Roll out the barrel

Beijing-based microbrewery Panda Brew now has four bottled craft beers: Outlaw Witbier, Red Honey Ale, Ginger Golden Ale and Kuding Pale Ale. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Thus the series of his General IPA's are named after famous military personnel, including those sanctioned by warlord states, and other beer names at Great Leap are derived from traditional folklore, local history or their Chinese ingredients.

Jim Boyce, a beer and wine connoisseur and blogger in Beijing, says serious Chinese brewers put a lot of effort in what goes into their bottles, so they also care about how to present it to the world.

Boyce says his favorite labels are from Shangrila Beer in Yunnan province.

"The labels feature these colorful artistic images of the local culture around Shangri-La, and that's where Tibet, Yunan, and Sichuan meet. Quite beautiful.

"In Beijing I also like the consistency of style and the clever names of the beers at Arrow Factory. Stuff like Guanxi Pale Ale is very clever."