Jing-A Brewing Co.
Beijing, Beijing, China · Est. 2012
Tally's Take
Why this matters
A dominant force in capital nightlife known for locally inspired, highly creative brews like their watermelon ale.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2019Carlsberg takes a minority stake
Carlsberg buys a small minority stake in March 2019 and takes on distribution, with founders Alex Acker and Kris Li keeping control of brewing and brand. Terms were not disclosed and it was described as a small investment.
The Beer Library
Beers
Mandarin Wheat
Year-RoundFruit Wheat Ale
Brewed with mandarin peel, in a city where the fruit is a New Year gift rather than a flavouring. Jing-A built its identity on beers that could only have come from Beijing.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Beijing Bikini
SeasonalWatermelon Ale
Named for the local summer habit of men rolling their shirts up over the belly to cool off. It is an affectionate joke about the city, made by a brewery inside it.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Flying Fist IPA
Year-RoundAmerican IPA
Jing-A's flagship, and one of the beers that established that a Beijing brewery could make a serious West Coast IPA rather than an approximation of one.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Koji Red Ale
YEAR_ROUNDRed Ale
China Pass 29. Local name: 红曲米红艾尔. Official current beer list
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Dongbei IPA
YEAR_ROUNDIPA
China Pass 29. Local name: 东北IPA. Official current beer list
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Worker's Pale Ale
YEAR_ROUNDPale Ale
China Pass 29. Local name: 工人淡色艾尔. Official current beer list
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Tuhao Gold Pilsner
YEAR_ROUNDPilsner
China Pass 29. Local name: 土豪金皮尔森. Official current beer list
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Slacker
YEAR_ROUNDIPA
China Pass 29. Local name: 摸鱼. Official current beer list; 0.5% ABV
Drank this? Add it to your passport →The Airpocalypse
YEAR_ROUNDIPA
China Pass 29. Local name: 空气末日. Official current beer list
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Jingdao
YEAR_ROUNDPilsner
China Pass 29. Local name: 京道. Official current beer list
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Black Velvet Vanilla Stout
YEAR_ROUNDStout
China Pass 29. Local name: 黑丝绒香草世涛. Official current beer list
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Imperial Yunnan Coffee Stout
CURRENTChocolate & Coffee Flavoured Beer
China Pass 29. 2026 World Beer Awards Gold.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Triple Berry Nectar
CURRENTFlavoured Beer
China Pass 29. 2026 World Beer Awards Gold.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Tropical Nectar
CURRENT_OR_RECENTFlavoured Wild & Sour Beer
China Pass 29. 2025 individual WBA record; also listed Silver in 2026 China results.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →On the record
Awards
- 2026
Gold — Imperial Yunnan Coffee Stout
World Beer Awards
- 2026
Gold — Triple Berry Nectar
World Beer Awards
- 2026
Silver — Tropical Nectar
World Beer Awards
- 2019
Bronze — Worker's Pale Ale
Australian International Beer Awards
- 2019
Silver — Tuhao Gold Pilsner
Australian International Beer Awards
- 2018
Bronze — Worker's Pale Ale
Brussels Beer Challenge
- 2017
Gold — Worker's Pale Ale
International Beer Cup
- 2017
Gold — Worker's Pale Ale
Brussels Beer Challenge
- 2017
Silver — Tuhao Gold Pilsner
International Beer Cup
- 2017
Gold — The Airpocalypse
International Beer Cup
Only awards we could attribute to a named body and year appear here. An empty section means unresearched, not unawarded.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 2012Founded
- 2019Carlsberg takes a minority stake
Carlsberg buys a small minority stake in March 2019 and takes on distribution, with founders Alex Acker and Kris Li keeping control of brewing and brand. Terms were not disclosed and it was described as a small investment.
Today the chain tops out at Carlsberg Group.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Jing-A Brewing Co. is controlled by Foundation / nonprofit.
Carlsberg Group Annual Report 2025 · Carlsberg Group · 2026-02
PrimaryHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-05Reviewed 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Jing-A Brewing Co.
- Who owns Jing-A Brewing Co.?
- Jing-A Brewing Co. is owned by Carlsberg Group. Jing-A Brewing Co. is based in Beijing, Beijing, China.
- Is Jing-A Brewing Co. still independent?
- No. Jing-A Brewing Co. is owned by Carlsberg Group and is no longer independent.
- When was Jing-A Brewing Co. acquired?
- 2019. Carlsberg buys a small minority stake in March 2019 and takes on distribution, with founders Alex Acker and Kris Li keeping control of brewing and brand. Terms were not disclosed and it was described as a small investment.
- When was Jing-A Brewing Co. founded?
- Jing-A Brewing Co. was founded in 2012 in Beijing, Beijing, China.
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