Slow Boat Brewery – Sanlitun Brewpub

Slow Boat Brewery (悠航) was founded in Beijing in the summer of 2011, starting as a pilot brewery in the hills outside the city. It has since become one of the better-known names in Chinese craft beer, with a production brewery in Wuqing, Tianjin, a brewing team of a dozen, more than 70 beers a year and, by its own count, 52 international awards. Its flagship is Monkey Fist IPA, a 6.2% West Coast IPA with Citra hops.

The Sanlitun Brewpub on Nansanlitun Road opened in September 2016 as Slow Boat's second venue, after its original Dongsi 8th Alley bar, which has since closed. It is one of five Slow Boat venues in Beijing and has its own small brewhouse producing beers on site, with seating spread across three floors. Alongside the core range, including Monkey Fist and the 4.8% Yu De Shui pilsner, the taps carry seasonal and collaboration beers, which in recent years have run from hazy double IPAs and goses to Baltic porters and a Mexican-style lager.

Slow Boat is known for its burgers as much as its beer. The brand has won Beijing's Burger Cup seven times, most recently in 2026, and That's Beijing named it the city's best burger of 2026. The Sanlitun menu also has crisp fried chicken and brunch dishes, and the brewpub has been on Dianping's annual Must-Eat list in most years since 2019, including 2026.

Its Sanlitun address makes it an easy stop for visitors staying in Chaoyang. For a quieter setting, Slow Boat's Baitasi and Shichahai venues in the west of the city pour the same beers, and Shichahai is the usual home of the brewery's tap takeovers.