You can’t leave Great Leap #6 without trying the sweet yet fiery Honey Ma Gold. Brewed using Shandong honey and Sichuan peppercorns, it’s one of this Beijing-based brewer’s most popular pours for a reason. But you have to find Great Leap #6 first. Notoriously difficult to find for first-timers, this now-iconic brewpub is tucked within an old courtyard house down one of the city’s narrow Hutong alleys.

Widely credited for being the brewery that got the craft beer movement rolling in Beijing, Great Leap Brewing has gone from strength to strength, opening two more locations (Great Leaps #45 and #12) in the years since it set up shop in the Doujiao Hutong #6 courtyard in 2010. Although not as stylized as its two younger siblings (think: exposed brick and soft industrial chic), Great Leap #6 is still the place to enjoy a fine craft brew en plein air when the sun shines. And, since the beer menu has expanded alongside the brand, there are now around 20 beers on tap at any one time. So if the Honey Ma Gold doesn’t tickle your fancy, you could sample the Iron Buddha Blonde brewed with Oolong tea, the toffee-tasting Aggressor ale, or opt for one of the new weekly, often seasonal, specials.