Christmas in Beijing

A short plane ride got me to Beijing on Christmas day. It was already kind of late, so I decided to check out the Belgian beer scene at a place not too far from where I was staying. Almost 11:30PM, I arrived at

Beer Mania
Tayue Hotel, Ground Floor 103,
16 Sanlitun South Road, Chaoyang, Beijing
TEL: (10) 6585 0786
http://www.beermania.todayinchina.com

Looking from the outside, was a drawing of the Manneken Pis holding a beer. I have a good feeling that I have gone to the right place. I got in, it was completely empty, well, except for the one drunken gentleman lying horizontally over the bar stools. That didn't intimidate me as I was already eying the fridge full of goodies.

Started the night out with a Malheur 10 (I haven't had this beer since I was in Brugges a few years back) and my buddy Greg had a Duchesse de Bourgogne. The place is cosy, with the usual dark mahogany furniture and teak colour wood panels. This place is decorated with tons of Belgian beer memorabilia, Kwak, Delirium Posters and a long row of consumed Belgian bottles. The staffs are relaxed and friendly. My second round followed by a Lindeman Gueuze and my buddy had a Pipeline Porter made from 100% Kona Coffee from Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii. These two happened to be the only two bottles that are singles in the fridge and we consumed it.

Later of the night, the owner came back with a bunch of his friends. We got the chance to chat up a bit with him. He asked us what the Duchesses of Bourgogne and the Pipline Porter tasted like. These two beers, I have had before and it was quite tasty. We shared with him our thoughts and he said he was going to stock them.

The Belgian selection at Beer Mania is extensive, from my memory, Westmalle (dubbel, triple), Archel (Blond, Brune), Chimay (Red, White, Blue), Rochefort (6, 8, 10), Maredsous (6, 8, 10) and a ton of others, better check out their website. Since I am used to the insane Shanghai beer prices, I found Beijing beers are relatively reasonable.

My final beer was a Pater Lieven Blonde, 6.5%, it was very tasty, much like the Malheur without the kicks. I rank highly for Beer Mania, it's a quiet little joint where you can down some really special Belgium brews and catch up with friends.

A few photos: