Beijing duck , steamed dumplings or a glass of green tea : these are the culinary offerings most associated with China . But beer ? Believe it or not , China is the beer-chugging capital of the world . The Chinese public gulped down 59.3 billion liters of alcohol in 2012 -- nearly double the amount quaffed in the U.S. Beer accounted for 84 % of that figure , according to market research firm Euromonitor . Yet per capita , Chinese consumption was only about 35 liters annually -- less than half of the United States , according to Bloomberg -- and still has enormous room to grow . That has led to a microbrewery boom in Beijing . `` There 's a whole slew of places that are about to emerge , '' said Ryan O'Neal Johnston , owner of Beijing 's The Drive-Thru Bar . `` For anyone interested in anything besides lagers and Tsingtao , it 's on . '' Enter Carl Setzer , A 31-year old native of Cleveland , Ohio , who had barely touched alcohol until he was 25 . After college , he landed in Shiyan , Hubei Province where an agency found him work at Dongfeng Motors . Setzer , an IT specialist , walked away from his lucrative career and jumped into the microbrewery business because he saw a niche . `` Never let a market that has a requirement go unsupplied , '' said Setzer , who opened Great Leap Brewing in October 2010 . Last year , Great Leap grossed $ 225,000 with China 's low operating costs cutting into only about a quarter of that figure . On a recent Saturday night , the bar 's open air courtyard and small anteroom in Doujiao Hutong were standing room only as a flustered bartender struggled to keep glasses full . `` The greatest accomplishment is that people come here , '' said Setzer , who recently opened a second location on Xinzhong Street . Expats originally dominated the Beijing microbrewing scene , but that is changing . The clientele has been diversifying rapidly as more Chinese return from stints abroad and with greater levels of disposable income , according to microbrewers . The growing appeal to locals , however , may have more to do with the product itself . Great Leap infuses traditional Chinese ingredients with time-honored brewing techniques . Drinks like the `` Iron Buddha , '' blended with hints of Tieguanyin tea or the `` Cinnamon Rock Ale '' incorporating Chinese `` large bark cinnamon . '' The `` Honey Ma Gold , '' Great Leaps most popular , is infused with the mouth-numbing essence of the Sichuan Peppercorn ( huajiao ) . All sell for between 30 and 50 RMB ( $ 4.89 -- $ 8.15 ) a glass . Success has bred competition . Chandler Jurinka opened Slowboat brewery in February 2012 with distribution to various expat friendly hotels , restaurants and bars , and followed up with the Slowboat Taproom in Dongsibatiao Hutong in December . `` I 've always been someone who recognized and valued quality , '' said Jurinka , a former U.S. Army Sergeant from Washington D.C. Jurinka , 46 , first came to China in 1994 as a student at the University of Nanjing and after an 11-year hiatus bounced around the Chinese start-up world before settling into his latest venture with Slowboat . Offering a more traditional selection of homebrews , Slowboat 's popular brands are The Captain 's Pale Ale , Jack Tar Scottish Ale and Imperial Vanilla Stout . Jurinka , too , is looking to capitalize on soaring Chinese demand . But Slowboat uses mostly imported ingredients , catering to the popular belief that foreign food products are superior to domestic . Microbrews in Beijing are more than just keeping glasses full . Great Leap and Slowboat are both based deep within traditional Beijing residential `` hutong '' neighborhoods and have paid particular attention to adapting their presence seamlessly to locals . `` Strangers in hutongs are never welcome , '' said Setzer . Great Leap maintains a strict midnight closing and even earlier hours in summer and during university exams , while Slowboat made their space ( almost ) completely soundproof . Both men too have married into Chinese families and are currently raising their own . Community relations is just one of the unique challenges that both face as small business owners in Beijing . Laws and regulations are often ambiguous and Setzer admitted that `` you have to make use of personal connections '' to get things done . For Slowboat , the biggest challenge came in the form of intellectual property . `` If you 're not being copied then you 're not relevant , '' said Jurinka , who said he required `` constant and rapid innovation '' to stay ahead of the curve . Jurinka estimated that eight to 10 new microbreweries were about to emerge . `` Sometimes they come in here and they are taking pictures of the tiles on the wall . '' At the recent 2013 Beijinger Magazine Reader Bar and Club awards , it was a banner night for Great Leap which swept several categories including `` Bar of the Year , '' `` Best Local Craft Brewing '' and `` Personality of the Year , '' for the famously cantankerous Setzer . Not to be outdone , Slowboat received the `` Best New Bar '' award . Jurinka , though , said he is focused on the big picture . `` Slowboat is not in competition with any other local brewery , '' he said . `` There are 20 million people in this city and the more local Beijing breweries , the greater the likelihood that there will be a craft beer revolution in Beijing . ''
China is the beer-chugging capital of the world , drinking twice as much as the U.S . Per capita consumption of beer is still half that of Americans , showing room for growth . A growing number of foreign-run microbreweries have launched in Beijing . Biggest challenge is intellectual property : `` If you 're not being copied then you 're not relevant ''