Saturday, November 12 at Great Leap Brewing Original #6, I’ll be hosting the final installation of Drinking in History of 2016. Discussion beers include: Explorer General IPA and Iron Buddha Blonde.
Following the fracturing of the Han Dynasty, General Ban Chao fought under the banner of the Eastern Han. While he was often considered a diplomat, Ban Chao actually had quite a bit in common with Huo Qubing. That is, the two both thoroughly enjoyed wiping the floor with the Xiongnu Barbarians. Ban Chao’s first major conquests came during the first century A.D., when his forces expelled the Xiongnu from the Tarim basin, effectively securing trade routes with Arab nations to the west. From 74 A.D. to 91 CE, he made a hobby out of quelling uprisings in the region, eventually earning the title “Protector General of the Western Regions” for his efforts. However, his military efforts paled in comparison to one exploratory mission in 97 CE, where the soon-to-retire Protector General mapped the Persian Gulf and provided the first Chinese account of Europe. After the Explorer General died in 102 CE, no Chinese expedition ever reached so far west.
Though not named after a figure in Chinese history, one specific ingredient in our Iron Buddha Blonde has had just as much significance as any of our General IPAs. Prior to the 1800s, China’s tea trade was the apple in the eye of the British Empire. As long as the sun was up in one of the Queen’s territories, tea was being consumed, and nearly every leaf was coming out of China. Unfortunately for the British, the only European product of any worth to the Chinese was silver, and for hundreds of years it flowed steadily into the Emperors’ pockets. To reverse this trend, the British East India Company had a solution that would make Omar Little proud. Enlisting the help of Scottish botanist Robert Fortune and some poppy farmers in India, the Queen’s merchants waged the first major case of industrial espionage in world history, erasing their trade deficit and shifting the balance of power in the new global economy.
Saturday, November 12 at 12:30 pm. Email jimmy@greatleapbrewing to reserve your place. The cost is 100 RMB for the general public or 80 RMB for members of the Great Leap Collective or The Hutong.
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