Per the recommendations of multiple friends, Arrow Factory Brewing’s Taproom had to be among the next destinations on my list. Only a couple hutong blocks west of the Lama Temple, the surrounding Wudaoying area is an eclectic mix of cafes, bars and boutiques, catering to tourist, upscale and/or hipster clientele, each to varying degrees. Feel free to make what you will of that description… 😉 The hutong they are situated on is itself called the “Arrow Factory Hutong” 箭厂胡同, which also hosts an art studio of the same name. The taproom was formerly their only production site, before they upgraded to a larger location in the outer Shunyi District. Immediately adjacent is Stuff’d Restaurant, whose full, UK-tinged menu is also served in the taproom.
People that know me “In Real Life” know that I don’t actually consider myself a full-blown hophead, even though there are countless times when I crave a fresh DIPA. When Hops Magazine profiled Arrow Factory in 2014, the brewers specifically criticized how the hop craze within the craft beer market often results in “unbalanced” brews that do “nothing more than trying to overwhelm the connoisseur with an onslaught of hops.” They have a point, although I would argue that one’s perception of “balance” is surprisingly subjective and contextual. In any case, the interview indicated that the brewery would nonetheless add hoppier and bolder beers in the future – “but more in a subtle way.” Lo and behold, this was their draft list on the evening of my visit:
Four out of eleven (later twelve) offerings were either IPA’s or had the word “hop” in its name or description, and another had the word “bitter” without being a style indicator. Spurred on by this revelation, the Hop-headed Devil on my shoulder could no longer be rebuffed:
Thankfully for the Angel of Balance on my other shoulder, Arrow Factory stayed true to their word and presented beers with plenty of fresh hop character, yet not in the flashy and aggressive style often associated with American craft beer. I would still recommend these beers to most people because they demonstrate how hops don’t just add bitterness to beer, but aromatics that can be just as delicate as those found in green tea or white wine. Sometimes we do lose sight of how beer remained popular for centuries before all the fashion trends and nearly countless hop varieties we are confronted with today.
Indeed, the Longbow Men English IPA 长弓射手 is very classical in that regard, both malty as a result of its strength and balanced with an earthier bitterness – an interplay of flavor and aroma characteristic of what must have made the style so popular amongst the English generations ago. That said, the Seeing Double 断片儿 IPA is also “classic” in its own way by presenting the Americanized style, reinterpreted once more by non-Americans, perhaps as an homage to the earlier days of the craft beer movement. Back when the “Three C” hops of Cascade, Centennial and Columbus were still sparking a global phenomenon in the 1980’s and 90’s. Though I’m not sure those are the hops being used here specifically, it was reminiscent of those beers which a decade ago first piqued my curiosity into craft beer, and before the dizzying array of new and often experimental and still-unnamed hop varieties now available.
One might say in light of these comments that in retrospect, perhaps I was unfair to Great Leap Brewing’s IPA’s a couple weeks back. Perhaps, and I will for sure relish future opportunities to try their beers again. I could very well be eating my words in the near future. But despite the similarly warm, muggy weather, Arrow Factory’s use of New World hop varieties simply shone through both brighter and fresher, and despite their explicitly stated intent NOT to just blindly mimic their American counterparts.
Perhaps it is with this perspective that I once again chose a more classical lineup in my second flight of beers. Thanks to the Beer Gods, the draft line for the Two Birds Helles 一箭双雕 – not operational when I entered – was now pouring. As you, the kind reader, should probably know by now, craft brewers making lagers really tickles my fancy. (It may also appeal to the Sinophiles out there knowing that the Chinese name uses the proverbial equivalent of “two birds with one stone,” except in China it’s always been arrows.) Just as the balance and nuance of the beers in the previous flight demonstrated, Arrow Factory doesn’t miss their mark here either. And this skill remained evident in all the other beers as well.
Again, the brewers themselves stated in the aforementioned Hops Magazine profile, this more classical British and European sensibility is what they want to contribute to the craft brewing scene here in China. I think they have succeeded with flying colors. Oh wait, I mean colours. 😉
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