BEER TOUR
Our new book is a guide to beer tasting
at the world’s best breweries. Discover a
selection of the finest tap rooms, bars
and breweries that thirsty travellers can
visit in 30 countries around the world.
Lonely Planet’s Global Beer Tour
is available online at
shop.lonelyplanet.com (£14.99).A GUIDE TO BEER TASTING AT THE WORLD'S BEST BREWERIESPHOTOGRAPHS: JESTER KING, WICKED WEED BREWING, SEAN PAVONE/SHUTTERSTOCK
After a night of
drinking a lot of beer
there’s not much
guaranteed to fix you
the next morning. But
that’s not to say that
people haven’t tried.Umeboshi (Japan)
Aka pickled plums,
umeboshi are a
confronting mouthful,
pickled to within an inch
of their lives and so salty
and sour you’ll more
than likely reach for a
beer to wash it down.Prairie oyster (USA)
If you believe that what
doesn’t kill you makes
you stronger, try the
Prairie Oyster – a raw
egg dressed with salt,
pepper, Tabasco and
Worcestershire sauce.
Slam it down hard
(so it stays put).Hair of the dog
(global)
The ubiquitous
hangover cure – it is a
pearl of wisdom thrown
out in every country on
the planet. The extreme
version of this is ‘stay
drunk’ but that’s no way
to live. We recommend
a Bloody Mary if you’re
going to try it. But any
port in a storm...HOW TO ASK FOR A BEER IN LOCAL LANGUAGE?
Qıˇng gěi woˇ yībēi píjıˇu
HOW TO SAY CHEERS? Gānbèi!
SIGNATURE BEER STYLE? Pale lager
LOCAL BAR SNACK? Charcoal-grilled meat skewers
DON’T: If drinking in a group, don’t fill your own glass up
but wait for your companion to fill it, and then fill theirs.Beer, like many things, has a long history in
China: the Chinese were brewing barley-based
beer some 5,000 years ago. Early modern breweries
were set up in China by the Russians, Japanese,
Czechs and Germans, and even today the craft beer
movement has been primarily driven by western
expats. But as the middle-class has expanded,
Chinese tastes for beer variety have grown, and now
a contingent of young, in-the-know Chinese are
dominating the scene in cities around the country.China
China’s brewing scene has thrived
with its economic expansion
Moonzen Brewery
2A New East Sun Bldg, 18 Shing Yip St, Kwun Tong,
Hong Kong; moonzen.hk; 00 852 3709 2829
OTransport OTourThe name ‘Moonzen’ stands for ‘door gods’ – in Chinese
folklore, these spiritual guardians of entrances attract
good luck and fend off evil spirits. Moonzen’s brews are
themed around a deity; for example, the Yama Sichuan
Porter is named for the king of the underworld and
brewed with smoky cherry-wood malts and numbing
Sichuan peppercorns and chillies. The brewery and its
four taps can be visited by appointment. Don’t leave
without trying the Dragon King Fujian Radler: a saltwater
IPA named for the undersea god, nodding to his favourite
fruit, honey pomelos from Fujian province.Chi Lin Nunnery
This 1930s temple was
rebuilt in 1998 in Tang
dynasty style, with
interlocking wood pieces
and no nails. Lunch at the
temple’s celebrated
vegetarian restaurant,
located behind a waterfall.Hong Kong Global
Geopark
Hike among eerie volcanic
rocks, or up to a ridge for
amazing South China Sea
views in this Unesco-
listed geopark in Hong
Kong’s New Territories.
geopark.gov.hkTHINGS TO DO NEARBY
Great Leap Brewing
6 Doujiao Hutong, Di’anmenwai Ave, Dongcheng,
Beijing; greatleapbrewing.com; 00 86 010 5717 1399
OBar O Transport O FoodEstablished by husband-and-wife partners Carl Setzer and
Liu Fang in 2010, Great Leap was Beijing’s first craft beer
success story. Its original location, Great Leap #6, is in a
110-year-old residence and former Qing dynasty library,
down a hidden Beijing hutong (alleyway) too narrow for
cars. The tiny brewpub has 10 taps selling only Great Leap
beer (plus their homemade ginger beer) and there’s a
courtyard where you can watch the world go by. Their
most popular beers include the Iron Buddha Blonde, an ale
infused with oolong tea. Try the Honey Ma Gold, brewed
with Sichuan peppercorn and Mutianyu Great Wall honey.Houhai Lakes
Go paddle-boating,
cycling or ice skating in
winter at Qianhai, Houhai
and Xihai – three lakes
that form the centre of
Beijing’s outdoor life.Forbidden City
The world’s largest ancient
palace, the Forbidden City
housed the emperor and
his staff during the Ming
and Qing dynasties.
dpm.org.cnTHINGS TO DO
NEARBY