澈，易飲性極強，因為加入了奇努克(Chinook)和世紀（Centennial）兩款酒花，松香、花香和苦度搭配起來得到了平衡的口感。酒名來自杜牧《山行》「停車坐愛楓林晚，霜葉紅於二月花」。

18/09/2020

Lagers aren’t usually chocolatey and dark, just like the sun doesn’t usually set in the east. (Not even in Australia, we Googled it). But Great Leap Brewing is all about pushing boundaries and confounding expectations, so raise your glass to our first ever Baltic Porter, a style hailing from the Baltic Sea region. Technically it’s a lager, despite pouring dark as night and having a beefed-up alcohol content capable of warding off any Nordic chill. In Germanic languages, they call the Baltic Sea the East Sea, which is another reason why we christened this heavyweight rule-breaker The Eastern Sunset.

這是一款挑戰大家對拉格啤酒風味普遍認知的傑作。作為一款高酒精度、口感濃郁，酒體宛如黑夜的佳釀，「日落夜海」的名字來源於這款酒的風格「波羅的海」波特，在愛沙尼亞語中波羅的海又名夜海。雖然名叫波特，其實是一款深受波羅的海地區人民口味影響，屬於拉格分類的啤酒。

28/08/2020

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the courtyard, a predator lies in wait… The ‘Fall Tiger’ (Qiūlǎohǔ; 秋老虎) is a Chinese idiom that describes the last roars of summer heat before Beijing slips into the blue skies of autumn. But we say, don’t fear the tiger; come out and salute it with our latest seasonal creation, a refreshing, crisp Dry APA crafted to be the perfect session beer for enjoying on a (late) summer afternoon. Straw-colored and clear, this beast is drier than your typical American Pale Ale (APA), with a perfect, tiger-stripe balance of sweetness and bitterness, and a citrusy, hoppy bite. All seasons must eventually pass, but you’ll miss this tiger when it’s gone. Enjoy.

赶着末伏给大家带来一款极其干净爽脆的 APA。这款佳酿酒体清透，呈曼妙的稻草色，因在酿造过程中特别添加酶所使得这款APA口感更干，同时更好的保留了美式淡色艾尔柑橘类的酒花香气。更香，更干，甜度和苦度更加平衡，适合畅饮，一身轻松。酒名源自这款佳酿和各位见面的正当下——秋老虎时节。立秋之后天气回热，高温暴晒如老虎一般蛮横不讲理。秋老虎管秋老虎，一杯干型APA最合适。

14/08/2020

Simple and authentic, The Fugitives and Refugees Pale Ale carries a bright floral aroma with a hint of fresh mint, which is complemented by a tangy flavor and crisp finish. Light in body and low in ABV, this chrysanthemum pale ale is perfect for your daily drinking session in reclusion. We named the beer in English after Chuck Palahniuk’s impactful book, which portrays stories of people looking for new starts or avoiding their pasts in the City of Portland, Oregon. Beijing, where Great Leap Brewing originated, also fits the description as a place where imposters and emperors, misfits and messiahs find their fortunes. On the other hand, the Chinese name of this beer is inspired by a poem by Tao Yuanming, who spent most of his life in reclusion, finding meaning in nature and solitude.

很高兴和各位介绍立秋节气后的第一款佳酿——东篱艾尔。晋陶渊明独爱菊，而菊最是代表秋。东篱艾尔酒体颜色稍浅，略显朦胧，犹如秋日轻薄的晨雾；同时作为大跃又一款加入黄山贡菊的精酿酒款，呈清新的菊花及草本香，同时品尝起来口感干净中透着清凉，就仿佛眼前东篱下菊花傲然而立，透着隐逸之风。东篱艾尔酒名语出陶渊明《饮酒》诗：“采菊东篱下，悠然见南山。”同时又有宋代词人李清照“东篱把酒黄昏后，有暗香盈袖”。

04/08/2020

🍻🍻🍻Shoutout to The Beer Healer, thanks for taking the time to do the interview with our Co-Founder, Carl Setzer.

Great Leap is nearing a full decade of brewing Chinese craft beer for the drinkers of Beijing, Chengdu, and every point in between.

Hope you enjoy Carl’s interview.

‎Show The Beer Healer interviews, Ep Ep. 89 - Opening a Brewery in the 2nd Hardest Place in the World. With Great Leap Brewing Co-Founder Carl Setzer. - 2 Aug 2020

13/03/2020

UGLY HALF BEER 酉鬼啤酒 is dropping our new collaboration Kveik Lager this Sunday (March 15) at Taipei's Beer Rush Taproom from 5:00 to 8:00pm, or whenever Tom feels like going home. Perfect for lovers of , yeast (we see you), or

10/03/2020

We had a great time brewing a red rice saison with the lovely Rune of People Like Us. Thank you for hosting the wonderful and cozy first edition of SRBB. Looking forward to many more collaborations!

11/01/2020

We are thrilled to be a shorter undetermined time away from opening our Chengdu location! We’re equally as excited to be hosting a Plastered T-shirts x Great Leap Brewing merchandise shop in house. The first time either of our brands have put down brick and mortar in Chengdu. Mins/Hours/Days away. Promise.

09/11/2019

We’re pouring our beers in Sweden at Örebrew Fest. A first for us at Great Leap Brewing. If you are in the land of IKEA, come by and say hi to Monica. She’s ok. Most of the time.

19/08/2019

Like Jim Hopper, #12 Lives.

Last Friday, Fang Liu and I were able to do something that we hadn’t done since May 8th of last year, when someone knocked on the door at #12, we didn’t have to say, “sorry, but this location is closed to the public and is our office now.” Everyone in our back office has had these lines memorized and had to repeat them for fifteen months the twenty or so times a day someone would try to get in. For 15 months we had to turn away hopeful visitors or instruct them to visit our other locations if they were patient enough. It sucked. For everyone involved. Beijing is easily one of my favorite cities in the world, but sometimes it plays hard to get while trouncing your heart on the ground in football cleats, and 2018 was one of those years where Beijing played a lot of football. We made the hard decision to be honest with our customers and tell them the truth. We didn’t hang a sign abruptly saying we were closed for renovations. That would be a lie and people that would do that are liars. We should all try not to lie and point out when liars lie. But whatever, be best, yeah?

Alright, so the good news is that Great Leap #12 is reopen, but let’s set expectations.

- There is no kitchen. It’s now our sales office and our sales people don’t know how to hamburger. As a result of this reality we’ll be encouraging everyone to order delicious food from your favorite delivery app (Great Leap pizza and burgers are only a Sherpa away). As a fun little game, everyone that orders food from another craft brewery gets to enter the “look, I like your food but I want to see other people” contest. The winner gets to eat that food in Great Leap while drinking our beer. Congrats.

- There is no brewery. We removed it over the last couple days and have relocated it to our Tianjin facility. This means in addition to the mainstay Great Leap brands that we distribute to over 400 locations around Beijing and the surrounding area, you’ll be able to get A LOT more awesome Great Leap experimental beers all over Beijing by winter/spring next year. But because space and time are real, that brewery is no longer located at #12. We did a redesign, we know the equipment looked cool, but we’re really happy with the new look and hope you will be too.

- We’ve added two new taps that will pour some very special beers from our wild wall program and from our experimental series, upping the total taps to 22. Deuce deuces. Twos. Double love. Whatever you want to call it. It’s more beer. Be happy.

- Our hours have changed to be a bit more reasonable in relation to our new operation style. We’ll open at 5pm and stay open late. If you lovelies show us that you want more access then we’ll open up for longer hours.

There are still a couple more design upgrades and features that we’ll add over the next couple days, but we’d like to welcome everyone to come by and take a look and let us know what you think.

Love,
Liu Fang and Carl